APPROPRIATIONS- STATUS AND OUTLOOK FOR FY2007 SPENDING BILLS (NIH, NSF & DOE)

FY2007 Outlook
With the elections behind them, Congress reassembled the week of November 12th for a lame-duck session that was to have been mostly devoted to completing work on the ten remaining FY2007 spending bills, including the measures that fund the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. However, Congress ended up being so consumed with their internal leadership races that final decisions on the FY2007 Appropriations bills will be postponed until after Thanksgiving. 

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NIH REAUTHORIZATION

The election results completely changed the outlook for NIH Reauthorization during the lame-duck session. With Democrats poised to become the majority party in January in both the Senate and House of Representatives, it’s expected that very little legislation is likely to pass during the lame-duck session unless the legislation enjoys broad support in both Houses of Congress.

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INSIDE (The Beltway) SCOOP
- Jon Retzlaff, Legislative Director

During the past few years, FASEB and the broader biomedical research community have consistently conveyed the message that the erosion of NIH’s budget is occurring at a time when opportunities for scientific progress and advances in human health have never been greater. Unfortunately, Administration officials and Republican leaders have chosen to mostly ignore this message and have continued to support inadequate budgets for NIH since 2003.

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BILLS, BILLS, BILLS

House and Senate Pass S.3880, the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act
“It is time to protect our researchers, their institutions and those who do business with them from the dangerous tactics of [animal rights] extremists,” declared Leo Furcht, M.D., FASEB President in a September 20th letter addressed to the Senate Judiciary committee. The letter was in support of S.3880, the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA), which increased protections for animal research facilities and their employees targeted by animal rights (AR) extremists. On September 30th, the last day of their Congressional session before November’s election, the Senate passed S. 3880 by unanimous consent, a move lauded by FASEB.

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FASEB NEWS

The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) issued a joint statement asserting that postdoctoral researchers must have funding for and access to comprehensive health care coverage.

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POLICY ISSUE IN DEPTH: BIOSECURITY

The National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity (NSABB) is beginning to generate and share products that could ultimately impact federally funded scientists. NSABB was formed in early 2005 to develop federal regulations and review processes related to dual use biological research. The term ‘dual use’ refers to research whose purpose is benign or beneficial, but whose misuse could cause harm. Concern about dual use research was raised following a 2004 report by the National Academies titled, Biotechnology Research in an Age of Terrorism: Confronting the Dual Use Dilemma? Officially administered through the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Office of Biotechnology Activities, NSABB comprises 25 voting members with expertise in science, biosecurity, biodefense, pharmaceuticals, and/or law, as well as 18 ex-officio members representing various federal departments and agencies.

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CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE

The House and Senate have recessed for the Thanksgiving Holiday, and plan to resume the lame-duck session of Congress on December 4, 2006.

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