I

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4901

To authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2001, 2002, and 2003 for the

National Science Foundation, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JULY 20, 2000

Mr. SMITH of Michigan introduced the following bill; which was referred to

the Committee on Science

A BILL

To authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2001, 2002, and

2003 for the National Science Foundation, and for other

purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Science

5 Foundation Authorization Act of 2000’’.

6 SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

7 (a) FISCAL YEAR 2001.—

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be

9 appropriated to the National Science Foundation

10 $3,773,710,000 for fiscal year 2001.
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1 (2) SPECIFIC ALLOCATIONS.—Of the amount

2 authorized under paragraph (1)—

3 (A) $2,813,500,000 shall be made avail4 able to carry out Research and Related Activi5 ties, of which—

6 (i) $480,560,000 shall be made avail7 able for Biological Sciences;

8 (ii) $9,770,000 shall be made avail9 able for Computer and Information Science

10 and Engineering;

11 (iii) $403,650,000 shall be made

12 available for Engineering;

13 (iv) $549,730,000 shall be made avail14 able for Geosciences;

15 (v) $807,200,000 shall be made avail16 able for Mathematical and Physical

17 Sciences;

18 (vi) $159,790,000 shall be made avail19 able for Social, Behavioral, and Economic

20 Sciences;

21 (vii) $220,970,000 shall be made

22 available for United States Polar Research

23 Programs;
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1 (viii) $62,600,000 shall be made avail2 able for United States Antarctic Logistical

3 Support Activities; and

4 (ix) $119,230,000 shall be made avail5 able for Integrative Activities;

6 (B) $726,700,000 shall be made available

7 for Education and Human Resources, of which

8 $53,080,000 shall be for Graduate Research

9 Fellowships;

10 (C) $65,340,000 shall be made available

11 for Major Research Equipment;

12 (D) $161,890,000 shall be made available

13 for Salaries and Expenses, of which—

14 (i) $3,690,000 shall be made available

15 for travel for Research and Related Activi16 ties;

17 (ii) $310,000 shall be made available

18 for travel for Education and Human Re19 sources;

20 (iii) $159,000 shall be made available

21 for travel for Budget, Finance, and Award

22 Management;

23 (iv) $182,000 shall be made available

24 for travel for Information and Resources

25 Management; and
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1 (v) $358,468 shall be made available

2 for travel for the Office of the Director;

3 and

4 (E) $6,280,000 shall be made available for

5 the Office of Inspector General.

6 (3) TRAVEL LIMITATION.—None of the funds

7 authorized by this subsection may be used for travel

8 expenses except as provided in paragraph (2)(D) (i)

9 through (v). None of the funds authorized by clauses

10 (i) through (iv) of paragraph (2)(D) may be used for

11 travel expenses for personnel in the Office of the Di12 rector.

13 (b) FISCAL YEAR 2002.—

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be

15 appropriated to the National Science Foundation

16 $3,924,658,000 for fiscal year 2002.

17 (2) SPECIFIC ALLOCATIONS.—Of the amount

18 authorized under paragraph (1)—

19 (A) $2,909,313,000 shall be made avail20 able to carry out Research and Related Activi21 ties, of which—

22 (i) $496,925,000 shall be made avail23 able for Biological Sciences;
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1 (ii) $10,103,000 shall be made avail2 able for Computer and Information Science

3 and Engineering;

4 (iii) $417,396,000 shall be made

5 available for Engineering;

6 (iv) $568,451,000 shall be made avail7 able for Geosciences;

8 (v) $834,689,000 shall be made avail9 able for Mathematical and Physical

10 Sciences;

11 (vi) $165,232,000 shall be made avail12 able for Social, Behavioral, and Economic

13 Sciences;

14 (vii) $228,495,000 shall be made

15 available for United States Polar Research

16 Programs;

17 (viii) $64,732,000 shall be made avail18 able for United States Antarctic Logistical

19 Support Activities; and

20 (ix) $123,290,000 shall be made avail21 able for Integrative Activities;

22 (B) $751,448,000 shall be made available

23 for Education and Human Resources, of which

24 $54,400,000 shall be for Graduate Research

25 Fellowships;
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1 (C) $90,000,000 shall be made available

2 for Major Research Equipment;

3 (D) $167,403,000 shall be made available

4 for Salaries and Expenses, of which—

5 (i) $3,816,000 shall be made available

6 for travel for Research and Related Activi7 ties;

8 (ii) $321,000 shall be made available

9 for travel for Education and Human Re10 sources;

11 (iii) $164,000 shall be made available

12 for travel for Budget, Finance, and Award

13 Management;

14 (iv) $188,000 shall be made available

15 for travel for Information and Resources

16 Management; and

17 (v) $371,000 shall be made available

18 for travel for the Office of the Director;

19 and

20 (E) $6,494,000 shall be made available for

21 the Office of Inspector General.

22 (3) TRAVEL LIMITATION.—None of the funds

23 authorized by this subsection may be used for travel

24 expenses except as provided in paragraph (2)(D) (i)

25 through (v). None of the funds authorized by clauses
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1 (i) through (iv) of paragraph (2)(D) may be used for

2 travel expenses for personnel in the Office of the Di3 rector.

4 (c) FISCAL YEAR 2003.—

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be

6 appropriated to the National Science Foundation

7 $4,081,645,000 for fiscal year 2003.

8 (2) SPECIFIC ALLOCATIONS.—Of the amount

9 authorized under paragraph (1)—

10 (A) $3,025,686,000 shall be made avail11 able to carry out Research and Related Activi12 ties;

13 (B) $781,506,000 shall be made available

14 for Education and Human Resources;

15 (C) $93,600,000 shall be made available

16 for Major Research Equipment;

17 (D) $174,099,000 shall be made available

18 for Salaries and Expenses; and

19 (E) $6,754,000 shall be made available for

20 the Office of Inspector General.

21 SEC. 3. PLANT GENOMICS.

22 (a) PLANT GENOME RESEARCH.—Of the amounts

23 made available under section 2 (a)(2)(A)(i), (b)(2)(A)(i),

24 and (c)(2)(A), $129,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001,

25 2002, and 2003 shall be for plant genome research.
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1 (b) PLANT GENOME AND GENE EXPRESSION RE2 SEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTERS.—

3 (1) CENTERS.—The National Science Founda4 tion is authorized to make grants for the establish5 ment of regional plant genome and gene expression

6 research and development centers, the purpose of

7 which shall be to—

8 (A) develop capabilities in basic plant ge9 nome research;

10 (B) extend basic plant genomics research

11 through plant breeding programs and accelerate

12 its application—

13 (i) to the development and testing of

14 new varieties of enhanced food crops; and

15 (ii) for alternative uses of agricultural

16 crops; and

17 (C) serve as centers for scientific and safe18 ty information on plant genomics.

19 (2) GRANT AWARDS.—Grant awards under this

20 subsection shall be made through an open, peer-re21 viewed competition. When making awards, the Na22 tional Science Foundation shall ensure that as many

23 different agronomic environments as possible are

24 represented.
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1 (3) MATCHING FUNDS.—The National Science

2 Foundation shall not provide under this subsection

3 more than 50 percent of the cost of establishing any

4 research and development center.

5 (4) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—The National

6 Science Foundation may use up to—

7 (A) $3,000,000 of the funds described in

8 subsection (a) for fiscal year 2001;

9 (B) $3,000,000 of the funds described in

10 subsection (a) for fiscal year 2002; and

11 (C) $4,500,000 of the funds described in

12 subsection (a) for fiscal year 2003,

13 to carry out this subsection.

14 SEC. 4. RESEARCH ON LEARNING.

15 (a) RESEARCH ON LEARNING.—

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The National Science Foun17 dation shall make grant awards to support research

18 on learning focusing on the following 4 areas:

19 (A) Brain research as a foundation for re20 search on human learning.

21 (B) Behavioral, cognitive, affective, and so22 cial aspects of human learning.

23 (C) Science, mathematics, engineering, and

24 technological learning in formal and informal

25 educational settings.
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1 (D) Learning in complex educational sys2 tems.

3 The goals of this research shall be to integrate sci4 entific disciplines into research on learning, to gain

5 a better understanding of how research and edu6 cational practice can be reconciled, and to test,

7 evaluate, and refine hypotheses across disciplines.

8 (2) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Of the amounts

9 authorized under section 2 (a)(1), (b)(1), and (c)(1),

10 $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, $29,000,000 for

11 fiscal year 2002, and $33,000,000 for fiscal year

12 2003 shall be available for carrying out this sub13 section.

14 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF RESEARCH ON LEARNING

15 CENTERS.—

16 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The National Science

17 Foundation shall make grants for the establishment

18 of centers of research on learning. The purpose of

19 these centers shall be to bring together multidisci20 plinary teams of researchers to support the research

21 goals described in subsection (a)(1). Grant awards

22 under this subsection shall be made through an

23 open, peer-reviewed competition.

24 (2) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Of the amounts

25 authorized under section 2 (a)(1), (b)(1), and (c)(1),
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1 $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, $6,000,000 for fis2 cal year 2002, and $9,000,000 for fiscal year 2003

3 shall be available for carrying out this subsection.

4 (c) INTERAGENCY EDUCATION RESEARCH INITIA5 TIVE.—

6 (1) PARTICIPATION.—The National Science

7 Foundation is authorized to participate in the Inter8 agency Education Research Initiative.

9 (2) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Of the amounts

10 authorized under section 2 (a)(1), (b)(1), and (c)(1),

11 $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, $28,000,000 for

12 fiscal year 2002, and $31,000,000 for fiscal year

13 2003 shall be available for carrying out this sub14 section.

15 (d) RESEARCH ON LEARNING CONFERENCE.—With16 in 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act,

17 the National Science Foundation shall sponsor a con18 ference on human learning and education research, the

19 goal of which shall be to bring together researchers from

20 many disciplines, including the physical sciences, neuro21 logical sciences, social sciences, and education practi22 tioners. The purposes of that conference shall be to review

23 past research on learning, assess current research efforts,

24 develop recommendations to address outstanding research
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1 issues, and disseminate research results to education prac2 titioners.

3 SEC. 5. INTERGOVERNMENTAL PERSONNEL ACT ASSIGN4 EES.

5 The National Science Foundation shall not, during

6 fiscal years 2001, 2002, and 2003, enter into an arrange7 ment under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act of 1970

8 for the detail of any of its employees to locations other

9 than National Science Foundation facilities.

10 SEC. 6. ETHICS PROGRAM.

11 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director of the National

12 Science Foundation shall establish a program providing

13 for—

14 (1) an external review of the ethics rules and

15 procedures of the National Science Foundation;

16 (2) after completion of the external review

17 under paragraph (1), a revision of those rules and

18 procedures as appropriate; and

19 (3) training of all National Science Foundation

20 employees on the ethics rules and procedures as re21 vised under paragraph (2).

22 (b) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—The Director of the

23 National Science Foundation shall report to the Com24 mittee on Science of the House of Representatives, and

25 to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen-
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1 sions and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and

2 Transportation of the Senate, at least once every 6 months

3 on—

4 (1) the number of National Science Foundation

5 employees trained pursuant to subsection (a)(3); and

6 (2) the number and type of ethics violations de7 termined under the rules and procedures of the Na8 tional Science Foundation to have occurred, along

9 with a description of the resolution thereof.

10 SEC. 7. BASIC RESEARCH AWARD.

11 Not later than 6 months after the date of the enact12 ment of this Act, the National Science Foundation, in con13 sultation with universities and the private sector, shall

14 make recommendations to the Congress on the establish15 ment of a congressional award to honor and recognize

16 those private sector companies that have demonstrated

17 outstanding performance promoting the expansion of basic

18 research efforts in the United States.

19 SEC. 8. TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.

20 The National Science Foundation Act of 1950 is

21 amended—

22 (1) in section 3(b) (42 U.S.C. 1862(b)), by

23 striking ‘‘including the Office of Technology Assess24 ment,’’
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1 (2) in section 5(e)(2) (42 U.S.C. 1864(e)(2)),

2 by striking ‘‘Labor and Human Resources’’ and in3 serting ‘‘Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions’’;

4 and

5 (3) in section 13(a) (42 U.S.C. 1872(a)), by

6 striking ‘‘or the affidavit of allegiance to the United

7 States required by section 15(d)(2) of this Act’’.

8 SEC. 9. REPORTS ELIMINATION.

9 Section 3003(a)(1) of the Federal Reports Elimi10 nation and Sunset Act of 1995 (31 U.S.C. 1113 note)

11 does not apply to any report required to be submitted

12 under any of the following provisions of law:

13 (1) Section 4(j)(1) of the National Science

14 Foundation Act of 1950 (42 U.S.C. 1863(j)(1)).

15 (2) Section 36(f) of the Science and Engineer16 ing Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885c(f)).

17 (3) Section 37 of the Science and Engineering

18 Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885d).

19 (4) Section 108 of the National Science Foun20 dation Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1986 (42

21 U.S.C. 1886).

22 (5) Section 101(a)(3) of the High-Performance

23 Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5511(a)(3)).
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1 (6) Section 3 (a)(7) and (f) of the National

2 Science Foundation Act of 1950 (42 U.S.C. 1862

3 (a)(7) and (f)).

4 (7) Section 7(a) of the National Science Foun5 dation Authorization Act, 1977 (42 U.S.C. 1873

6 note).

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