J. Establishment of "National Institutional Science Council."H.R. 875 proposes establishment of a "National Institutional Science Council" to advise the Director, National Science Foundation, in administering provisions of H.R. 875. Considerable comment developed on this aspect of the bill. This listing is not intended to be exhaustive of the many factors. considered in the hearings on H.R. 875, but represents recurrent themes that developed. A full discussion of all aspects of this subject are contained in hearings and a study 87 prepared prior to the hearings. The listing as outlined above is used in the accompanying chart to provide a guide to issues discussed by the witnesses on H.R. 875. Witnesses are listed in order of appearance. Comments are paraphrased from pertinent general observations. Future Planning Indications are strong that Federal support for the sciences in institutions of higher learning will be a major interest of the committee and the Congress in the years just ahead. One fact that is becoming increasingly evident is the difficulty which educational institutions are encountering in developing or maintaining their science teaching and research activities at quality levels. It is a difficulty which, coincidentally, appears to be spilling over to the Nation's medical schools, a number of which are talking of closing their doors at a time when the demand for doctors has never been higher. It is significant that of the handful of new medical schools which are opening or are in the development stage, all are State or State-related schools which can depend largely on tax money for their operations. The reasons for this general situation are varied and complex. They include the rapid student-growth rate, inflationary factors which cut the buying power of institutional endowments, and increased competition for a smaller number of science-research dollars, among others. However, the subcommittee believes the Congress must proceed on two fundamental premises. One is that a vital part of the national well-being depends upon a continuous flow of high-quality research in the sciences. The other is that the bulk of such research is going to have to be done in the university-nonprofit arena. On the face of it, then, and quite aside from any issues of the Government-education. relationship which may be involved, it would appear that the Federaluniversity partnership which has been growing steadily since World War II will have to continue at least in research and technological areas. Each entity has become dependent upon the other to a degree that was unknown prior to the age of technology that began to evolve in the late 1940's. The subcommittee believes this fact is gaining a growing recognition and acceptance within the legislative branch in spite of existing budgetary dislocations which, hopefully, are temporary ones. The subcommittee has taken note of the marked degree of activity relative to institutional support which is currently taking place in the educational community. Interest is not only high, but positive planning and new formula development looking toward improved methods of Government assistance are well underway by virtually all associations devoted to higher education. Hearings, Institutional Grants, H. R. 875, Subcommittee on Science, Research, and Development, 90th Congress, second sess. (1968). 67 Op. cit. 28. For the foregoing reasons, it is expected that the subcommittee will take fresh action early in the new Congress. Revised bills, similar to H.R. 875 but with considerably modified formulas, are anticipated; and additional hearings of a comprehensive nature will undoubtedly have to be held on the new legislation introduced. It seems likely that these will take place sometime during 1969 with the emergence of a more or less perfected piece of legislation as the goal for that year. While the subcommittee is not actively making the suggestion, it may be that whatever legislation results from these efforts will serve as a prototype for other legislation involving educational support of a more general nature. APPLICATIONS OF SCIENCE TO URBAN PROBLEMS In line with its deep interest in the potential of a legislative capability in technology assessment,88 the subcommittee has evidenced, from time to time, a desire to investigate methods by which new science and technology can be more rapidly and efficiently applied to the problems of the American city. Due regard has been given to the many facets of government already dealing with such matters the activities of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the National Commission on Urban Problems, the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, and others. Cognizance has also been extended to the extensive studies and work in this field being carried on by the many private organizations and foundations. Nonetheless, the subcommittee believes that a congressional inquiry pegged to the scientific and technological phases, both plus and minus, of the modern urban syndrome could make a useful contribution. Accordingly, the Science Subcommittee, which is charged with the development of the annual conference of the full committee with its Panel on Science and Technology, is organizing the 1969 conference around this central theme. Plans for the 3-day meeting contemplate discussion and presentations not only by some of the foremost urban experts in America, but by their counterparts in England, France, Holland, Greece, Japan, Yugoslavia, and Brazil. Each of these countries has urban problems similar to those in this country, and each has made at least experimental starts toward new concepts of urban living. The conference will be divided into five subsessions dealing with the science of human settlement, city planning, urban and suburban transportation, socioeconomic factors, and potential technological applications. From the information produced at this conference, it is anticipated that appropriate channels for further subcommittee inquiry and action may emerge. It is conceivable that subcommittee representatives will wish to use the conference record as the basis for further discussion and planning with the committee's Research Management Advisory Panel.89 In any event, it is becoming clear that the problems of the cities will not be solved without a good deal of additional research effortbasic and applied, physical and social. To this end the subcommittee has definite legislative responsibilities and commitment. 88 Supra, p. 33. 89 Supra, p. 2. AGENCY OVERSIGHT National Science Foundation Passage of the National Science Foundation Amendments Act of 1968 has added to the responsibility of the subcommittee in a number of ways.90 Chief among them, however, is the Senate-sponsored provision which requires that the NSF budget be authorized on an annual basis beginning with fiscal year 1970. Since the Foundation's budget has been running close to half a billion dollars, the authorization requirement imposes a considerable new oversight function upon the subcommittee. To meet this responsibility the subcommittee chairman and staff have made preliminary surveys of NSF plans and programs and arrived at tentative determinations of areas toward which future legislation may need to be directed. Rationale for handling the legislation and the proposed provisions follow: FORMAT FOR AUTHORIZING LEGISLATION (A) The broad criteria used in analyzing the NSF budget with the objective of establishing a standard format for the presentation of the annual NSF authorization bill were: (1) Sufficient detail must be built into the initial act to assure that the Congress is afforded an opportunity to review identifiable projects and programs in depth during the annual legislative process and that critical programmatic elements are highlighted as line items. (2) Legislative controls should not be overly restrictive but sufficiently rigid to assure that the Congress is in a position not only to review the NSF program during the authorization process but to exercise its overview function between annual budget reviews. (3) Line item breakouts in the annual bill should conform as nearly as possible to the President's annual budget submission in order to avoid a major realinement of the NSF cost accounting system which could incur significant increases in the cost of administration. (4) The committee's experience with the establishment and development of the NASA authorization program, which has been tried and tested over a period of 9 years, should be used where applicable. (5) The legislative prerogatives must be retained. (B) The recommended format identifies major program elements and imposes legislative controls and direction as follows: (1) The NSF program is broken down into three major subappropriations: Scientific research and education; Construction of facilities; Program development and management. Although the proposed format would provide three separate subappropriations, no totals would be shown for each of these 90 Op. cit. 34 elements. This is in accordance with the recent ruling of the House Parliamentarian concerning the NASA authorization bill for fiscal year 1968. (2) The subappropriation "Scientific research and education" would be broken down into eight line items, each with a total dollar amount. The items selected under this category conform in part to the line items shown in the President's annual budget presentation except that construction of facilities for the four national research centers has been withdrawn from the research part of the programs and placed in a separate subappropriation for more ready identification. Also, the cost of operating the headquarters of the National Science Foundation has been withdrawn from the research part of the program and included as a separate subappropriation to permit closer scrutiny by the committee. (3) The "Construction of facilities" subappropriation would consist of a separate line item for construction at each of the national research centers. The bill would not break out individual construction projects but would reflect the total to be authorized for each center. A new line item is introduced as part of the "Construction of facilities" appropriation entitled "Facility planning and design." This latter line item would permit the Director to proceed with preliminary design of construction projects prior to the time the projects are authorized, thereby providing the Congress with better construction cost estimates in the annual budget presentations. The Director would also be authorized under this line item to complete final design of those projects authorized. The format of the "Construction of facilities" appropriation conforms generally with the present practices in effect for NASA. (4) The subappropriation "Program development and management" is basically the administrative operations and management costs for the NSF headquarters in Washington. It would include the salaries, personnel benefits, travel, communications, utilities, maintenance, and other costs associated with the housekeeping operations of the headquarters. This element of the NSF authorization bill would be similar to that part of the NASA bill called "Administrative operations" except that field operating costs have been excluded for the time being. In this connection, it may be appropriate to study this matter further with a view toward including in this appropriation the cost of operating and maintaining the four national research centers. (5) The proposed format also stipulates that funds appropriated for "Scientific research and education," "Construction of facilities," and "Program development and management" shall remain available without fiscal year limitation. (6) An allowance of $2,500 for scientific consultations or extraordinary expenses of the Director is provided. (7) A provision has been included to permit the Director to vary upward by 5 percent the amounts authorized for "Construction of facilities" at each of the four national research centers. The provision is included to provide flexibility to meet changed conditions which may occur between the time funds are appropriated and construction contracts are awarded. |