NSF Congressional Highlight
NSF Is Funded at $5.91 Billion for the 2007 Fiscal Year

Also: NSF Director Testifies at FY 2008 Appropriations Hearings; NSF Authorization Bill Is Introduced

March 8, 2007

The National Science Foundation is funded at $5.91 billion for the 2007 fiscal year that began on October 1, 2006 and runs through September 30, 2007. The Research and Related Activities account received a $334.74 million increase over the figure for FY 2006, while the other accounts were funded at about the same level as the previous fiscal year.

The appropriations for NSF were included in H.J.Res.20, the $463.5-billion continuing resolution that provides funds for most of the federal government. Last year, Congress completed action on only two of the annual funding bills--for the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security. The other agencies had been operating under a series of short-term continuing resolutions.

The table below shows comparisions with the FY 2006 appropriation.

NSF FY 2007 Funding by Account

(Dollars in Millions)

	FY 2006 Actual	FY 2007 Request	House Mark	Senate Mark	FY 2007 Final
NSF Overall	$5,581.17	$6,020	$6,020	$5,992	$5,917.16
Research and Related Activities	$4,331.48	$4,666	$4,466.95	$4,646.42	$4,665.95
Education and Human Resources	796.69	816	832.43	$835.75	$796.69
Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction	$190.88	$240	237.25	$237.25	$190.88
Salaries and Expenses	$246.81	$282	$268.61	$256.50	$248.25
National Science Board	$3.95	4.00	$3.91	$3.91	$3.97
Office of Inspector General	$11.36	$12	11.86	$11.86	$11.43

Totals may not add due to rounding.

More information will be available when Public Law 110-5 is published on the Web.

NSF DIRECTOR TESTIFIES AT FY 2008 APPROPRIATIONS HEARINGS; NSF AUTHORIZATION BILL IS INTRODUCED

In other news, House and Senate appropriators have begun holding their hearings on the President's FY 2008 budget request. In testimony before the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies on March 1, NSF Director Arden L. Bement, Jr., said the requested $6.43 billion dollars for FY 2008 "will keep NSF on the course set by the President's American Competitiveness Initiative to drive innovation and sharpen America's competitive edge." (The full text of his House testimony is here.) On March 8, Bement testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science hearing (Senate testimony is here). The NSF director and Steven C. Beering, chair of the National Science Board, are scheduled to appear at a hearing on March 20 of the House Science and Technology Committee.

On March 5, Senators Harry Reid (D-NV), Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and more than 30 co-sponsors introduced S. 761, the "America COMPETES Act." It provides authorizations for NSF, NIST, NOAA, Department of Energy, and a variety of educational programs. Among other provisions, the bill would authorize NSF's budget to grow to $11.2 billion by 2011, with proportional increases in EHR and EPSCoR. The Noyce, GRF and IGERT programs would grow to $200, million, $60 million and $55 million, respectively, by 2011. The bill is expected to come to the Senate floor for a vote in early April.