WHAT'S NEW by Robert L. Park Friday, 18 Mar 94 Washington, DC 1. ONE YEAR LATER: CONCERN H

WHAT'S NEW by Robert L. Park   Friday, 18 Mar 94   Washington, DC

1. ONE YEAR LATER: CONCERN HAS SHIFTED TO "STRATEGIC EMPLOYMENT."
Testifying on the NSF request for FY 95, NSF Director Neal Lane told a
Senate appropriations subcommittee that strategic planning is underway at
NSF, and 75% of the FY 95 increase would go into strategic areas.  Senator
Barbara Mikulski, credited Lane with an "astounding accomplishment -- it is
absolutely what the committee wants to achieve."  With research on track,
Mikulski wants NSF to help overhaul education to prepare students for the
marketplace.

2. IS ACADEMIC PORK THREATENING TO BECOME A POLITICAL LIABILITY?  It's a
Washington adage that voters are opposed to pork -- in other Congressional
districts.  In your own district, it's "bacon," and those who bring it home
enjoy long tenure.  But lately, it's been getting bad press.  So bad that
Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV), who delivers more bacon than anyone else in
Congress, was the target of a "No Pork" rally on the Capitol steps -- by his
own constituents.

3. MEANWHILE, THE ADMINISTRATION IS BALKING AT MAKING TRP AWARDS.  In spite
of the Brown Amendment requiring Technology Reinvestment Project awards to
be competitive (WN 1 Oct 93), TRP earmarks were inserted in the Defense
Appropriations Report (WN 26 Nov 93).  The reports are non-binding, but
agencies take even the nuttiest earmarks seriously lest their budget suffer
the following year.  A face-saving deal has reportedly been offered that
would fund the earmarked projects out of Defense programs other than the TRP.

4. GEORGE BROWN POINTS OUT THAT THE PROBLEM GOES BEYOND EARMARKS!
Testifying before the Rules Subcommittee, the chair of the House Science,
Space and Technology Committee explained that report language "written by
some anonymous staffer will have more effect than a bill dutifully debated,
amended and passed by the elected Members on authorizing committees."  It
was an apparent reference to the notorious report accompanying the Senate FY
94 VA/HUD/IA Appropriations Bill (WN 17 Sep 93).  Brown recommended changing
House Rules to preclude such abuses.  A rule change requiring earmarks to be
set apart in a separate section of reports was endorsed by Brown as a very
small step in the right direction.

5. IS DOE STILL HAVING TROUBLE ESTIMATING SUPER COLLIDER COSTS?  Even in
death, the SSC budget is controversial.  The DOE budget request for FY 95
includes $180M for SSC termination. Last month, DOE submitted a termination
plan to Congress putting the total cost at $695M. But in a hearing described
by one congressman as a "shootout," Science Subcommittee chair Rick Boucher
(D-VA), observed that a $95M carryover from FY 93, added to the $640M for FY
94, gives DOE a $40M surplus.  Why is another $180M needed?  If they were
expecting Martha Krebs, Director of Energy Research, to clear things up,
they got a surprise; Krebs revised the total cost downward to $568M; add
$180M and the surplus would be $347M!

THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY   (Note: Opinions are the author's and are not
necessarily shared by the APS, but they should be.)