FY 1999 Budget History

Final and Complete as of November 4, 1998

Key to Abbreviations:
Appropriations (Actual budget for FY 1999)
Budget Authorizations (Sets caps for appropriations committees)
Continuing Resolutions
Technology Administration FY 1999 Appropriations Summary (table)

White House: Public Law 105-277 was signed into law by President Clinton on 10/21/98. The final NIST appropriations are: STRS, $280.1 million ($275.2 million for the MSL and $4.9 million for the BNQP), or 96 percent of the President’s FY 1999 request of $291.6 million; ITS, $310.3 million ($203.5 million for ATP and $106.8 million for MEP), or 85 percent of the President’s FY 1999 request of $366.7 million; and CRF, $56.7 million, the President’s full request for FY 1999. The total appropriation mark is $647.1 million, or 91 percent of the President’s FY 1999 request of $715.0 million.

Highlights include:

• $1.8 million additional funding under the STRS to provide new measurement tools and services for the semiconductor device, equipment and materials industries;

• $2.0 million additional funding under the STRS to create the comprehensive structure of technical measurements and standards needed for international trade and to promote the global use of U.S. measurement and standards;

• $1.8 million in funding under the STRS that will permit NIST to establish and manage Baldrige awards for performance excellence in education and health care; and

• $66 million in funding under the ITS appropriated for new Advanced Technology Program awards in FY 1999.

Conference: H.R. 4328, the "Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act 1999," settled 13 appropriations – including those for DoC and NIST -- that had not been resolved by the beginning of FY 1999 on 10/1/98. The House passed the bill on 10/20/98 by a vote of 333-95 and the Senate followed on 10/21/98 by a vote of 65-29. The compromise bill was reported out of conference on 10/19/98.

FLOOR – The House passed H.R. 4276, the Commerce, Justice and State FY 1999 appropriations bill, on 8/6/98 by a 225-203 vote. No changes were made to the TA/NIST section of the committee-passed version.

Two amendments regarding the ATP were defeated prior to the final vote on the bill. The first, submitted by Charles Bass (R-N.H.) was defeated on 8/4/98 by a 267-155 vote. It would have reduced funding for the ATP by $43 million (eliminating funds for new awards in FY 1999) and transferred $19.5 million of that amount to the Department of Justice. The second, submitted by Edward Royce (R-Calif.), was defeated on 8/5/98 by a 291-137 vote. It would have eliminated the ATP entirely.

COMMITTEE -- The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State and the Judiciary marked up the President's FY 1999 budget request for the Departments of Commerce, Justice and State on 6/24/98. The full appropriations committee approved the bill on 7/15/98 by a voice vote.

The NIST marks were: STRS, $280.5 million ($275.1 million for the MSL and $5.4 million for the BNQP); ITS, $287.0 million ($180.2 million for ATP and $106.8 million for MEP); and CRF, $56.7 million. The total appropriation mark was $624.2 million, compared to the President’s FY 1999 request of $715.0 million.

The committee mark:

• Recommended funding for expansion of the BNQP into the education and health care areas.

• Recommended funding the STRS at $11.1 million less than the President’s request, deleting the White House climate change and measurements/standards for disaster mitigation initiatives, and reducing the international standards initiative.

• Recommended the following proposed increases to the STRS:

     - $2 million for semiconductor metrology;

     - $2 million to continue research (begun in FY 1998) on the effects of windstorms; and

     - $834,000 for increased support for international standards.

• Directed that the $23.8 million of carry-over ATP funds from FY 1998 be used in conjunction with $96.4 million from FY 1999 for a total of $120.2 million to continue awards made in fiscal years 1996 –1998. Also recommended that $43.0 million of FY 1999 funding be used for new competition awards.

• Recommended the full President’s FY 1999 request for the MEP and supports elimination of the cap on funding of centers that have reached their sixth year of operation.

• Recommended the full President’s FY 1999 request for the CRF, including $40.0 million toward construction of the Advanced Measurement Laboratory (contingent on submission of a plan for expenditure of these funds to Congress). The committee did not recommend advance appropriations of $115 million for the CRF for FY 2000-2002.

FLOOR – S.2260, the FY 1999 appropriations bill for the Departments of Commerce, Justice and State, was passed by the full Senate on 7/23/98 by a 99-0 vote. No changes were made to the TA/NIST section of the committee-passed version.

COMMITTEE -- The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary and Related Agencies marked up the President's FY 1999 budget request for the Departments of Commerce, Justice and State on 6/23/98. The full appropriations committee approved the measure on 6/25/98 by a vote of 26-0.

The NIST marks were: STRS, $290.6 million ($285.2 million for MSL and $5.4 million for BNQP; ITS, $299.3 million ($192.5 million for ATP and $106.8 million for MEP); and CRF, $56.7 million. The total appropriation mark was $646.6 million, compared to the President’s FY 1999 request of $715.0 million.

• Recommended the requested $2.3 million funding for expansion of the BNQP into the education and health care areas, pending passage of authorizing legislation.

• Directed that $120 million of the recommended ATP funding be used for continuation of grants awarded in FY 1996-98; that $41.1 million of the FY 1999 funds be used for administrative costs and the Small Business Innovative Research program; and that $38.7 million be used for new awards. In addition, the $23.8 million of carry-over funds from FY 1998 was to have been used in FY 1999.

• Required that a portion of the $41.1 million for ATP administrative costs be used to fund a "comprehensive, outside assessment of the program" to "analyze how well the program has reached certain goals established in the authorizing statute, the Technology Competitiveness Act of 1988." The report would be provided to the appropriate committees no later than 2/1/99.

• Recommended the President’s full FY 1999 request for the MEP and supported elimination of the cap on funding of centers that have reached their sixth year of operation.

• Recommended the full President’s FY 1999 request for the CRF, including $40.0 million "to begin procurement of " the Advanced Measurement Laboratory. The committee did not recommend advance appropriations of $115 million for the CRF for FY 2000-2002.

• Recommended:
  
  -- $5 million for a Natural Resource Demonstration Program--not requested by the President--for the continued research, development, application and demonstration of new energy-efficient, environmentally sound building products, processes and technologies;

-- $1.2 million--not requested by the President--to continue wind engineering research at Texas Tech University;

-- $3 million to develop and disseminate the measurements and standards for next-generation technologies to enable cost-effective disaster mitigation, response, and recovery; and

-- $4 million to create a comprehensive approach to technical measurements and standards needed for international trade and to promote the global use of U.S. standards and measurements.

• Did not recommend the proposed increase of $7 million to improve the measurements and data underpinning the next generation of climate change technologies and contribute to the White House FY 1999 Initiative on Climate Change Technology.

White House: Public Law 105-309 was signed into law by President Clinton on 10/30/98.

House-Senate Agreement: H.R.1274 was converted into the "Technology Administration Act of 1998." The act ceased being an authorization when all budget figures were removed. However, it enables NIST to:

• co-fund centers in the Manufacturing Extension Partnership beyond the current six-year limit after a positive review;

• add education and health care categories to the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award;

• raise the maximum number of Baldrige Awards in each category from two to three;

• donate educationally useful federal equipment to elementary and secondary schools; and

• establish a program for math and science teachers in elementary and secondary schools to help them teach students important lessons in measurements, manufacturing and other areas in which NIST possesses world-class expertise.

FLOOR: H.R. 1274, "The National Institute of Standards and Technology Authorization Act of 1997," was approved by voice vote on 4/24/97.

COMMITTEE: H.R. 1274 was introduced on 4/10/97 and reported out favorably by the House Science Committee on 4/21/97. It proposed the following authorizations:

STRS: FY 1999 -- $286.9 million for MSL, $5.3 million for BNQP

ITS: FY 1999 -- $150.0 million for ATP, $111.3 million for MEP

CRF: FY 1999 -- $67.0 million

Provisions in the authorizing legislation include only using CRF funding for construction after Congress approves a new plan for facilities needs; permanent removal of the six-year cap on federal funding to MEP centers; and ATP modifications such as requiring non-small business grantees and joint ventures to put up 60 percent of project costs, allowing intellectual property rights to be determined by partners in a joint venture, disposition of property and equipment, and no financial cost time extensions for ATP grantees.

FLOOR: The full Senate passed S.1325, "Technology Administration Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1998, 1999 and 2000," on 7/31/98 under a unanimous consent agreement. Under the agreement, three amendments were offered and entered into the bill that:

• Added the language from H.R. 3824, which would delay the implementation date of the Fastener Quality Act until 6/1/99, or the expiration of 120 days after the Secretary of Commerce transmits to Congress a report (by 2/1/99), on trends in manufacturing fasteners, on other federal programs that regulate fasteners, and on legislative changes that may be needed to reflect current conditions.

Under this legislation, fasteners made for aircraft would be exempt from those regulations if the suitability and quality of the fasteners have been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.

• Lifted the prohibition on funding of MEP centers after the sixth year and allows for one-third federal funding of the total operating costs in the seventh and successive years.

• Added an "environmental technology providers" category to the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

COMMITTEE: S.1325 was introduced on 10/28/97 and reported out favorably by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on 4/30/98 by a vote of 14-3. The bill, with written report S. Rept. 105-196, was sent to the Senate floor on 5/22/98.

The committee’s version of S.1325 proposes the following authorizations:

The committee’s bill also:

• Recommended funding for expansion of the BNQP into the education and health care areas;

• Established a program for the professional development of math and science teachers; 

• Required that applicants for ATP awards first search for private funding for a project, and that large companies must enter into consortia with smaller firms in order to apply; and

• Extended support to MEP centers beyond the cap on funding after the sixth year of operation, subject to biennial reviews.

An amendment submitted by John McCain (R-Ariz.) and approved by the committee sought to require all ATP awards to be made on the basis of a general and open competition, eliminating focused program competitions. Another amendment, this one submitted by Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.) and approved by the committee, sought to recognize the Federal Aviation Administration as an alternative quality authority for aviation manufacturers seeking to comply with the Fastener Quality Act.

CONTINUING RESOLUTIONS

There were six continuing resolutions that provided stopgap funding for federal agencies – including DoC – without appropriations bills. They were Public Law 105-240, 10/1/98-10/9/98; Public Law 105-249, 10/10/98-10/12/98; Public Law 105-254, 10/13/98-10/14/98; Public Law 105-257, 10/15/98-10/16/98; Public Law 105-260, 10/17/98-10/20/98; and Public Law 105-273, 10/21/98.

TECHNOLOGY ADMINISTRATION FY 1999 APPROPRIATIONS SUMMARY TABLE

Prepared by: Michael E. Newman, NIST Public and Business Affairs
(301) 975-3025 e-mail: michael.newman@nist.gov

Data from: NIST Budget Office, NIST Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs
Budget chart produced by: NIST Budget Office

HTML Conversion: Crissy Wines
Last updated: November 5, 1998