CGA NEWS
(6-21-13)
To: CGA
From: A۰P۰L۰U Congressional and Governmental Affairs Staff
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) indicated today a cloture vote will occur on a Senators Bob Corker (R-TN) and John Hoeven (R-ND) border security amendment on Monday evening and a cloture vote on the bill on Thursday. Additionally, in order to speed up consideration, noncontroversial amendments will be merged with the border security amendment. Fortunately, the Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) amendments exempting universities from the 90 day displacement attestation and definitions of H-1B skilled worker dependent employer/H-1B dependent employer are among the noncontroversial amendments that will be included. See the first two items on the attached S. 744 concerns document for additional details. APLU is grateful to the Senate Gang of Eight for the inclusion of these amendments and is very supportive of the underlying bill.
Yesterday, APLU and other higher education associations sent the attached letter to the Senate to express support and request improvements within S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act.
On Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its FY2014 302(b) Subcommittee allocations along a 15-14 party line vote, using an overall cap of $1.058 trillion which reflects the Budget Control Act spending limit prior to sequestration. The Senate FY14 appropriations bills set spending levels at $556 billion for defense related programs and $506 billion for domestic discretionary programs. All of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee allocations are higher than what was agreed to in the House, including $164.3 billion for the Senate Labor-Health and Human Services-Education bill, which translates to nearly $43 billion more than approved by the House Committee.
Somewhat surprisingly, the House failed to pass the five-year Farm bill, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 (H.R. 1947), yesterday by a recorded vote of 195 to 234. Many Democrats were unhappy with the cuts and additional mandates to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, while several conservative Republicans believed that reductions did not go far enough.
Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) and others are cosponsoring a Senate Dear Colleague Letter, attached, asking the Senate Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee to restore STEM education programming to NOAA, NASA, and NSF. The Senate CJS Appropriations Subcommittee will likely decide the fate of these programs when they mark up their bill in mid-July.
Interested CGA are encouraged to reach out to Senate delegations for endorsement. Senate offices should contact James Chang (James_Chang@schatz.senate.gov or 202-224-7365) of Senator Schatz’ office. Signatures will be accepted through Wednesday, June 26.
The House Science, Space, and Technology Space Subcommittee recently released draft legislation reauthorizing NASA for two years, including a $16.8 billion budget for the agency, reflecting an approximately $1 billion reduction compared to the previous fiscal year. The bill focuses the long-term goals of sending humans to Mars and developing commercial manned spacecraft. It prevents NASA from starting the Administration’s proposed Asteroid Retrieval Mission.
The bill allocates $1.7 billion for the Space Launch System and $1.2 billion for the Orion crew capsule. It also authorizes $2.9 billion for the International Space Station and $700 million for the Commercial Crew program, with a flight readiness deadline of December 31, 2017.
The $4.62 billion for the Science Mission Directorate prioritizes the James Webb Space Telescope and Planetary Science missions while reducing funding for Earth Science by $650 million down to $1.2 billion in FY14. The bill would also authorize lower levels for the Space Technology Program, authorizing only $500 million in FY14. In terms of NASA STEM education programs, the bill maintains the FY 2013 organization and funding levels.
On Wednesday, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences released “The Heart of the Matter,” a report addressing the importance of the humanities and social sciences. The report unites a wide assortment of American cultural, academic, and governmental leaders behind the humanities and social sciences. The Commission identified several goals in the report, including robust humanities and social sciences education, stronger research, and a more internationally savvy citizenry. Notable recommendations include the creation of a “Humanities Master Teacher Corps” and the passage of a “National Competitiveness Act,” which would support education in international affairs and transnational studies. The Commission also released a short film directed by Ken Burns, which features John Lithgow, David Brooks, Sandra Day O’Connor, Yo-Yo Ma, and others, discussing the necessity of the humanities and social sciences.
The first Golden Goose Award of 2013 will be awarded to the late Wallace H. Coulter, a researcher and inventor who some fifty years ago turned research on paint for the Navy into the Coulter® Counter™, which remains today a standard machine for counting blood cells rapidly and efficiently. Coulter developed the technology for his invention while working on a grant from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to improve the paint used on Navy ships. APLU is a founding organization of the Golden Goose Award.
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