{"id":18967,"date":"2022-08-01T15:42:14","date_gmt":"2022-08-01T15:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/?p=18967"},"modified":"2022-08-01T15:42:14","modified_gmt":"2022-08-01T15:42:14","slug":"policy-news-august-1-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/2022\/08\/01\/policy-news-august-1-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Policy News: August 1, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this issue:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Congress Passes NSF, Department of Energy Office of Science Reauthorization Bill<\/a><\/strong>
\nThe bill increases authorized funding for the National Science Foundation to $18.9 billion over the next five years.<\/p>\n

Senate Releases FY 2023 Spending Bills<\/a><\/strong>
\nBill includes an over 10% increase for discretionary, non-defense spending.<\/p>\n

Congress<\/strong><\/a>
\nSen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) reach an agreement on $369 billion energy and climate spending.<\/p>\n

Executive Branch<\/strong><\/a>
\nThe White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Office of Management and Budget release annual research and development spending memo.<\/p>\n

States<\/strong><\/a>
\nMassachusetts passes climate bill.<\/p>\n

International<\/strong><\/a>
\nIUCN adds the migratory monarch butterfly to the Red List of Threatened Species.<\/p>\n

Scientific Community<\/strong><\/a>
\nPresident\u2019s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology met July 28.<\/p>\n

Federal Register opportunities<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a> Congress Passes NSF, Department of Energy Office of Science Reauthorization Bill<\/h2>\n

After over a year of consideration, both the House and Senate passed the CHIPS and Science Act. The bill provides $52 billion for semiconductor research and development and manufacturing and increases authorized funding levels for the National Science Foundation to $18.9 billion over the next five years.<\/p>\n

For science programs, this bill is authorizing legislation that permits appropriators to provide certain funding amounts, but the appropriators may choose to decrease yearly funding. Spending bills for fiscal years FY 2022 and FY 2023 have fallen short of appropriating the amount included in similar authorizing legislation.<\/p>\n

The House and Senate had been negotiating a compromise between the America COMPETES Act and the Senate\u2019s U.S. Innovation and Competition Act since May 2022. ESA\u00a0endorsed<\/a>\u00a0the America COMPETES Act.<\/p>\n

The final bill officially creates an NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP). Congress directs this new directorate to focus on five \u201csocietal, national, and geostrategic challenges\u201d and ten \u201ckey technology focus areas,\u201d merging the approaches of earlier House and Senate legislation. The lists of technology focus areas and societal challenges will be updated periodically. NSF established a TIP directorate earlier this year. The initial list of societal challenges includes climate change and sustainability and inequitable access to education, opportunity or other services. The new direction is authorized to receive $20 billion over five years.<\/p>\n

The bill also requires NSF to eventually commit 20% of its funding to states and jurisdictions covered under the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program. EPSCoR aims to enhance the research competitiveness of jurisdictions receiving the smallest proportion of NSF funding. In 2021, EPSCoR jurisdictions received 12% of the NSF\u2019s total budget.<\/p>\n

The bill increases the authorized funding for the Department of Energy Office of Science to $10.8 billion. Congress funded the Office of Science at $7.4 billion in FY 2022. Lawmakers also include $4 billion to improve scientific infrastructure at the national laboratories in the authorized budget for other parts of the Department of Energy.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Senate Releases FY 2023 Spending Bills<\/h2>\n

The Senate Appropriations Committee released its draft fiscal year (FY) 2023 spending bills. The bills include an over 10% increase for discretionary non-defense spending and a nine percent increase for defense spending. The spending bills are largely Democratic bills \u2013 top Democratic and Republican appropriators have not yet reached an agreement on overall spending levels. Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-AL) said that is likely that the government will have to operate on a continuing resolution when fiscal year 2023 starts on October 1, 2022.<\/p>\n

The full House passed six spending bills July 20 (see\u00a0ESA Policy News, July 18, 2022<\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0Federal Budget Tracker<\/a>). House Appropriators were aiming to pass all 12 bill before the August recess, but that appears unlikely at this point.<\/p>\n

Top line agency spending in the Senate spending bills include:<\/p>\n