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GOVERNMENT
Legislation
Budget, other topics keep Congress busy Members of Congress have been busy, as they always are during the first days of a new session, debating with the Administration and each other the issue of just how much money is enough for the various federal programs in the coming fiscal year.
Although a spending freeze is remotely possible, the outcome of the debate probably will be acceptance of President Reagan's budget proposal with minor additions and subtractions. Minor in this case means millions, and for some items hundreds of millions, of dollars. However, federal R&D budgets most probably will adhere quite closely to the budget proposal.
The budget debate, however, will not take up all of Congress' time, as can be seen by a recently issued House report that details what issues various committees will be looking at during the coming year and a half. For example, the Agriculture Subcommittee on Department Operations, Research & Foreign Agriculture will be reviewing EPA's pesticide regulatory activities, agriculture research, and research needs and regulatory options in biotechnology.
The Armed Services Subcommittee on Research & Development plans to assess the relationship of the Department of Defense R&D program to those of other agencies and colleges and universities to gauge the viability of the nation's science programs. It also intends to establish whether the investment in defense R&D has produced an acceptable return. Meanwhile, the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Arms Control, International Security & Science will be reviewing the arms control and foreign policy implications of the U.S. chemical weapons program. The Subcommittee on Asian & Pacific Affairs will be reviewing the implications of the chemical accident in Bhopal, India, focusing on the question of adequate safety standards for U.S. plants in developing countries.
On the health front, the Education & Labor Subcommittee on Health & Safety will be devising a legislative remedy to compensate occupational disease victims. The Energy & Commerce Committee will be continuing an extensive investigation into the benefits and risks associated with biotechnology and conducting a series of hearings on various issues related to the National Institutes of Health, including the growing commercialization of research and the regulation of genetic engineering.
The Science & Technology Committee is planning a series of on-site hearings at the Department of Energy's multiprogram laboratories as well as investigations of the issues involved in international scientific cooperation, restoring university research capacity, and toxic chemical groundwater contamination.
Janice Long, Washington
Authorization. (H.R. 1872, S. 674) Set DOD's fiscal 1986 R&D budget ceiling at $39.3 billion
(H.R. 1210, S. 801) Set NSF's fiscal 1986 budget ceiling at about $1.6 billion
(H.R. 1798) Sets DOE's fiscal 1986 R&D budget ceiling at about $2.8 billion
(H.R. 1714) Sets NASA's fiscal 1986 R&D budget ceiling at $2.8 billion
(H.R. 1617, S. 796) Set NBS's fiscal 1986 budget ceiling at about $128 million
Administration requested $325 million for EPA R&D programs in fiscal 1986.
Business. (H.R. 998, 1074, 1075, 1515). Tighten notification, other requirements for mergers, temporarily prohibit hostile corporate takeovers
(S. 100) Establishes uniform, national product liability law that permits multiple awards for reckless behavior
Environment. (H.R. 1978, S, 51, 596) Expand Superfund through combination of increased feedstock taxes, new fees on waste disposal; provide for victim compensation
(H.R. 8, S. 53, 652) Extend cleanup deadlines for industry discharges into waterways, cleanup of toxic hot spots
(H.R. 1649, S. 124) Set deadlines for issuance of drinking water contaminant standards, require monitoring of supplies for other contaminants
(S. 309) Makes it easier to remove from the market pesticides whose registrations contain health and safety data gaps
(H.R. 967,1030, S. 52) Require reductions in sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide emissions to curb acid rain and/or regulation of hazardous air pollutants
Health (H.R. 791, S. 484) Extends Congress' ban on FDA's proscription on saccharin until 5/1/88
Nuclear. (H.R. 862, 1046, 1083, 1267, S. 44, 356, 442, 655) Extend deadline for establishing regional facilities for disposal of low-level radioactive waste, approve agreements reached on such facilities
Research. (H. J. Res. 136, S. J. Res. 89) Direct NIH to fund the full 6526 grants approved by Congress in fiscal 1985, rather than the planned 5000
Taxes. (H.R. 777,800, S. 409,411) Simplify tax laws by eliminating most credits, deductions, exclusion, broaden tax base, reduce rates
Trade. (H.R. 1786) Limits President's authority to control exports for foreign policy purposes, prohibits restrictions on scholarly exchanges of scientific information
18 April 15, 1985 C&EN
House committee House floor Senate committee
Senate fioor Outlook
Armed Services. Subcommittee on R&D began hearings 3/7/85
Science & Technology. Ordered reported, amended 4/3/85
Science & Technology. Ordered reported, amended 4/2/85. Interior & Insular Affairs. Subcommittee on Energy & the Environment markup scheduled for 4/16/85
Science & Technology. Reported, amended 3/28/85 (H. Rept. 99-32)
Science & Technology. Ordered reported, amended 4/3/85
Science & Technology. Subcommittee on Natural Resources, Agriculture Research & Environment markup scheduled for 4/18/85
Judiciary. Subcommittee on Monopolies & Commercial Law concluded hearings 4/3/85. Ways & Means. Subcommittees on Oversight and Select Revenue Measures scheduled to begin hearings 4/16/85
Passed, amended 4/3/85
Armed Services. Ordered an original bill reported 4/4/85
Commerce, Science & Transportation. Ordered an original bill reported 4/2/85. Labor & Human Resources. Hearing not yet scheduled
Energy & Natural Resources. Began hearings 2/28/85
Commerce, Science & Transportation. Subcommittee on Science, Technology & Space concluded hearings 4/4/85
Commerce, Science & Transportation. Ordered reported, amended 4/2/85
Environment & Public Works. Began hearings 2/21/85
Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs. Subcommittee on Securities concluded
Enactment certain
Enactment possible
Enactment possible
Enactment likely
Enactment likely
Enactment likely
Enactment possible
oversight hearings 4/4/85
Commerce, Science & Transportation. Subcommittee on Consumer concluded hearings 3/21/85
Enactment possible
Energy & Commerce. Subcommittee on Commerce, Transportation & Tourism began hearings 3/7/85. Public Works & Transportation. Subcommittee on Water Resources began hearings 3/26/85
Public Works & Transportation. Subcommittee on Water Resources may hold hearings, plans markup in late April
Energy & Commerce. Hearings planned, but not scheduled
Agriculture. Subcommittee on Department Operations, Research & Foreign Agriculture scheduled to begin hearings 4/16/85
Energy & Commerce. Subcommittees on Health & the Environment, and Commerce, Transportation & Tourism held joint hearings on hazardous air pollutants 3/26/85. Subcommittee on Fossil & Synthetic Fuels held acid rain hearing 3/28/85
Environment & Public Works. Reported, amended 3/18/85 (S. Rept. 99-11). Finance. Hearing not yet scheduled
Environment & Public Works. Subcommittee on Environmental Pollution concluded hearings 3/28/85, markup scheduled 4/25/85
Environment & Public Works. Subcommittee on Toxic Substances concluded hearings 3/2/85, markup scheduled for late April
Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry. Hearings not yet scheduled
Environment & Public Works. Expected to begin work in late spring
Enactment likely
Enactment likely
Enactment likely
Enactment possible
Enactment likely
Energy & Commerce. No hearings yet scheduled
Labor & Human Resources. Concluded hearings 4/2/85
Enactment certain
Interior & Insular Affairs. Subcommittee on Energy & the Environment held hearings 3/7-8/85
Judiciary. Held hearing 3/8/85 Enactment likely
Energy & Commerce. Subcommittee on Health & the Environment began hearings 4/1/85
Labor & Human Resources. No hearings yet scheduled
Enactment possible
Ways & Means. Began hearings 2/27/85 Finance. Hearings not yet scheduled Enactment possible
Foreign Affairs. Ordered reported, amended 4/4/85
Enactment possible
April 15, 1985 C&EN 19