NIST Rescission Bills Update

• H.R. 889, the Defense Spending Bill that includes a proposed rescission from the FY 1995 appropriation to the NIST Advanced Technology Program, was reported out of the House/Senate conference committee on Wednesday, 4/5/95. The conference report proposed a rescission of $90 million for the ATP. This differs from the rescission amounts proposed in both the Senate ($32 million)  and House ($107 million) versions of the bill. The conference report, designated House Report 104-101, passed the House on Thursday, 4/6/95, by a vote of 343-80. The Senate passed the conference report by voice vote on 4/6/95, clearing the measure for the President.
• H.R. 1158 (also known as S.617), the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, that looked to rescind $13.3 billion in previously appropriated funds ($5.7 billion to be used for disaster relief and the rest to help cut the deficit) and proposed rescissions from the FY 1995 appropriations to three NIST programs, was considered by the Senate on 4/6/95. The proposed rescissions for NIST programs, as reported out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on 3/24/95, were: $19.5 million from the NIST Scientific and Technical Research Services (STRS, the NIST laboratory and research programs), $26.5 million from the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and $600,000 from the Baldrige National Quality Program. This version of H.R. 1158 differed from the version passed by the House on 3/16/95 in that the House proposed a rescission from the STRS of $16.5 million.

Senator Ernest Hollings (D-SC) proposed an amendment to H.R. 1158 during debate on 4/6/95 that asked for $37.5 million to be restored to four proposed rescissions from the Commerce Department. The amendment proposed the following restorations: $24 million to the MEP, $7 million to the NOAA Climate and Global Change Research Program, $5 million to the NOAA Coastal Ocean Program and $1.5 million to the Commerce Department's Under Secretary for Technology. 

These restorations would be offset by the following rescissions: $30 million from the NIST Construction of Research Facilities appropriation ( the 10-year program to replace technically obsolete research facilities at NIST Gaithersburg, Md., and Boulder, Colo., sites that received a FY 1995 appropriation of $64.7 million), $5 million from NOAA construction funds and $2.5 million from the GOES satellite contingency.

A motion to table the amendment was defeated 57-43. Following this, the amendment passed by a voice vote. H.R. 1158 then passed the Senate by a vote of 99-0.

Summary