The House appears to be preparing itself for a vote on the first of the 12 FY13 appropriations bills this week. First up is the Commerce, Justice, Science bill, likely to be on the floor for amendments and votes starting today. Concerns remain as the House has an open rule on amendments, which could lead to major changes in the drafted legislation by Representatives who want to see substantially less funding invested in research. Attached you will find the current full committee draft of the House legislation.
Tag Archives: Basic Research
Obama Administration releases fiscal year 2013 budget proposal
On Monday, February 13th, the White House released its annual budget blueprint for FY13 to be reviewed for Congressional approval. The map outlines the Administration’s funding priorities for the upcoming fiscal year within the federal agencies. It appears that overall research funding comes out relatively unscathed, with slight increases across the board in many critical programs, although there are some cuts to a handful of critical programs as well. It is important to note that this is considered the Administration’s “suggestion” on how to allocate funds, and will likely be altered as Congress, who holds the purse strings, proceeds forward in their budgeting process through September 30th. Attached you will find a variety of documents that break down the budget request by Agency. As more information is released, the documents will be updated accordingly. If you should have any questions please feel free to contact me at your convenience, at 302-540-9342 or in the comments section.
~Angie Anderson, Director, Federal Relations
FY2013 Budget Summary (part I)
DOE FY13 Appropriations Table (1)
President addresses university issues in SOTU
In his State of the Union address, President Obama discussed three issues of particular interest to universities: basic research, college costs and the DREAM Act.
Basic Research. During his speech, the President also reiterated his support for maintaining the federal investment in research, “Innovation also demands basic research. Today, the discoveries taking place in our federally financed labs and universities could lead to new treatments that kill cancer cells but leave healthy ones untouched. New lightweight vests for cops and soldiers that can stop any bullet. Don’t gut these investments in our budget. Don’t let other countries win the race for the future. Support the same kind of research and innovation that led to the computer chip and the Internet; to new American jobs and new American industries.” There were also a few remarks made regarding federal investments in renewable energy sources, as well as the importance of medical research.
College Costs: During the SOTU, the President put the nation’s colleges and universities “on notice” that the government could not continue to “subsidize skyrocketing tuition.” He urged state governments to elevate higher education in their budget priorities and called on Congress to double the number of work-study jobs over five years, permanently extend the American Opportunity Task Credit, and prevent interest rates on subsidized federal student loans from rising from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent on July 1, as scheduled. A follow up blog post will be made to delve into greater details of this initiative.
DREAM Act: The President also touched on the DREAM Act, noting that Congress should approve legislation to allow young people brought to this country illegally at a young age to qualify for in-state tuition after attending high school (the DREAM Act) and to allow foreign students who earn college degrees in business and STEM fields to remain in the U.S. for work.