FY2008 APPROPRIATIONS BILLS

FY2008 Appropriations Bills DOE's Office of Science NSF FY2008 Proposed Funding Levels Coalition for Health Funding Letter INSIDE (The Beltway) SCOOP – Jon Retzlaff Bill Action Congressional Schedule FASEB Washington Update Archives

NIH: FY2008 Proposed Funding Levels, including
proposed individual IC Funding Levels, Speeches
from Mark-up, & Provisions added on Stem Cells,
Open Access, and Class B Animal Dealers

NIH: Senate Labor-HHS-Education (L/HHS) Appropriations Committee recommends $1 billion increase for NIH in FY2008
On June 21, 2007, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the FY2008 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS-Ed) Appropriations Bill. The bill, which had been approved by the Labor-HHS-Ed
Appropriations Subcommittee on June 19, 2007, provides $29.9 billion (a $1 billion increase or a 3.5 percent increase over FY2007) for NIH.

However the Senate subcommittee followed the same approach as the House subcommittee to increase the amount of the transfer from NIH to the Global HIV/AIDS fund from $99 million in FY2007 to $300 million in for FY2008. As a result, the actual
increase for NIH programs in FY2008 is $799 million (2.8 percent), compared to $549 million (1.9 percent) in the House bill. Both the House and Senate bills fall short of the projected 3.7 percent increase in the Biomedical Research and Development Price Index (BRDPI) for FY 2008.

The schedule for Senate floor consideration of the bill is uncertain. The House
Appropriations Committee is tentatively scheduled to consider its bill the week of July 9.

NIH: Comments during Subcommittee and Full Committee Debate on the Senate
Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill

During subcommittee debate, Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) pointed out during the
mark-up that his equivalent subcommittee in the House had $2 billion more to distribute
among labor, health and education programs (due to the House Labor-HHS-Ed
Subcommittee receiving a higher allocation than the Senate Labor-HHS-Ed
Subcommittee). Senator Harkin said that he plans to fight for the higher House
allocation when the Senate goes to conference with the House on the Labor-HHS-Ed
bill. Chairman Harkin also pointed out that the President’s FY2008 budget proposes to
cut funding for Labor-HHS-Ed Subcommittee programs by $2.6 billion, and made the
observation that NIH received the largest dollar increase of any agency or program
except for the Title I education program.

Senator Specter (R-PA) remarked that the FY2008 Labor-HHS-Ed Subcommittee bill
represents a $7.3 billion increase over FY2007, which also represents a $9.9 billion
increase over the President’s FY2008 proposal for Labor-HHS-Ed programs. However,
Senator Specter stated that these increases are still inadequate and cited the NIH as an
example of an agency that requires additional resources. Chairman Harkin agreed with
Senator Specter and said that he wished he could provide more money to NIH.

During debate in front of the full Appropriations Committee in the Senate,
Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd (D-WV) commented that the
allocation to the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee is not extravagant
and is necessary to support such important responsibilities as supporting the foundation
for medical research in this country (NIH). And, in response to the threats issued by
President Bush to veto appropriations bills that spend more than was proposed in his
budget, he stated that Congress does not work for the President, and the power of the
purse rests with Congress. Senate Appropriations Ranking Member, Thad Cochran (RMS),
expressed concern that the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill is $9.9
billion above the President’s request, and that he hopes the bill will move expeditiously
through the Senate with more reasonable levels of spending included. Senate Labor-
HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman, Tom Harkin (D-IA), pointed
out that the subcommittee attempted to reflect the priorities of our country, and therefore increased NIH by $1 billion. Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations
Subcommittee Ranking Member, Arlen Specter (R-PA) said that he wished they could
have done more for NIH, and pointed out that the agency has made extraordinary
advances in all areas of research. He remarked that the $1 billion increase barely keeps
up with inflation, and said that NIH has had to deal with cuts over the past few years.
Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) said that it is an outstanding bill and remarked that
not only does it restore the cuts proposed in FY2008 by the President for NIH, but it
increases NIH’s appropriation by $1 billion. She stated that this investment is crucial to
saving lives and finding cures.

NIH: Stem Cell Provision Attached to Senate Labor-HHS-Education
Appropriations Bill

Senator Harkin said that a provision on stem cells was included in the bill that is not
intended to replace S.5., the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act that was vetoed by the President yesterday. Rather, it’s an incremental measure that could advance scientific progress toward treatments and cures by greatly expanding the number of stem cell lines that are eligible for NIH-funded research, until S.5 is passed into law. The provision would move the cut-off date from Aug. 9, 2001, to June 15, 2007. Therefore, any stem cell line derived before June 15, 2007, would be eligible for federally funded research; those stem cell lines derived after June 15, 2007, would be off-limits. The provision would also tighten ethical guidelines on federally funded stem cell research.

Senator Harkin said that it is not a perfect solution, but it brings us closer to possible
research advances. As he introduced the provision, he stated, “We have the support of
the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the Coalition for the Advancement of
Medical Research (CAMR) and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental
Biology (FASEB).” FASEB issued a press release expressing support for Senator
Harkin’s action. Senator Harkin stated that there are 400 stem cell lines that have been
derived by the private sector since 2001, and that the stem cell provision would provide
federally-funded researchers with access to these 400 stem cell lines. Senator Specter
stated that he was sorry that the President vetoed S.5, especially since there is enormous potential for using embryonic stem cells to improve human health. He commented that Senator Harkin and he expanded stem cell lines using the President’s rationale that only those stem cell lines that are already available would be used for research. Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) stated that he is troubled by the stem cell provision and plans to oppose it on the Senate floor. He predicted that embryos would be created for destruction if Congress decides to resolve the issue through the proposal introduced by Senators Harkin and Specter.

NIH: Open Access Policy Provision Attached to Senate Labor-HHS-Education
Appropriations Bill

The Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill includes bill language requiring
investigators who are funded by NIH to submit an electronic version of their final peerreviewed manuscript to NLM upon acceptance for publication. The language says that the manuscript should be made publicly available on PubMed Central ASAP, but no later than 12 months after publication.

The actual language reads: “SEC: 221: The Director of the National Institutes of Health
shall require that all investigators funded by the NIH submit or have submitted for them
to the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed Central an electronic version of their final,
peer-reviewed manuscripts upon acceptance for publication to be made publicly available
no later than 12 months after the official date of publication: Provided, That the NIH shall
implement the public access policy in a manner consistent with copyright law.”

However, the Senate report language also says that it highly encourages collaborations
with journal publishers that would enable them to deposit manuscripts on behalf of the
funded investigators, if all agree. The Committee report language directs NIH to seek
and carefully take into account the advice of journal publishers on the implementation of
the policy. The Committee also added report language stating that it expects NIH to
include (in its annual congressional justifications) the funding level necessary to
implement the public access policy. And, the Committee also recognizes the importance
of maintaining copyright protections because it directs the NIH to ensure that publishers’
copyright protections are maintained. Finally, there is committee report language that
directs NIH to provide a report by April 1, 2008, on the status of the program including
how many manuscripts have been made publicly available through PubMed Central and
how many have been deposited but not yet made publicly available, including
information about the various submission methods, including author deposit, bulk
deposit, and the NIH portfolio.

NIH: Class B Animal Dealer Language Included in Senate Labor-HHS-Education
Appropriations Bill

The Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill includes report language
pertaining to Class B Animal Dealers. Specifically, the language says, “While the
Committee recognizes that the use of animals in research, under certain circumstances,
has been beneficial to the advancement of biomedical research, the Committee would like assurances that such research is conducted as humanely as possible. In the case of the use of dogs and cats used in research and obtained from Class B dealers, the Committee is concerned that such dealers have the potential to provide animals that have not been treated in accord with USDA regulations for use in federally supported research. The Committee asks the NIH to seek an independent review by a nationally recognized panel of experts of the use of Class B dogs and cats in federally supported research to determine how frequently such animals are used in NIH research and to propose recommendations outlining the parameters of such use, if determined to be necessary.”

NIH: Senate L/HHS Subcommittee’s FY2008 Proposed Funding Levels for NIH Institutes and Centers (and Common Fund and Children’s Health Study)

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DOE’s Office of Science: FY2008 Proposed Funding
Levels, House Appropriations Committee & Senate
Appropriations Committee

Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science: House Appropriations Committee
passes Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill

On June 20, the House Appropriations Committee ratified the action taken by the
Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development on May 23, 2007, when it marked up
its FY2008 bill and proposed that the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science
receive an appropriation of $4.516 billion, an increase of $717 million over it’s FY2007
funding level ($3.799 million) and $116 million more than the President proposed for
FY2008. This significant increase would amount to a nineteen percent increase over
FY2007. The increase will allow DOE’s Office of Science to support 3,500 additional
researchers and allow almost all of the science facilities to operate at maximum capacity.
The President’s FY2008 request for DOE’s Office of Science was $4.4 billion.
 

One of the goals of the American Competitiveness Initiative is to double the budget of
DOE’s Office of Science over ten years. The nineteen percent increase recommended by
the subcommittee is a significant step toward reaching this goal. House floor action is
expected to occur in July.

Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science: Senate Appropriations Committee
Passes Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill

On June 28, 2007, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed the Energy and Water
Development Appropriations Bill and proposed to provide the Department of Energy’s
(DOE) Office of Science with an appropriation in FY2008 of $4.497 billion, which
would translate to a $698 million dollar increase over the FY2007 funding level (an 18%
increase). The Senate’s proposed funding level for DOE’s Office of Science in FY2008
would exceed FASEB’s recommendation ($4.366 billion) for the agency. The
President’s FY2008 request for DOE’s Office of Science was $4.4 billion. The legislation
proposes to make critical investments in scientific research and technology to improve
America’s competitiveness. One of the goals of the American Competitiveness Initiative
is to double the budget of DOE’s Office of Science over ten years. The eighteen percent
increase recommended by the committee is a significant step toward reaching this goal.
Senate floor action is expected to occur in July.

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NSF: FY2008 Proposed Funding Levels, Senate
Appropriations Committee & House Appropriations
Subcommittee

National Science Foundation: Senate Appropriations Committee recommends a
$636 million increase for NSF in FY2008

On June 28, 2007, the Senate Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Committee recommended that NSF receive a $636 million increase in
FY2008, to $6.553 billion (an 11% increase). The Senate’s proposal is $124 million over
the President’s FY2008 request ($6.429 million). The momentum for the proposed
increase comes from the American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI), a bi-partisan
initiative to ensure that the U.S. remains the leader in science and technology. The goal
of the ACI is to double the budgets of NSF and the Department of Energy’s Office of
Science over ten years. Floor debate in the Senate is expected sometime in July.
 

NSF: House Subcommittee recommends a $593 million increase for NSF in FY2008
 

Back on June 11, 2007, the House Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Subcommittee recommended that NSF receive a $593 million increase in
FY2008, to $6.51 billion (a 10% increase). The House’s proposal matches FASEB’s
recommendation for NSF in FY2008. The President proposed $6.429 billion for NSF (an
8.7% increase). The full Appropriations Committee is expected to meet in July on this
bill.

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