National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1995

Summary: TABLE OF CONTENTS: 
     Title I:  National Science Foundation Authorization 
     Title II:  General Provisions 
National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1995 - 
Title I: National Science Foundation Authorization
 - Authorizes appropriations to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for FY 1996 and 1997. 
(Sec. 104) Provides for reprogramming of appropriations. 
(Sec. 105) States that nothing in this Act shall preclude additional FY 1996 authorization of appropriations for NSF. 
Title II:  General Provisions
 - Amends the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 to direct NSF to include in its annual report to the President a strategic plan defining its goals, criteria, and procedures. 
(Sec. 202) Requires NSF to submit to the Congress an annual upgrade and maintenance plan for national research facilities. 
(Sec. 203) Amends the Academic Research Facilities Modernization Act of 1988 to give research facility grant priority to institutions or consortia that have not received such funds in the preceding five years. 
(Sec. 204) Makes administrative amendments to the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, the National Science Foundation Authorization Act, 1976, the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1988, and the Education for Economic Security Act. 
(Sec. 206) Requires certain research instrumentation and facilities guidelines to be incorporated in NSF grant notices. 
(Sec. 207) Subjects NSF temporary employees to the same financial disclosure requirements as apply to permanent employees. 
(Sec. 208) Requires an institution of higher education receiving NSF funds to grant a military-educational leave of absence to a student on active military duty (other than training). 
(Sec. 209) Prohibits the use of any funds authorized under this Act from being used for any lobbying activity. 
(Sec. 210) Renames the Critical Technologies Institute as the Science Studies Institute. 
(Sec. 211) Requires NSF to consider the impact of a grant on undergraduate and graduate education before its award. 
(Sec. 212) Authorizes the Director of NSF to appoint up to six Assistant Directors. 
(Sec. 214) Excludes from NSF awards for five years any person who received project funds not subject to competitive merit-based awards. (Exempts persons who are members of a law-specified class.)

67, and approved by 
Congress, allow for such further authorizations.

                      TITLE II--GENERAL PROVISIONS

SEC. 201. ANNUAL REPORT.

    Section 3(f) of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 (42 
U.S.C. 1862(f)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(f) The Foundation shall provide an annual report to the 
President which shall be submitted by the Director to the Congress at 
the time of the President's annual budget submission. The report 
shall--
            ``(1) contain a strategic plan, or an update to a previous 
        strategic plan, which--
                    ``(A) defines for a three-year period the overall 
                goals for the Foundation and specific goals for each 
                major activity of the Foundation, including each 
                scientific directorate, the education directorate, and 
                the polar programs office; and
                    ``(B) describe how the identified goals relate to 
                national needs and will exploit new opportunities in 
                science and technology;
            ``(2) identify the criteria and describe the procedures 
        which the Foundation will use to assess progress toward 
        achieving the goals identified in accordance with paragraph 
        (1);
            ``(3) review the activities of the Foundation during the 
        preceding year which have contributed toward achievement of 
        goals identified in accordance with paragraph (1) and summarize 
        planned activities for the coming three years in the context of 
        the identified goals, with particular emphasis on the 
        Foundation's planned contributions to major multi-agency 
        research and education initiatives;
            ``(4) contain such recommendations as the Foundation 
        considers appropriate; and
            ``(5) include information on the acquisition and 
        disposition by the Foundation of any patents and patent 
        rights.''.

SEC. 202. NATIONAL RESEARCH FACILITIES.

    (a) Facilities Plan.--The Director shall provide to Congress 
annually, as a part of the report required under section 3(f) of the 
National Science Foundation Act of 1950, a plan for the proposed 
construction of, and repair and upgrades to, national research 
facilities. The plan shall include estimates of the cost for such 
construction, repairs, and upgrades, and estimates of the cost for the 
operation and maintenance of existing and proposed new facilities. For 
proposed new construction and for major upgrades to existing 
facilities, the plan shall include funding profiles by fiscal year and 
milestones for major phases of the construction. The plan shall include 
cost estimates in the categories of construction, repair, and upgrades 
for the year in which the plan is submitted to Congress and for not 
fewer than the succeeding 4 years.
    (b) Limitation on Obligation of Unauthorized Appropriations.--No 
funds appropriated for any project which involves construction of new 
national research facilities or construction necessary for upgrading 
the capabilities of existing national research facilities shall be 
obligated unless the funds are specifically authorized for such purpose 
by this Act or any other Act which is not an appropriations Act, or 
unless the total estimated cost to the Foundation of the construction 
project is less than $50,000,000. This subsection shall not apply to 
construction projects approved by the National Science Board prior to 
June 30, 1994.

SEC. 203. ELIGIBILITY FOR RESEARCH FACILITY AWARDS.

    Section 203(b) of the Academic Research Facilities Modernization 
Act of 1988 is amended by striking the final sentence of paragraph (3) 
and inserting in lieu thereof the following: ``The Director shall give 
priority to institutions or consortia that have not received such funds 
in the preceding 5 years, except that this sentence shall not apply to 
previous funding received for the same multiyear project.''.

SEC. 204. ADMINISTRATIVE AMENDMENTS.

    (a) National Science Foundation Act of 1950 Amendments.--The 
National Science Foundation Act of 1950 (42 U.S.C. 1861 et seq.) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating the subsection (k) of section 4 (42 
        U.S.C. 1863(k)) that was added by section 108 of the National 
        Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1988 as subsection (l);
            (2) in section 5(e) (42 U.S.C. 1864(e)) by amending 
        paragraph (2) to read as follows:
    ``(2) Any delegation of authority or imposition of conditions under 
paragraph (1) shall be promptly published in the Federal Register and 
reported to the Committees on Labor and Human Resources and Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science 
of the House of Representatives.'';
            (3) by inserting ``be entitled to'' between ``shall'' and 
        ``receive'', and by inserting ``, including traveltime,'' after 
        ``Foundation'' in section 14(c) (42 U.S.C. 1873(c));
            (4) by striking section 14(j) (42 U.S.C. 1873(j)); and
            (5) by striking ``Atomic Energy Commission'' in section 
        15(a) (42 U.S.C. 1874(a)) and inserting in lieu thereof 
        ``Secretary of Energy''.
    (b) National Science Foundation Authorization Act, 1976 
Amendments.--Section 6(a) of the National Science Foundation 
Authorization Act, 1976 (42 U.S.C. 1881a(a)) is amended by striking 
``social,'' the first place it appears.
    (c) National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1988 
Amendments.--(1) Section 117(a)(1)(B)(v) of the National Science 
Foundation Authorization Act of 1988 (42 U.S.C. 1881b(1)(B)(v)) is 
amended to read as follows:
            ``(v) from schools established outside the several States 
        and the District of Columbia by any agency of the Federal 
        Government for dependents of its employees.''.
    (2) Section 117(a)(3)(A) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1881b(3)(A)) is 
amended by striking ``Science and Engineering Education'' and inserting 
in lieu thereof ``Education and Human Resources''.
    (d) Education for Economic Security Act Amendments.--Section 107 of 
Education for Economic Security Act (20 U.S.C. 3917) is repealed.
    (e) Technical Amendment.--The second subsection (g) of section 3 of 
the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 is repealed.

SEC. 205. INDIRECT COSTS.

    (a) Matching Funds.--Matching funds required pursuant to section 
204(a)(2)(C) of the Academic Research Facilities Modernization Act of 
1988 (42 U.S.C. 1862c(a)(2)(C)) shall not be considered facilities 
costs for purposes of determining indirect cost rates.
    (b) Report.--The Director of the Office of Science and Technology 
Policy, in consultation with other relevant agencies, shall prepare a 
report analyzing what steps would be needed to--
            (1) reduce by 10 percent the proportion of Federal 
        assistance to institutions of higher education that are 
        allocated for indirect costs; and
            (2) reduce the variance among indirect cost rates of 
        different institutions of higher education,
including an evaluation of the relative benefits and burdens of each 
option on institutions of higher education. Such report shall be 
transmitted to the Congress no later than December 31, 1995.
SEC. 206. RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION AND FACILITIES.

    The Foundation shall incorporate the guidelines set forth in 
Important Notice No. 91, dated March 11, 1983 (48 Fed. Reg. 15754, 
April 12, 1983), relating to the use and operation of Foundation-
supported research instrumentation and facilities, in its notice of 
Grant General Conditions, and shall examine more closely the adherence 
of grantee organizations to such guidelines.

SEC. 207. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE.

    Persons temporarily employed by or at the Foundation shall be 
subject to the same financial disclosure requirements and related 
sanctions under the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 as are permanent 
employees of the Foundation in equivalent positions.

SEC. 208. EDUCATIONAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE FOR ACTIVE DUTY.

    In order to be eligible to receive funds from the Foundation after 
September 30, 1995, an institution of higher education must provide 
that whenever any student of the institution who is a member of the 
National Guard, or other reserve component of the Armed Forces of the 
United States, is called or ordered to active duty, other than active 
duty for training, the institution shall grant the member a military 
leave of absence from their education. Persons on military leave of 
absence from their institution shall be entitled, upon release from 
military duty, to be restored to the educational status they had 
attained prior to their being ordered to military duty without loss of 
academic credits earned, scholarships or grants awarded, or tuition and 
other fees paid prior to the commencement of the military duty. It 
shall be the duty of the institution to refund tuition or fees paid or 
to credit the tuition and fees to the next semester or term after the 
termination of the educational military leave of absence at the option 
of the student.
SEC. 209. PROHIBITION OF LOBBYING ACTIVITIES.

    None of the funds authorized by this Act shall be available for any 
activity whose purpose is to influence legislation pending before the 
Congress, provided that this shall not prevent officers or employees of 
the United States or of its departments or agencies from communicating 
to Members of Congress on the request of any Member or to Congress, 
through the proper channels, requests for legislation or appropriations 
which they deem necessary for the efficient conduct of the public 
business.
SEC. 210. SCIENCE STUDIES INSTITUTE.

    (a) Amendment.--Section 822 of the National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal 1991 (42 U.S.C. 6686) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Critical Technologies Institute'' in the 
        section heading and in subsection (a), and inserting in lieu 
        thereof ``Science Studies Institute'';
            (2) in subsection (b) by striking ``As determined by the 
        chairman of the committee referred to in subsection (c), the'' 
        and inserting in lieu thereof ``The'';
            (3) by striking subsection (c), and redesignating 
        subsections (d), (e), (f), and (g) as subsections (c), (d), 
        (e), and (f), respectively;
            (4) in subsection (c), as so redesignated by paragraph (3) 
        of this subsection--
                    (A) by inserting ``science and'' after 
                ``developments and trends in'' in paragraph (1);
                    (B) by striking ``with particular emphasis'' in 
                paragraph (1) and all that follows through the end of 
                such paragraph and inserting in lieu thereof ``and 
                developing and maintaining relevant informational and 
                analytical tools.'';
                    (C) by striking ``to determine'' and all that 
                follows through ``technology policies'' in paragraph 
                (2) and inserting in lieu thereof ``with particular 
                attention to the scope and content of the Federal 
                science and technology research and develop portfolio 
                as it affects interagency and national issues'';
                    (D) by amending paragraph (3) to read as follows:
            ``(3) Initiation of studies and analysis of alternatives 
        available for ensuring the long-term strength of the United 
        States in the development and application of science and 
        technology, including appropriate roles for the Federal 
        Government, State governments, private industry, and 
        institutions of higher education in the development and 
        application of science and technology.'';
                    (E) by inserting ``science and'' after ``Executive 
                branch on'' in paragraph (4)(A); and
                    (F) by amending paragraph (4)(B) to read as 
                follows:
                    ``(B) to the interagency committees and panels of 
                the Federal Government concerned with science and 
                technology.'';
            (5) in subsection (d), as so redesignated by paragraph (3) 
        of this subsection, by striking ``subsection (d)'' and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``subsection (c)''; and
            (6) by amending subsection (f), as so redesignated by 
        paragraph (3) of this subsection, to read as follows:
    ``(f) Sponsorship.--The Director of the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy shall be the sponsor of the Institute.''.
    (b) Conforming Usage.--All references in Federal law or regulations 
to the Critical Technologies Institute shall be considered to be 
references to the Science Studies Institute.
SEC. 211. EDUCATIONAL IMPACT.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
            (1) Federal research funds made available to institutions 
        of higher education often create incentives for such 
        institutions to emphasize research over undergraduate teaching 
        and to narrow the focus of their graduate programs; and
            (2) National Science Foundation funds for Research and 
        Related Activities should be spent in the manner most likely to 
        improve the quality of undergraduate and graduate education in 
        institutions of higher education.
    (b) Educational Impact.--(1) The impact that a grant or cooperative 
agreement by the National Science Foundation would have on 
undergraduate and graduate education at an institution of higher 
education shall be a factor in any decision whether to award such grant 
or agreement to that institution.
    (2) Paragraph (1) shall be effective with respect to any grant or 
cooperative agreement awarded after September 30, 1996.
    (c) Report.--The Director shall provide a plan for the 
implementation of subsection (b) of this section, no later than 
December 31, 1995, to the Committee on Science of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation and the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the 
Senate.
SEC. 212. DIVISIONS OF THE FOUNDATION.

    (a) Amendment.--Section 8 of the National Science Foundation Act of 
1950 (42 U.S.C. 1866) is amended by inserting ``The Director may 
appoint, in consultation with the Board, not more than 6 Assistant 
Directors to assist in managing the Divisions.'' after ``time to time 
determine.''.
    (b) Report.--By November 15, 1995, the Director shall transmit to 
the Congress a report on the reorganization of the National Science 
Foundation required as a result of the amendment made by subsection 
(a).
SEC. 213. LIMITATION ON APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Exclusive Authorization for Fiscal Year 1996.--Notwithstanding 
any other provision of law, no sums are authorized to be appropriated 
for fiscal year 1996 for the activities of the National Science 
Foundation unless such sums are specifically authorized to be 
appropriated by this Act.
    (b) Subsequent Fiscal Years.--No sums are authorized to be 
appropriated for any fiscal year after fiscal year 1996 for the 
activities of the National Science Foundation unless such sums are 
specifically authorized to be appropriated by Act of Congress with 
respect to such fiscal year.

SEC. 214. ELIGIBILITY FOR AWARDS.

    (a) In General.--The Director shall exclude from consideration for 
awards of financial assistance made by the National Science Foundation 
after fiscal year 1995 any person who received funds, other than those 
described in subsection (b), appropriated for a fiscal year after 
fiscal year 1995, from any Federal funding source for a project that 
was not subjected to a competitive, merit-based award process. Any 
exclusion from consideration pursuant to this section shall be 
effective for a period of 5 years after the person receives such 
Federal funds.
    (b) Exception.--Subsection (a) shall not apply to awards to persons 
who are members of a class specified by law for which assistance is 
awarded to members of the class according to a formula provided by law.
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