The APS Executive Board has passed a resolution thanking House and Senate policy makers for recently-passed legislation that strengthens the science, math and engineering activities of our nation.
“Sustaining and improving the standard of living of American citizens, achieving energy security and environmental sustainability, providing the jobs of tomorrow and defending our nation against aggressors all require federal investments in science education and research… The Board congratulates the Senate and House leadership and the White House for elevating science to a place of prominence on the federal agenda,” the resolution states.
Bills authorizing increasing science funding have passed in both the House and the Senate with bipartisan support.
The Senate bill, S. 761, the America COMPETES act, passed by a vote of 88-8 on April 25. The bill authorizes nearly $60 billion for various programs for FY 2008 through FY 2011. The bill would double the NSF budget over five years and double the DOE Office of Science budget over 10 years.
The House of Representatives passed five separate authorization bills, which were then combined into one bill, H.R. 2272, the 21st Century Competitiveness Act of 2007. The bill would put the NSF budget and the NIST Scientific and Technical Research and Services budget on track to double in 10 years. The bill also addresses math and science education issues.
The President’s budget request for FY2008, released in February, also supports increased funding for the DOE Office of Science, NSF, and NIST STRS.
Following the Senate passage of the America COMPETES act, APS president Leo Kadanoff sent an email to all APS members requesting that they thank their senators for passing this legislation. “The Senate has done something important, and it will benefit from being told so,” Kadanoff’s letter to members says.
In early June the APS Executive Board voted by email to pass the resolution expressing appreciation to both the House and the Senate. The House and Senate authorization bills must still be reconciled in conference. Authorization bills set the maximum allowable spending levels; actual funding levels will be set by appropriations bills, which have not yet been passed.
On June 6 the House Appropriations Committee approved the House Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill, which allocates $4.516 billion to the DOE Office of Science for FY08, an increase of $716.8 million over the FY07 budget and $116.2 million above the President’s request.
The APS Executive Board resolution also thanks the House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee for this allocation.
The full text of the board resolution is
posted on the APS web site.