So what will the Senate do with this? >From AIBS: On May 20th, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would cap funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Department of Energy Office of Science for the next two years and make deep cuts to environmental, geosciences, and social science research.
After consideration of a dozen amendments, the chamber voted 217 to 205 in favor of the *America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015*, H.R. 1806. The manger’s amendment offered by the bill’s sponsor, Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX), reduced authorization levels for the Biological Sciences, Computer and Information Science and Engineering, and Engineering directorates within NSF in order to restore proposed cuts to the EPSCoR program and Graduate Research Fellowship. Other amendments that were made to the legislation include encouraging female entrepreneurs, a program to incorporate robotics in K-12 education, and science education grants for Hispanic serving institutions. All members of the Democratic Caucus who were present for the vote along with twenty-three Republicans voted against H.R. 1806. Although some votes from the majority party may have been motivated by concerns about the fiscal impact of the bill, some of the dissenting votes came from Representatives who have a research university in their district. The latter group includes Representatives Rodney Davis (R-IL, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE, University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Lynn Jenkins (R-KS, University of Kansas), and Glenn Thompson (R-PA, Penn State). The fight over NSF authorizations now moves to the Senate, where Senator Thune (R-SD) is drafting his own version of the bill. A bipartisan group of seven Senators recently introduced legislation to reauthorize the Department of Energy Office of Science. S. 1398 is drastically different from the energy provisions of H.R. 1806 and does not include limitations on climate research. Please take a minute to thank your Representative for voting against H.R. 1806. <http://policy.aibs.org/app/take-action?engagementId=103953&ep=AAAAC2Flc0NpcGhlcjAxNwT_busCUXVHQcx6KEKl-Sbx8tlcuXe6Riw0EAujWHPjpXSdEHOWdJwmbHuF7srng8rhWYbtmNJ-CqmkrvxEyhj9SOZzPQBJpBhXS2K1koI&lp=0> -- Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP Environmental Studies Program Green Mountain College Poultney, Vermont Link to online CV and portfolio : https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO “Nothing is more priceless and worthy of preservation than the rich array of animal life with which our country has been blessed. It is a many-faceted treasure, of value to scholars, scientists, and nature lovers alike, and it forms a vital part of the heritage we all share as Americans.” -President Richard Nixon upon signing the Endangered Species Act of 1973 into law. "Peer pressure is designed to contain anyone with a sense of drive" - Allan Nation 1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea" W.S. Gilbert 1990's: Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss, and pollution. 2000: Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction MAY help restore populations. 2022: Soylent Green is People! The Seven Blunders of the World (Mohandas Gandhi) Wealth w/o work Pleasure w/o conscience Knowledge w/o character Commerce w/o morality Science w/o humanity Worship w/o sacrifice Politics w/o principle Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.
