National Science Foundation Authorization Act
PL 93-96 (H.R.8510), enacted 08/16/1973

87 STAT.] 
PUBLIC LAW 93-96-AUG. 16, 1973 
315 
their officers or agents, in any matter arising under the National Labor 
Relations Act, as amended, or this Act; and (B) in any proceeding 
where a labor organization would be prohibited from defraying the 
costs of legal services by the provisions of the Labor-Management 
Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959". 
Approved August 15, 1973. 
73 Stat. 519. 
29 u s e 401 
Public Law 93-96 
AN ACT 
To authorize appropriations for activities of the National Science Foundation, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assemhled, That there is hereby 
authorized to be appropriated to the National Science Foundation for 
the fiscal year ending June 30, 1974, for the following categories: 
(1) Scientific Research Project Support, $285,000,000. 
(2) National and Special Research Programs, $105,600,000. 
(3) National Research Centers, $46,000,000. 
(4) Computing 
Activities 
in 
Education 
and 
Research, 
$8,200,000. 
(5) Science Information Activities, $8,300,000. 
(6) InternationaLCooperative Scientific Activities, $6,200,000. 
(7) Research Applied to National Needs, $91,000,000. 
(8) Intergovernmental Science Program, $1,000,000. 
(9) Institutional Improvement for Science, $2,000,000. 
(10) Graduate Student Support, $11,500,000. 
(11) Science Education Improvement, $35,200,000. 
(12) Planning and Policy Studies, $2,600,000. 
(13) Program Development and Management, $30,000,000. 
SEC. 2. (a) Any amounts which were authorized and appropriated 
to the National Science Foundation for the fiscal year ending June 30, 
1973, or any prior fiscal year, but which remained unobligated as of 
the close of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1973, shall be merged with 
and added to the amounts authorized by section 1 of this Act. 
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this or any other Act— 
(1) of the total amount authorized for the purpose of "National 
and Special Research Programs" under category (2) of section 1 
and subsection (a) of this section, not less than $6,000,000 shall be 
available for oceanography-related programs, including ship con-
struction/conversion ; 
(2) of the total amount authorized for the purpose of "Research 
Applied to National Needs" under category (7) of section 1 and 
subsection (a) of this section, not less than $25,000,000 shall be 
available for energy research and technology programs, including 
but not limited to solar, geothermal, and other nonconventional 
energy sources, and not less than $8,000,000 shall be available for 
earthquake engineering programs; 
(3) of the total amount authorized under section 1 and subsec-
tion (a) of this section, not less than $10,000,000 shall be available 
for the purpose of "Institutional Improvement for Science"; 
(4) of the total amount authorized under section 1 and sub-
August 16,1973 
[H. R. 8510] 
National Sci-
ence Foundation 
Authorization 
Act, 1974. 
Programs, mini-
mum funding 
levels. 
316 
PUBLIC LAW 93-96-AUG. 16, 1973 
[87 STAT. 
Funds, avail-
ability. 
Transfer of 
funds, limitation. 
Report to Con-
gress. 
Payments to 
convicted crimi-
nals, prohibition. 
section (a) of this section, not less than $13,000,000 shall be avail-
able for the purpose of "Graduate Student Support"; and 
(5) of the total amount authorized under section 1 and sub-
section (a) of this section, not less than $67,500,000 shall be 
available for the purpose of "Science Education Improvement". 
SEC. 3. Appropriations made pursuant to this Act may be used, but 
not to exceed $5,000, for official consultation, representation, or other 
extraordinary expenses upon the approval or authority of the Direc-
tor of the National Science Foundation, and his determination shall 
be final and conclusive upon the accounting officers of the Government. 
SEC. 4. In addition to such sums as are authorized by the pi'eceding 
provisions of this Act, not to exceed $3,000,000 is authorized to be 
appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1974, for expenses of 
the National Science Foundation incurred outside the Tnited States 
to be paid in foreign currencies which the Treasury Department deter-
mines to be excess to the normal requirements of the United States. 
SEC. 5. Appropriations made pursuant to authority provided in sec-
tions 1, 3, and 4, shall remain available for obligation, for expenditure, 
or for obligation and expenditure, for such period or periods as may 
be specified in Acts making such appropriations. 
SEC. 6. No funds may be transferred from any particular category 
listed in section 1 to any other category or categories listed in such 
section if the total of the funds so transferred from that particular 
category would exceed 10 per centum thereof, and no funds may be 
transferred to any particular category listed in section 1 from any 
other category or categories listed in such section if the total of the 
funds so transferred to that particular category would exceed 10 per 
centum thereof, unless— 
(A) a period of thirty legislative days (or forty-five calendar 
days, when Congress is in adjournment sine die) has passed aftei" 
the Director or his designee has transmitted to the Speaker of 
the House of Representatives and the Pi-esident of the Senate 
and to the Committee on Science and Astronautics of the House of 
Representatives and to the Committee on Labor and Public Wel-
fare of the Senate a written report containing a full and complete 
statement concerning the nature of the transfer and the reason 
therefor, or 
(B) each such committee before the expiration of such period 
has transmitted to the Director written notice to the effect that 
such committee has no objection to the proposed action. 
SEC. 7. (a) If an institution of higher education determines, after 
affording notice and opportunity for hearing to an individual attend-
ing, or employed by, such institution, that such individual has been 
convicted by any court of record of any crime which was committed 
after the date of enactment of this Act and which involved the use of 
(or assistance to others in the use of) force, disruption, or the seizure 
of property under control of any institution of higher education to 
prevent officials or students in such institutions from engaging in their 
duties or pursuing their studies, and that such crime was of a serious 
nature and contributed to a substantial disruption of the administra-
tion of the institution with respect to which such crime was committed, 
then the institution which such individual attends, or is employed by. 
shall deny for a period of two years any further payment to, for the 
direct benefit of, such individual under any of the programs specified 
in subsection (c). If an institution denies an individual assistance 
87 STAT. ] 
PUBLIC LAW 93-96-AUG. 16, 1973 
317 
under the authority of the preceding sentence of this subsection, then 
any institution which such individual subsequently attends shall deny 
for the remainder of the two-year period any further payment to, or 
for the direct benefit of, such individual under any of the programs 
specified in subsection (c). 
(b) If an institution of higher education determines, after affording 
notice and oppoitunity foi' heai-ing to an individual attending, or 
employed by, such institution, that such individual has willfully 
refused to obey a lawful regulation or- order of such institution after 
the date of enactment of this Act, and that such refusal was of a serious 
nature and contributed to a substantial disruption of the administra-
tion of such institution, then such institution shall deny, for a period of 
tAvo years, any further payment to, or for the direct benefit of, sucli 
individual under any of the programs specified in subsection (c). 
(c) The programs referred to in subsections (a) and (b) are as 
follows: 
(1) The programs authorized by the National Science Founda-
tion Act of 1950; and 
(2) The programs authorized under title I X of the National 
Defense Education Act of 1958 relating to establishing the Science 
Information Service. 
(d) (1) Nothing in this Act, or any Act amended by this Act, shall 
be construed to prohibit any institution of higher education from 
i-efusing to award, continue, or extend any financial assistance under 
any such Act to any individual because of any misconduct which in its 
judgment bears adversely on his fitness for such assistance. 
(2) Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting or prej-
udicing the rights and prerogatives of any institution of higher educa-
tion to institute and carry out an independent, disciplinary proceeding 
pursuant to existing authority, practice, and law. 
(3) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the freedom 
of any student to verbal expression of individual views or opinions. 
SEC. 8. The amount available for the oceanographic ship construc-
tion/conversion program from the sum stipulate-d (for the purpose of 
"National and Special Research Programs") in category (2) of section 
1 of Public Law 92-372 shall, after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, be determined without regard to section 2(a) of such Public Law. 
SEC. 9. Notwithstanding any other provision of this or any other 
Act, the Director of the National Science Foundation shall keep the 
Committee on Science and Astronautics of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare of the Senate 
fully and currently informed with respect to all the activities of the 
National Science Foundation. 
SEC. 10. No funds—• 
(1) authorized to be appropriated under this Act to the 
National Science Foundation for fiscal year ending June 30, 
1974, or 
(2) heretofore appropiiated to the National Science Founda-
tion and remaining available to it for obligation and expenditure, 
may be used to conduct or support research in the United States or 
abroad on a human fetus which is outside the womb of its mother and 
which has a beating heart. 
SEC. 11. This Act may be cited as the "National Science Foundation 
Authorization Act, 1974". 
Approved August 16, 1973. 
64 Stat. 149. 
42 u s e 1861 
note. 
72 Stat. 1601. 
42 u s e 1876. 
86 Stat. 526. 
Information to 
congressional 
committees. 
Human fetus 
research, funds, 
prohibition. 
Short title.