Congress Approves FY06 Appropriations for TBED Programs

Last week, Congress passed HR 2862, the fiscal year 2006 appropriations bill for State, Science, Justice, and Commerce. SSTI covered the federal budget request in the Feb. 14 issue of the Digest. Overall, Congress proved more financially supportive of the programs and agencies most utilized by state and regional tech-based programs than the Administration's FY06 request. Following are highlights from the selected bill, which now goes to the president for his anticipated signature. Changes from FY05 appropriations are noted in parentheses.

Department of Commerce

The Economic Development Administration - $284 million (no change) to provide grants for economic development assistance.

Within the Technology Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) received $761.8 million (a $62.6 million increase over the FY05 appropriations, according to the American Institute of Physics Bulletin). The Office of Technology Policy received $6 million.

• NIST Advanced Technology Program (ATP) No funding was requested for FY06; however, Congress appropriated $80 million ($60.4 million decrease from FY05 appropriations).
• NIST Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (HMEP) $106 million ($1.5 million decrease), a $59.2 million increase over the Administration's request.

The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) received $30 million ($1.9 million increase) under the appropriation, or $700,000 less than the Administration's request.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) received $3.9 billion, $3 million over the Administration's request. Key components for the research community include:

• National Marine Fisheries Service $678.5 million ($104.1 million increase), $53 million over the Administration's request.
• National Ocean Service $500 million ($41.2 million decrease), $105.8 million over the Administration's request.
• Oceanic and Atmospheric Research $373.3 million ($30.8 million decrease), $11.6 million over the Administration's request.
• National Weather Service $745.2 million ($41.3 million increase), $400,000 over the Administration's request.
• National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service $179.3 million ($3.2 million increase), $25.3 million over the Administration's request.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office received $1.7 billion, an increase of $149 million over FY05.

NASA

The FY06 appropriation is $16.46 billion, which compares favorably to the Administration's request of $16.47 billion. According to the American Institute of Physics Bulletin, the FY05 budget was $16.07 billion. With the president's signature, Exploration Capabilities receives $6.7 billion ($1.8 million decrease) and Science, Aeronautics and Exploration receives $9.8 billion ($2.1 million increase).

National Science Foundation

NSF received $5.65 billion, which is $181 million over FY 05 and $49 million over the Administration's request, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. Components include:

• $4.39 billion for research and related activities ($167 million increase).
• $193.3 million for major research equipment and facilities construction, $56.8 million less than the Administration's request.
• $807 million for education and human resources, $70 million over the Administration's request.
• $250 million for salaries and expenses, $19 million less than the Administration's request.

In addition, Math and Science Partnerships received $64 million ($15.4 million decrease), $4 million over the Administration's request.

Small Business Administration

Funding for core programs within the agency include:

• Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) $89 million, $1 million over the Administration's request.
• Women's Business Centers (WBC) $12.5 million, $500,000 over the Administration's request.
• Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) $5 million, the same as the Administration's request.
• National Women's Business Council (NWBC) $750,000, the same as the Administration's request.
• Veteran's Outreach $750,000, the same as the Administration's request.