The Consumer Information Center [CIC] was established within the General Services Administration [GSA] by Executive order on October 26, 1970, to help Federal departments and agencies promote and distribute consumer information collected as a byproduct of the Government's program activities.

The CIC promotes greater public awareness of existing Federal publications through wide dissemination to the general public of the consumer information catalog. The catalog lists both sales and free publications available from the Government Printing Office [GPO] distribution facility in Pueblo, CO. In fiscal year 1986, the CIC distributed a total of 9.3 million publications. Distribution costs of the free publications are financed by reimbursements from the Federal agencies to the Consumer Information Center Fund. Beginning in March 1983, the CIC began charging a user fee of $1 for two or more free publications ordered from the catalog.

Public Law 98-63, enacted July 30, 1983, established a revolving fund for the CIC. Under this fund, CIC activities are financed from the following: annual appropriations from the general funds of the Treasury, reimbursements from agencies for distribution of publications, user fees collected from the public, and any other income incident to CIC activities. All are available as authorized in appropriation acts without regard to fiscal year limitations.

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Committee recommends $1,332,000 in new budget authority for the Consumer Information Center Fund. This is $7,000 less than the budget request and House allowance, and represents a general reduction to be made at the Director's discretion.

This appropriation, augmented by user fees deposited in CIC's revolving fund, will support administrative expenses not to exceed $1,721,000. The bill also includes language limiting the availability of the revolving fund to an aggregate level of $5,193,000 in 1988. This amount is comprised of (1) the appropriation of $1,332,000, (2) prior years' unobligated balances of $95,000, (3) user fees from consumers of $382,000, (4) reimbursements from other Federal agencies of $3,000,000, and (5) other income incident to CIC activities of $384,000; all to be available without regard to fiscal year limitation. Any revenues accruing to this fund during 1988 in excess of $5,193,000 shall remain in the fund but not be available for expenditure except as authorized in appropriations acts.

In accordance with Executive Order 11583 of February 24, 1971, the staff of the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs assures that consumer needs and viewpoints are presented in the Federal Government, fosters consideration of consumer viewpoints by other Government agencies, voluntary groups and business, and seeks to inform and educate individual citizens to deal more effectively in the marketplace. The Director is also the Special Adviser to the President for Consumer Affairs.

Under Executive Order 12160 of September 26, 1979, the staff of the Office also provides administrative support to the Consumer Affairs Council. The functions of the Council are to provide leadership and coordination to insure that agency consumer programs are implemented effectively, to strive to maximize effort, promote efficiency and interagency cooperation, and to eliminate duplication and inconsistency among agency consumer programs.

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Committee recommends $1,740,000 for activities of the Office of Consumer Affairs [OCA]. This is $621,000 above the budget request and $10,000 below the House allowance. The recommended $10,000 reduction below the House represents a general cut in OCA's appropriation to be made at the Director's discretion.

The amount provided will maintain a current staffing level of 22 next year. The Committee concurs with the House directive that the agency provide at least $300,000 to maintain at historical levels distribution of the Consumer's Resource Handbook and other publications through the Consumer Information Center.

The objectives of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA] program of research and development are to extend our knowledge of the Earth, its space environment, and the universe; to expand the practical applications of space technology; to develop, operate, and

improve unmanned space vehicles; to provide technology for improving the performance of aeronautical vehicles while minimizing their environmental effects and energy consumption; and to assure continued development of the aeronautics and space technology necessary to accomplish national goals.

The appropriations request would continue funding for a permanently manned space station, including development work on the hardware components and supporting development activities such as systems engineering and integration, and the technical and management information system will begin. Definition and preliminary design of the Flight Telerobotic System Program would also be continued.

Another major area of activity is space transportation capability development including efforts related to the spacelab, the upper stages that place satellites in high altitude orbits not attainable by the shuttle, the engineering and technical base, payload operations and support equipment, advanced programs study and evaluation efforts, the development of the United States/Italy tethered satellite system, and development of the orbital maneuvering vehicle.

The space science and applications program utilizes space systems supported by airborne and ground-based observations to conduct scientific investigations of the Earth and its space environment, the Sun, the planets, interplanetary and interstellar space, and the other stars of our galaxy and universe. Results from these investigations contribute to our understanding of the universe, including the key questions of life, matter, and energy. In addition, this program conducts the research and selected technology developments to encourage the practical application of space technologies to needs on Earth. The Space Science and Applications Program has been significantly restructured to reflect the standdown in shuttle flights.

Commercial programs include the technology utilization and commercial use of space. The Technology Utilization Program is designed to facilitate the transfer of NASA developed technology to the nonaerospace sectors of the U.S. economy. The commercial use of space is designed to increase private sector awareness of the opportunities in space. Private industry will be encouraged to invest and participate in high technology research and development utilizing the unique characteristics of space.

The objective of the aeronautical research and technology program is to provide the broad technology base essential to the preservation of U.S. leadership in aviation. The objectives of the space research and technology program are to provide the technology base necessary to support current and future space activities and to formulate and advance technology options for the future. These activities emphasize the longer-range aspects of generic research and technology development which are crucial in maintaining future U.S. leadership.

The overall objective of the advanced systems program is to perform studies to ensure capability for tracking and data acquisitions, communications, and data processing support required by all NASA flight projects in accomplishing their mission objectives.

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Committee recommends an appropriation of $3,378,063,000 for research and development activities. This amount is $273,137,000 less than the budget estimate and $283,137,000 less than the House allow

ance.

The Committee recommends $558,663,000 for development of the permanently manned space station. This facility is the next logical and critical step for our Nation's space program. While most of the debate and attention received by the space program recently has focused on the aftermath of the Challenger tragedy and failures in our expendable launch vehicle systems, it is the Committee's view that the fundamental issue before the Nation is whether the United States intends to pursue leadership in space science, technology, and exploration.

It is clear that the answer must be yes. The Soviet Union has mounted a resolutely ambitious and impressive space program which threatens to surpass our technological advantage. Our major Western trading partners are equally dedicated in demonstrating their technical capabilities and have already made sizable inroads in what was once almost exclusively a superpower competition.

Our Nation's space program demonstrates the ability of our people, institutions, and technical resources to grow and address new challenges in a changing World. This is the essence of our national experience and we cannot falter now. Furthermore, our investment in space technologies yields a large multiple in direct economic stimulation for the Nation as well as a wealth of new products and processes which save lives, improve our lifestyles, and enrich our economy.

The Committee's recommendation will permit space station development to proceed apace within the difficult budgetary constraints confronting all Federal activities. Although $208,337,000 less than the budget request and the House allowance, the Committee expects that no significant scheduling impact will occur in the deployment of productive elements of the space station in the mid-1990's. The Committee recommends that $100,000,000 of the $558,663,000 provided for space station development be derived by transfer from funds previously appropriated for orbiter production. It is the Committee's understanding that this transfer of funds will not have an impact on the delivery of the replacement orbiter.

The Committee believes it is essential that the United States begin to develop servicing technology in fiscal year 1988 which can accommodate many early space station needs and provide for the servicing and repair of attached payloads and free flyers. This step will have the result of creating significant long-term savings for NASA's space programs. As a result, the Committee directs NASA to spend a minimum of $10,000,000 in fiscal year 1988 for servicing technology for the space station so as to keep open the option of providing an early servicing capability.

Last year the Congress encouraged the administration to move expeditiously in development of a solar dynamic power system for the space

station. The Committee is concerned that without a firm funding commitment to the solar dynamic concept, NASA will be forced to rely on less advanced technologies that will increase life cycle costs of station operations and decrease station flexibility and growth potential. The Committee, therefore, directs NASA to expend in fiscal year 1988 the funds necessary to ensure continued development of solar dynamic power for the space station.

The Committee is aware of significant private investment in the development of a man-tended industrial space facility. This program not only could yield productive opportunities for private industrial exploitation of the micro-gravity environment but represents a low-cost testbed for the Government-sponsored experiment for later application in the space station. The Committee views such cooperative Governmentindustry efforts as an important aspect of the Nation's space program and thus the Committee concurs with the House in recommending $1,000,000 for studies and initial work by NASA on the use of the facility for microgravity research. The Committee believes such a facility would be useful in maintaining a vigorous space science program, developing a robust user base, and obtaining flight experience that can contribute to the efficient development and use of a permanently manned station.

The Committee also recommends deletion of $20,000,000 proposed by the House for microgravity shuttle/space station payloads to be allocated solely for the development of new space station experimental hardware. The Committee believes that it is premature to develop station experimental hardware. The funds in question were not requested by the administration.

The Committee concurs with the House in recommending the following further adjustments in the administration's budget request:

-$25,000,000 from the orbital maneuvering vehicle program. This reduces program funding to $55,000,000 in fiscal year 1988, a $10,000,000 increase in the current budget.

+$5,000,000 for the initiation of work on an extended duration orbiter. The Committee believes that the extension of space shuttle orbiter stay time is a logical step toward a permanently manned space station and will enhance the prospects of constructing and servicing such a station with maximum efficiency and minimum cost.

-$5,000,000 from Hubble space telescope development, leaving a budget of $93,400,000. The Committee concurs with the concern expressed by the House over the prelaunch costs of maintaining the teleScope.

-$10,000,000 from the ocean topography experiment program [TOPEX]. This reduces TOPEX funding to $80,000,000, an increase of $61,000,000 over the current budget.

-$5,000,000 from the global geoscience science [GGS] mission. The administration requested $25,000,000 for this new program to provide measurements necessary for the interaction between the Earth and the

Sun.