President Clinton yesterday signed into law an appropriations bill covering key technology partnering and policy programs carried out by the Commerce Department’s Technology Administration. The new law includes $656.6 million ($68.4 million under the President’s FY 1999 request or 91 percent) funding for the Office of the Under Secretary for Technology, the Office of Technology Policy, the Office of Space Commercialization, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST’s programs include the Measurement and Standards Laboratories, the Advanced Technology Program, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and the Baldrige National Quality Program.
Initially, Congress has approved the use of a portion of the FY 1999 appropriation through June 15, 1999.
Commerce Secretary William M. Daley said, "The Advanced Technology Program co-funds with industry the high-risk research that could have tremendous benefits for the broader economy. Total ATP appropriations are up and we will be able to provide first year funding for about 65 new projects."
The FY 1999 appropriation also includes $2.3 million ($0.7 million under the President’s FY 1999 request or 77 percent) for US/OTP to expand the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology. "EPSCoT will stimulate technology commercialization in eligible states by promoting partnerships between state governments, universities, community colleges, and the private sector—especially states not traditionally receiving significant federal research and development support," Daley said. EPSCoT is the technology counterpart to the National Science Foundation’s successful Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (abbreviated EPSCoR).
"I am delighted that this bill’s passage means that education and healthcare organizations now will be able to be full partners in the Baldrige National Quality Program, including applying to receive the Baldrige Award and sharing best practices with schools and healthcare providers around the country," Daley said. The program’s expansion is a joint private-public sector initiative proposed to Congress by the President. The private Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awards has been raising funds for an endowment to support the expansion, but some federal funding is needed to manage the program.
Specific provisions of the appropriations law provide eight-and-one-half months of funding at the following annual levels:
Total FY 1999 Appropriation: $9.5 million ($0.5 million under the President’s FY 1999 request or 95 percent)
In addition to the $2.3 million for EPSCoT, the FY 1999 budget will enable US/OTP to address critical Administration and congressional civilian technology priorities, including $7.2 million for:
Total FY 1999 Appropriation: $647.1 million ($67.9 million under the President’s FY 1999 request or 91 percent)
The FY 1999 appropriation for NIST is divided into three portions:
NTIS, another TA agency, is fee-supported and had not requested appropriations in FY 1999.
NOTE TO REPORTERS AND EDITORS: A detailed history of the FY 1999 budget process soon will be available on the World Wide Web at http://www.nist.gov/.
As a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Technology Administration, NIST promotes economic growth by working with industry to develop and apply technology, measurements and standards through four partnerships: the Measurement and Standards Laboratories, the Advanced Technology Program, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership and the Baldrige National Quality Program.