Chairwoman Mikulski Continues Fight for Federal Investment in Science and Innovation in Federal Checkbook

Press Release

U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee, today announced the fiscal year 2014 CJS spending bill passed by the Appropriations Committee includes $52.27 billion for agencies focused on science and competitiveness, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Chairwoman Mikulski has been fighting for federal investments that strengthen America's innovation economy for the past several years, ensuring that our national research programs keep America competitive in the global arena. In addition to investing in science, this bill also makes sure American manufactures leverage new technology to create new jobs for our communities, while expanding U.S. markets overseas.

CREATING JOBS THROUGH RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

Chairwoman Mikulski has delivered on her pledge to provide critical investments in scientific research and education to improve America's competitiveness. More than half of U.S. economic growth can be attributed to innovation that began with basic research. New ideas become new products and new companies. The unexpected consequences of a new idea can be transformational. For example, it was two Stanford graduate students with an NSF grant to optimize search engines who changed the Internet and the way people search, e-mail, and use the cloud. They founded Google. Not every NSF grant has the potential to be another Google, but basic research will remain the key element of high growth, high value companies.

"We are creating the building blocks that we need for a smarter America. Our nation is in an amazing race -- the race for discovery and new knowledge, the race to remain competitive," Chairwoman Mikulski said. "I will continue to work for a federal investment to support the innovation that has the power to save lives, create prosperity and protect the homeland."

The bill includes:

· $7.4 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF), which includes $6.2 billion for NSF's research and research facilities to support more scientists, engineers and technicians today, and $880 million for NSF's education and training programs to help build our next generation of innovators.

· $18 billion for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to preserve a balance among science, aeronautics, technology and human space flight investments. Funding will keep NASA -- and the U.S. -- in the forefront of innovation, inspiring private companies to build new space transportation and spawning a new satellite servicing industry that can revive, refuel, and rejuvenate defunct communications satellites.

· $948 million for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which will catalyze innovations, develop measurements, and provide technical resources to promote the global competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers and aspiring start-ups. Including $153 million for the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and $31 million for Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech) to help manufacturers accelerate development and adoption of cutting-edge manufacturing technologies for making new, globally competitive products.

KNOWING OUR PLANET, PROTECTING LIVES AND LIVELIHOODS

Chairwoman Mikulski's bill funds 80 percent of the science used to monitor and predict changes in our ocean, weather, and climate. Forecasters rely on that science to warn us of devastating storms, saving lives and property. In 2012, the United States suffered 11 major weather and climate disasters that cost $110 billion dollars, making 2012 the second most expensive year for weather disasters in our history. Chairwoman Mikulski, who has stood sentry over our nation's weather infrastructure, has included a significant federal investment in research and technology development that are critical to our understanding and prediction of changes in the Earth's weather, climate and oceans.

"One-third of U.S. GDP is affected by climate and weather from farmers trying to protect livestock and crops, to cities relying on energy from wind turbines and solar panels, to air travelers trying to get home safely and on time through storms," Chairwoman Mikulski said. "That is why this bill puts $3 billion in the Federal checkbook to make American weather prediction and the American model the gold standard."

A world class weather service depends on other ocean and atmospheric observations, data, and research to understand our planet and predict the weather with greater precision. That's why this bill supports a healthy and balanced National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) funded at $5.6 billion along with a $5.2 billion of balanced funding for NASA Science within the NASA total described above, including:

· $1.95 billion for NOAA's weather satellites to keep our next generation of weather satellites on budget and on schedule because our Nation needs these important early warning tools to help save lives and livelihoods.

· $1.1 billion for NOAA's National Weather Service so that our Nation's forecasting offices will be staffed and ready to issue severe weather warnings. This funding will help modernize aviation weather forecasting, improve severe weather forecasts, strengthen tsunami warnings, and maintain radars and other weather technology.

· $457 million for NOAA Research for ocean, weather and climate research, which includes designing our next-generation of radar systems, understand the impacts of ocean acidification, and creating more accurate hurricane models and drought forecasts.

· $516 million for NASA's National Ocean Service to fully fund navigation services to keep our ports open for commerce and safe for maritime traffic. The bill also supports work to improve storm surge models, forecast harmful algae blooms, and clean-up marine debris.

· $1.85 billion for NASA Earth science to fund critical Earth science satellite missions that measure our ice sheets, climate, and atmosphere so we can better predict changes to our planet.

· $654 million for NASA Heliophysics to explore how the sun affects the Earth to help predict and provide warnings about space weather events that can knock out our communications and power grids, like solar flares.

In the next step of the appropriations process, the bill will move to the Senate floor for a vote, which has not yet been scheduled.

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