The America COMPETES Act and the FY2009 Budget







Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress



The America COMPETES Act (P.L. 110-69) responds to concerns that the United States may not
be able to compete economically with other nations in the future due to insufficient investment
today in science and engineering research and in science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) education. A similar concern led President Bush to announce the American
Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) in January 2006.
FY2008 appropriations met neither the Administration’s ACI target nor America COMPETES Act
authorized levels. An issue for Congress is whether FY2009 appropriations will. The Presidents’s
Office of Science and Technology Policy reports that the FY2009 budget request includes funding
for America COMPETES Act initiatives at 88% of the FY2009 authorization level. In June 2008,
the House and Senate approved the Concurrent Budget Resolution Conference Report
(S.Con.Res. 70), which provides a sense of the Congress on the America COMPETES Act,
stating “the Congress should provide sufficient funding so that our Nation may continue to be the
world leader in education, innovation and economic growth.” For FY2009, the federal agencies
that manage America COMPETES Act programs are funded through an interim continuing
resolution until March 6, 2009. Funding for the remainder of FY2009 and all of FY2010 remains
to be determined.
The act authorizes increases in the nation’s investment in science and engineering research at the
National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
laboratories, and the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. Both the Senate and House
Committees on Appropriations recommended funding for NSF authorized at $7.3 billion, while
$6.9 billion was requested by the Administration. For NIST, both the Senate and House
committees provided funding for programs the Administration requested eliminated, the
Technology Innovation Program (TIP), and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). The
DOE Office of Science authorized level is $5.2 billion. The President requested $4.7 billion. The
Senate committee reported $4.6 billion, and the House committee reported $4.8 billion. The act
also establishes within DOE the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E),
designed to support transformational energy technology research projects. The President’s
FY2009 budget does not request appropriations for ARPA-E. The House committee
recommended $15 million for ARPA-E, while the Senate committee did not include any funding
in its report.
In STEM education, the act authorizes Department of Education (ED) and NSF programs to
encourage STEM degree majors and professionals to become K-12 STEM teachers. At ED, the
Administration requests the elimination of the act’s Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow
program authorized at 151.2 million. The Senate committee included $2 million for this program,
while the House subcommittee did not fund the program. At NSF, the America COMPETES Act
increased the authorization level for the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program to 115.0
million. The Administration requested funding of $11.6 million for this program. The Senate
committee recommended $55 million in its report, and the House committee $50 million.






Overview of the America COMPETES Act....................................................................................1
Agency Programs and the America COMPETES Act.....................................................................2
National Institute of Standards and Technology.......................................................................2
Department of Energy...............................................................................................................3
Department of Education..........................................................................................................6
National Science Foundation....................................................................................................7
Congressional Activities..................................................................................................................8
Table 1. Comparison of America COMPETES Act Programs, the FY2008 Appropriation,
and the President’s FY2009 Budget Request, the House of Representatives FY2009
Appropriations, the Senate FY2009 Appropriations, and the America COMPETES Act
FY2008, FY2009, and FY2010 Authorization...........................................................................12
Author Contact Information..........................................................................................................25





he Administration and Congress agree on the need to invest in science and engineering
research, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in
order for the United States to be more competitive with other nations. Their priorities as to T


which programs to fund, and how much, however, are different.
When Congress passed the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence
in Technology, Education, and Science Act (P.L. 110-69), known as the America COMPETES
Act, in August 2007, much of the FY2008 appropriations debate had already taken place. As a
consequence, FY2008 appropriations largely failed to address the new priorities enacted in the
America COMPETES Act. The FY2009 budget cycle is the first time Congress has debated
funding for America COMPETES Act programs from the beginning of the appropriations
process.
The purpose of this report is to compare the President’s FY2009 budget request to the FY2009
authorized levels provided by the America COMPETES Act. For more general information on the
America COMPETES Act, see CRS Report RL34328, America COMPETES Act: Programs,
Funding, and Selected Issues, by Deborah D. Stine.

The America COMPETES Act was a response to concerns that the United States may not be able
to compete economically with other nations in the future. The act mainly addresses concerns
about insufficient investment in science and engineering research; STEM education; and STEM
workforce development. Similar concerns led President Bush to announce the related American
Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) in January 2006.
The America COMPETES Act authorizes an increase in federal science and engineering research
funding and support for kindergarten through postdoctoral education. The act also establishes the 1
Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) and Discovery Science and Engineering
Innovation Institutes.
The act authorizes funding increases for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) laboratories, and the Department of Energy (DOE)
Office of Science through FY2010. The Administration’s ACI also proposes increases in research
funding for the three agencies, but at a lower rate of change.
The America COMPETES Act is an authorization act. New programs established by the act will
not be initiated unless funded through subsequent appropriations. Similarly, increases in the
authorization level of existing programs may or may not translate into increased funding.

1 For more information on ARPA-E, see CRS Report RL34497, Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-
E): Background, Status, and Selected Issues for Congress, by Deborah D. Stine.




The following section discusses some of the America COMPETES Act programs in relation to the 2
President’s FY2009 budget submission. The FY2009 request information is based on the 34
FY2009 Congressional Budget Request documents from the DOE and the NSF. The ED 5
FY2009 request information is based on the its Budget Summary. The NIST FY2009 request 6
information is from the Fiscal Year 2009 Budget of the U.S. Government.
The mission of NIST, a laboratory of the Department of Commerce, is to increase the
competitiveness of U.S. companies by supporting industrial development of precompetitive,
generic technologies, diffusing government-developed technological advances, and providing 7
measurement, calibration, and quality assurance techniques.
The America COMPETES Act authorizes NIST’s Scientific and Technical Research and Services
(STRS) and Industrial Technology Services (ITS) programs. The ITS includes the existing
Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and a new Technology Innovation Program
(TIP), which replaced a program with similar goals, the repealed Advanced Technology Program 8
(ATP).
The act authorizes $541.9 million for STRS in FY2009; the President’s FY2009 budget proposes 9
$535.0 million. The act authorizes $131.5 million for TIP in FY2009, but the President’s FY2009
budget proposes eliminating TIP, so its proposed budget is zero. For MEP, the act authorizes

2 For information on the President’s FY2009 budget, see CRS Report RL34448, Federal Research and Development
Funding: FY2009, by John F. Sargent Jr. et al.
3 The DOE Budget Request is available at http://www.cfo.doe.gov/budget/09budget/Start.htm. Relevant detailed budget
justification addressing science is available in volume 4 at http://www.cfo.doe.gov/budget/09budget/Content/Volumes/
Volume4.pdf. The detailed budget justification addressing the nuclear energy educational programs that are part of the
act is available in volume 3, p. 621 at http://www.cfo.doe.gov/budget/09budget/Content/Volumes/Volume3a.pdf.
4 The NSF Budget Request is available at http://www.nsf.gov/about/budget/fy2009/toc.jsp.
5 The ED Budget Summary is available at http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget09/summary/index.html.
The relevant sections are on elementary and secondary education at http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/
budget09/summary/edlite-section2a.html, higher education programs at http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/
budget09/summary/edlite-section2e.html, and programs proposed for elimination at http://www.ed.gov/about/
overview/budget/budget09/summary/edlite-section3.html.
6 See the NIST budget information in the Appendix on p. 228 at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2009/pdf/
appendix/com.pdf
7 For more information on NIST, see CRS Report 95-30, The National Institute of Standards and Technology: An
Appropriations Overview, by Wendy H. Schacht.
8 For additional information on ATP and TIP, see CRS Report 95-36, The Advanced Technology Program and CRS
Report RS22815, The Technology Innovation Program, both by Wendy H. Schacht. The report describes the
similarities and differences between the two programs.
9 This includes almost $9 million for the Baldridge National Quality Award Program. According to NIST, “The
Baldrige Award is given by the President of the United States to businessesmanufacturing and service, small and
largeand to education, health care and nonprofit organizations that apply and are judged to be outstanding in seven
areas: leadership; strategic planning; customer and market focus; measurement, analysis, and knowledge management;
human resource focus; process management; and results.” For more information, see http://www.nist.gov/
public_affairs/factsheet/baldfaqs.htm.





$122.0 million in FY2009, while the President’s FY2009 budget proposes $4.0 million to end
federal support for the program.
The mission of DOE is to “advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United
States; to promote scientific and technological innovation in support of that mission; and to 10
ensure the environmental cleanup of the national nuclear weapons complex.” The DOE is the
largest federal government supporter of basic physical sciences research. This research is
conducted at its national laboratories as well as through its support of investigator-initiated, merit-11
reviewed, competitively selected awards, conducted primarily at universities.
The America COMPETES Act authorizes the establishment of the ARPA-E and the Discovery
Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes within DOE. Based on the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency (DARPA) model, ARPA-E is designed to support transformational
energy technology research projects with the goal of enhancing the nation’s economic and energy 12
security. Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes would be multidisciplinary
research institutes located at DOE national laboratories that would apply fundamental science and
engineering discoveries to technological innovations. Up to three institutes may be created each
fiscal year. The DOE FY2009 budget request does not propose funding for either ARPA-E or the
Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes.
Dr. John H. Marburger, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
testified:
[T]he Budget does not request funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-
E) or new math and science education programs at the Department of Energy. This is
because the Administration believes very strongly that the basic research programs at the
DoE Office of Science are a higher leverage investment and in greater need of funding than
new DoE programs, especially given the devastating impacts of last year’s Omnibus 13
appropriations bill on this agency.
Rather than create ARPA-E or the Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes, the 14
Secretary of Energy has issued a new policy on technology transfer, and proposes establishing 15
25-30 multi-investigator Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) at universities or other

10 Department of Energy, “About DOE,” at http://www.energy.gov/about/index.htm.
11 Department of Energy, “Science and Technology, at http://www.energy.gov/sciencetech/index.htm.
12 For more information on ARPA-E, see CRS Report RL34497, Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-
E): Background, Status, and Selected Issues for Congress, by Deborah D. Stine.
13 Testimony of Dr. John Marburger, III, Director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, House
Committee on Science and Technology, Funding for the America COMPETES Act in the FY2009 Administration thnd
Budget Request, hearing, 110 Congress, 2 session, February 14, 2008 at http://democrats.science.house.gov/Media/
File/Commdocs/hearings/2008/Full/14feb/Marburger_Testimony.pdf.
14 See the press release at http://www.doe.gov/print/5977.htm and the policy statement at http://www.doe.gov/media/
Policy_Statement_on_Technology_Transfer.pdf. The technology transfer policy states “This Policy Statement builds
upon the stimulus provided by the technology transfer provisions contained in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and other
recent legislative actions such as the ‘America COMPETES Act that seek to improve the transfer of energy
technologies from the Department’s Facilities to products and applications that address public and private needs.
15 A footnote to Attachment 4 of Dr. Marburger’s testimony to the House Committee on Science and Technology
Policy states that[T]otal Budget funding for DoE research center partnerships similar to those in Section 5008 [the
(continued...)





nonprofit organizations. As a result of the technology transfer policy, DOE will now reportedly
pool funds from the Office of Science and other programs to fund six new collaborations that
integrate basic and applied research. Funding for these collaborations will reportedly be based on
congressional language that requires DOE to set aside 0.9% of its applied energy research and 16
development budget for technology transfer. The goal of EFRCs would be to focus on 17
transformative research. The requested FY2009 EFRC budget is approximately $100.0 million,
with initial five-year awards of $2.0-5.0 million annually per center. In contrast, each of the three
Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes is authorized at $10.0 million annually
for a maximum of three years.
The act also authorizes the establishment of several new STEM education programs at the K-12
and post-secondary level within DOE. These activities include K-12 student and teacher
programs such as specialty high schools for science and mathematics pilot program, experiential
based learning opportunities (e.g., summer internships) for middle and high school students, and
summer institutes for teachers. Post-secondary programs include a nuclear science talent
expansion program and a hydrocarbon systems science talent expansion program to enhance
existing and create new educational programs in nuclear science and hydrocarbon systems. In
addition, the act establishes a new position within DOE to direct STEM education programs
across the department, and a Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Fund, that is to
include not less than 0.3% of DOE’s research, development, and commercial application funding.
Although the relevant sections in the FY2009 DOE budget submission note the authorization of
the America COMPETES Act, they do not make clear what specific educational programs within 18
the act to which the request is responding. For example, the FY2009 request for the Office of
Nuclear Energy references the America COMPETES Act and states it will designate 20% of its
research funds for university research activities as a way to increase support for U.S. nuclear
science and engineering education, but it does not cite the act’s nuclear science talent expansion
program.

(...continued)
Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes]Energy Frontier Research Centers, Bioenergy Research
Centers, and SciDAC Institutes [Science Discovery Through Advanced Computing]—is $183 million.” Testimony of
Dr. John Marburger, III, Director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, House Committee on
Science and Technology, Funding for the America COMPETES Act in the FY2009 Administration Budget Request, thnd
hearing, 110 Congress, 2 session, February 14, 2008, at http://democrats.science.house.gov/Media/File/Commdocs/
hearings/2008/Full/14feb/Marburger_Testimony.pdf. In additional e-mail correspondence on October 14, 2008,
between CRS, OMB, and OSTP, OMB contends that the three organizations specified above respond to the
authorization of the Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes in the act.
16 This may be a reference to the following provision in the Title X, Section 1001 of the Energy Policy Act (P.L. 109-
58): “TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION FUND.—The Secretary shall establish an Energy Technology
Commercialization Fund, using 0.9 percent of the amount made available to the Department for applied energy
research, development, demonstration, and commercial application for each fiscal year, to be used to provide matching
funds with private partners to promote promising energy technologies for commercial purposes.”
17 For more details, see the FY2009 DOE Budget submission section entitled “FY 2009 Budget Request to Congress
Errata sheet at http://www.er.doe.gov/obp/FY_09_Budget/Errata%20Sheet.pdf, and the DOE Energy Frontier
Research Centers webpage at http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/EFRC.html.
18 Relevant DOE detailed budget justification addressing science is available on pp. 453-472 of volume 4 at
http://www.cfo.doe.gov/budget/09budget/Content/Volumes/Volume4.
pdf and the nuclear energy educational programs on pp. 621-626 of volume 3 at http://www.cfo.doe.gov/budget/
09budget/Content/Volumes/Volume3a.pdf.





In the section entitled “Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists” in the Office of
Science budget justification, DOE notes the America COMPETES Act and mentions many DOE
STEM educational programs, but it does not identify any of them as either new America
COMPETES Act initiatives or specify if some of the existing programs have been modified to
accommodate the act. In addition, the DOE Office of Science does not mention the Early Career
Awards for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Researchers program.
In congressional testimony, however, the Administration has identified two DOE STEM
education programs and the early career researcher program from the act as included in the 19
FY2009 budget request. OMB contends that the following DOE programs correspond to
programs authorized by the America COMPETES Act:
• Summer Institutes (§5003) corresponds to the pre-existing DOE Academies
Creating Teacher Scientists program (DOE ACTS);
• Early Career Awards for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Researchers
(§5006) corresponds to pre-existing High Energy Physics Outstanding Junior
Investigator, Nuclear Physics Outstanding Junior Investigator, Fusion Energy
Sciences Plasma Physics Junior Faculty Development; Advanced Scientific
Computing Research Early Career Principle Investigator; and the Office of
Science Early Career Scientist and Engineer Award programs; and
• Protecting America’s Competitive Edge (PACE) Graduate Fellowship Program
(§5009) corresponds to pre-existing Computer Science Graduate Fellowships;
Graduate Research Environmental Fellowships; American Meteorological
Society/Industry/Government Graduate Fellowships; Spallation Neutron Source
Instrumentation Fellowships, and the Fusion Energy Sciences Graduate 20
Fellowships.
The DOE Summer Institutes authorization in the act is $20 million in FY2009. Based on the
information provided in DOE’s budget request for the programs identified above, funding for
these institutes is requested for $6 million in FY2009. The Early Career Awards program is
authorized for $25 million in FY2009; the testimony states that FY2009 funding of $10 million is
requested for the programs specified above. For the PACE fellowships, DOE requests $19
million, above the act authorization level of $12 million in FY2009, based on the programs listed 21
above and the DOE budget request.
Some of the COMPETES Act programs have additional requirements that may be beyond those
that may be part of existing programs. For example, the America COMPETES Act’s DOE
summer institutes programs has prioritization criteria focused on teachers from a wide range of

19 Attachment 4 in Testimony of Dr. John Marburger, III, Director, White House Office of Science and Technology
Policy, House Committee on Science and Technology, Funding for the America COMPETES Act in the FY2009 thnd
Administration Budget Request, hearing, 110 Congress, 2 session, February 14, 2008 at
http://democrats.science.house.gov/Media/File/Commdocs/hearings/2008/Full/14feb/Marburger_Testimony.pdf.
20
Email communication between CRS and the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Science and
Technology Policy received on October 14, 2008. According to OMB, the reason that the information above is not
included in DOEs FY2009 budget request is that DOE did not reorganize its budget structure to match the America
COMPETES Act categories.
21 Ibid.





school districts, high-need school districts, and underrepresented groups; coordination and
consultation requirements with DOE and NSF; and mentoring program, evaluation, and
accountability plan requirements, which may or may not be an element of the existing DOE
ACTS program.
The FY2009 budget request does not mention either establishing a DOE STEM Education fund or
appointing a DOE STEM education program director.
The ED’s mission is to “promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness 22
by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.” Among its activities, ED 23
establishes policies on and distributes and monitors federal financial aid for education.
The America COMPETES Act authorizes the establishment of several new STEM education
programs, including Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow, the Advanced Placement and
International Baccalaureate Program, Math Now, and the Advancing America Through Foreign
Language Partnership Program.
Congress appropriated FY2008 funding for the Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow program,
which supports the development and implementation of higher education programs including a
STEM baccalaureate degree with concurrent teacher certification, a part-time master’s degrees in
STEM or critical foreign languages for current teachers, and programs for professional scientists
and engineers to pursue master’s degrees that enable teacher certification. The FY2009 ED
budget summary proposes to eliminate this program, indicating that these “activities can be 24
funded under other Federal programs.”
The FY2009 ED budget summary indicates that the America COMPETES Act’s Advanced
Placement and International Baccalaureate Program would provide a new vision for the existing
ED Advanced Placement Incentive Program (API) authorized under Title I, Part G, of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). This new direction includes increasing access
to classes and tests for low-income students, preparation of teachers in high-need schools, and
non-federal organizations contributing funds to the program. The America COMPETES Act
authorizes $75.0 million for the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Program in
FY2009. The President’s FY2009 budget requests $70.0 million. Approximately $22.0 million
would support previously existing API activities, while approximately $47.0 million would
support America COMPETES Act activities.
The Math Now program is part of the President’s ACI. The ED FY2009 budget summary
proposes funding it at its full authorization level, $95 million.

22 U.S. Department of Education, “About ED,” at http://www.ed.gov/about/landing.jhtml?src=gu.
23 For more information on STEM Education activities, see CRS Report 98-871, Science, Engineering, and
Mathematics Education: Status and Issues, by Christine M. Matthews and CRS Report RL33434, Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education: Background, Federal Policy, and Legislative Action, by Jeffrey J.
Kuenzi.
24 ED FY2009 Budget Summary, section on programs proposed for elimination at http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/
budget/budget09/summary/edlite-section3.html.





The Advancing America Through Foreign Language Partnership Program funds partnerships
between higher education institutions and school districts to enhance postsecondary level 25
language learning. For this program, the act authorizes $28.0 million in FY2008 and such sums
as may be necessary for FY2009. The President’s FY2009 budget requests $24.0 million to
support 24 new awards in languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Indic, Iranian, and Turkic. This
program supports the President’s National Security Language Initiative.
No funding is mentioned in the ED budget summary for the following America COMPETES Act
authorized programs: the Summer Term Education Program, the P-16 Alignment of Secondary st
School Graduate Requirements with the Demands of 21 Century Postsecondary Endeavors and
Support for P-16 Education Data Systems, or the Mathematics and Science Partnership Bonus
Grants. As noted previously, this may or may not mean that the programs will be funded, as some
are below the organizational level specified in the budget documents.
The NSF supports science and engineering in general and funds basic research across many
disciplines by supporting investigator-initiated, merit-reviewed, competitively selected awards,
state-of-the-art tools, and instrumentation and facilities, primarily at U.S. colleges and 26
universities.
The America COMPETES Act authorizes $5,742.0 million for NSF’s research and related
activities (R&RA) account. The President’s FY2009 budget requests funding of $5,594.0 million.
In some cases, such as the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) and Faculty Early Career
Development (CAREER) programs, the requested levels are close to those authorized in the act.
Other R&RA programs have been funded below the authorized levels, including the Experimental
Programs to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), which the President’s budget requests
funding at $113.5 million rather than the authorized level of $133.2 million, and the Integrative
Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT), for which the request is $38.8 million
rather than authorized level of $52.5 million.
In the Education and Human Resources (EHR) directorate, the America COMPETES Act
authorization is $995.0 million, while the President’s FY2009 budget requests $790.0 million.
Programs with requested funding well below that authorized include the Robert Noyce Teacher 27
Scholarship program (at $11.6 million compared with an authorization of $115.0 million) and 28
the Mathematics and Science Education Partnership (at $51.0 million compared with an

25 The title for this program in the America COMPETES Act is the Foreign Language Partnership Program. The report
uses the title for this program from the ED FY2009 congressional budget justification to help distinguish it from other
ED foreign language programs such as the existing Foreign Language Assistance program.
26 For more information on NSF, see CRS Report 95-307, U.S. National Science Foundation: An Overview, by
Christine M. Matthews.
27 The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program encourages science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
majors and professionals to become K-12 mathematics and science teachers by providing funds to institutions of higher
education to support scholarships, stipends, and programs for students who commit to teaching in high-need K-12
school districts.
28 The Math and Science Partnership program provides grants to teams composed of institutions of higher education,
local K-12 school systems, and their supporting partners to develop and implement pioneering ways of advancing
mathematics and science education for students.





authorization of $111.0 million). In contrast, the Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) program is
proposed for $116.7 million, more than the authorization of $107.2 million.
The two new NSF programs authorized in the America COMPETES Act have no funding
requested for them. These are the Professional Science Master’s Degree Program and the
Laboratory Science Pilot Program. NSF has a working group that is looking at options, 29
suggestions, and recommendations for implementation of the NSF-related provisions in the act.
Thus, a lack of funding for these new programs in the FY2009 budget should not be presumed to
indicate a lack of interest in them as a final decision regarding these programs has not yet been
made.

FY2008 appropriations met neither the Administration’s ACI target nor America COMPETES Act
authorized levels. An issue for Congress is whether FY2009 appropriations will. The White
House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy reports that the FY2009 budget request
includes funding for America COMPETES Act initiatives at 88% of the FY2009 authorization 30
level.
Congress’ initial response to the President’s budget request was to develop a budget resolution 31
that sets the budget spending amounts for each functional category of the budget. The budget
resolution did not allocate funds among specific programs or accounts. Major program
assumptions underlying the functional amounts, however, are often discussed in the reports 32
accompanying the resolution. These program assumptions and budget functions are not binding.
In June 2008, the House and Senate approved the Conference Report on S.Con.Res. 70, The
Concurrent Budget Resolution for 2009. Section 522 of the report provides a sense of the
Congress on the Innovation Agenda and the America COMPETES Act, stating “the Congress
should provide sufficient funding so that our Nation may continue to be the world leader in
education, innovation and economic growth.” The resolution “supports the efforts authorized in
the America COMPETES Act, providing substantially increased funding above the President’s
requested level for 2009, and increased amounts after 2009 in Function 250 (General Science,
Space and Technology) and other functions.” The resolution also states that “additional increases
for scientific research and education are included in Function 270 (Energy), Function 300
(Environment and Natural Resources), Function 500 (Education, Employment, Training and
Social Services), and Function 550 (Health), all of which receive more funding than the
President’s budget provides.”

29 Email from Teresa Davies, Director, Legislative Affairs, NSF, to Deborah Stine on February 13, 2008.
30 Testimony of Dr. John Marburger, III, Director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, House
Committee on Science and Technology, Funding for the America COMPETES Act in the FY2009 Administration thnd
Budget Request, hearing, 110 Congress, 2 session, February 14, 2008, available at
http://democrats.science.house.gov/Media/File/Commdocs/hearings/2008/Full/14feb/Marburger_Testimony.pdf.
31 CRS Report 97-684, The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction, by Sandy Streeter.
32 CRS Report 98-721, Introduction to the Federal Budget Process, by Robert Keith. This process is set forth in the
Congressional Budget Act, Titles I-IX of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-
344; July 12, 1974; 88 Stat. 297-339), as amended and codified at 2 U.S.C. 621-692.





The budget resolution also included agreeing to an allocation to the House Committee on
Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Appropriations. These committees then subdivided
the amounts they received from the House and Senate Budget committees among the 3334
appropriations committees’ 12 subcommittees. The committee’s jurisdictions for the federal
agencies that have programs authorized by the America COMPETES Act programs are divided
among at least three Appropriations subcommittees:
• Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies: NSF, NIST, NASA, and
OSTP;
• Energy and Water Development: DOE;
• Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies: ED.
Each of these Senate and House Appropriations subcommittees have approved and reported the
bills for which they are responsible, with an accompanying report, to the full committee. The
Senate Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Committee (S. 3182;
S.Rept. 110-397), the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Committee (S.
3258; S.Rept. 110-416), and the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and
Related Agencies (S. 3230; S.Rept. 110-410) have all reported their bills to the full Senate. The
House Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Committee, and the
House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Committee have reported their bills to the
full House. The House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies has
not yet reported its bill. At this time, the House Appropriations Committee bills and reports are
available in draft form.
Table 1 summarizes the America COMPETES Act programs and authorizations for FY2008,
FY2009, and FY2010; the FY2008 appropriation; and Senate and House activities regarding 35
these programs in the FY2009 budget process. Some highlights include
National Institute of Standards and Technology
• The Senate and House committees include funding for TIP authorized at $541.9
million, and the MEP authorized at $131.5 million. Both were proposed for
elimination by the Administration.
• While the Administration requested $535 million for STRS, authorized at $541.9
million, the Senate committee approved $489.5 million and the House committee
$500.7 million.

33 These allocations for FY2009 are available at http://www.cbo.gov/budget/approps/approps.pdf. For additional
information on the appropriations process, see CRS Report 97-684, The Congressional Appropriations Process: An
Introduction, by Sandy Streeter.
34 It is important to note that the House and Senate Parliamentarians are the sole definitive authorities on questions
relating to the jurisdiction of congressional committees and should be consulted for a formal opinion on any specific
jurisdictional question.
35 The table includes programs for which the America COMPETES Act authorized funding. Not all the programs
addressed by the America COMPETES Act had an enumerated authorization of appropriation level. Further, not all of
the authorized programs will necessarily be at a sufficient programmatic level to have a line item within their agency’s
budget in the Presidents request, the appropriations bills, or the agency budgets. Therefore, a lack of an enumerated
appropriation does not necessarily mean that a given program is not funded.





Department of Energy
• The DOE Office of Science authorized level is $5.2 billion. The President
requested $4.7 billion. The Senate committee approved $4.6 billion, and the
House committee $4.9 billion.
• The House committee approved $15 million for ARPA-E, while the Senate
committee does not include any funding. The President’s FY2009 budget does
not request an appropriation.
Department of Education
• The Senate committee recommended $2 million for the Teachers for a
Competitive Tomorrow program, while the House subcommittee does not
provide any funding. The Administration requests its elimination in FY2009. The
authorized level is $125 million.
• The Senate committee supports the Administration’s request to transition the
existing Advanced Placement Incentive (API) program to the new Advanced
Placement and International Baccalaureate (AP/IB) program authorized by the
America COMPETES Act. The Senate committee recommends $43.5 million
total, with $20.5 million in funding for the act portion of the funding and the
remainder to phase out the existing program. The House subcommittee also
recommends $43.5 million, but only for the existing API program. The
subcommittee recommends not funding the America COMPETES Act AP/IB
program, stating that the “2 to 1 match from non-Federal sources would preclude
low-income schools from participating.”
• Both the Senate and House committee recommend Congress not fund two new
programs authorized by the act, where the Administration requested funding:
Math Now and the Advancing America Through Foreign Language Partnership
Program.
National Science Foundation
• Both the Senate and House committees provide funding for NSF at the level
requested by the Administration, $6.9 billion. The authorized level is $7.3 billion.
• The Senate committee reported $55 million for the Robert Noyce Teacher
Scholarship program, and the House committee $50 million. The Administration
requested $11.6 million.
For FY2009, federal government programs related to the America COMPETES Act are funded
from October 1, 2008, until March 6, 2009, through an interim continuing resolution (H.R. 2638; 36
P.L. 110-329). The resolution funds these programs at the FY2008 level, but does not include
funding from the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-252) in determining the level 37
of funding during this time. Funding for the remainder of FY2009 and all of FY2010 remains to

36 For more information, see CRS Report RL34700, Interim Continuing Resolutions (CRs): Potential Impacts on
Agency Operations, by Clinton T. Brass.
37 For additional details, see Office of Management and Budget, Apportionment of the Continuing Resolution(s) for
Fiscal Year 2009, OMB Bulletin No. 08-02, September 30, 2008 at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/bulletins/fy2008/
b08-02.pdf.





be determined. This report will be updated on a regular basis as Congress takes action throughout
the appropriations process.




Table 1. Comparison of America COMPETES Act Programs, the FY2008 Appropriation, and the President’s FY2009 Budget
Request, the House of Representatives FY2009 Appropriations, the Senate FY2009 Appropriations, and the America
COMPETES Act FY2008, FY2009, and FY2010 Authorization
(in millions of dollars)
FY2008 FY2009 FY2010
Programs with Appropriation
Specific (Consolidated House Senate
Authorized Authorization Appropriations Act, Authorization Request Appropriation Appropriation Authorization
Budgets in the (America 2008 (P.L. 110-161); (America (President’s (as reported* (as reported* (America
America COMPETES Act) Supplemental COMPETES Budget) or in draft bill or in draft bill COMPETES
COMPETES Act Appropriations Act, Act) or report**) or report**) Act)
2008 (P.L. 110-252))
Department of
Commerce
National
iki/CRS-RL34396Institute of
g/wStandards and
s.orTechnology (Sec. 3001)
leak
—Scientific & $502.1 $440.5 $541.9 $535.0a ** $500.7 * $489.5 $584.8
://wikiTechnical
httpResearch and Services (STRS)
(Sec. 3001)
—Construction & 150.9 160.5 86.4 99.0 ** 129.0 * 149.0 49.7
Maintenance
(Sec. 3001)
—Technology 100.0 65.2b 131.5 0.0 ** 65.2 * 65.0 140.5
Innovation
Program (TIP)
(Sec. 3001/3012)
—Manufacturing 110.0 89.6 122.0 4.0 ** 89.6 * 110.0 131.8


Extension
Partnership (MEP)
(Sec. 3001/3003)


FY2008 FY2009 FY2010
Programs with Appropriation
Specific (Consolidated House Senate
Authorized Authorization Appropriations Act, Authorization Request Appropriation Appropriation Authorization
Budgets in the (America 2008 (P.L. 110-161); (America (President’s (as reported* (as reported* (America
America COMPETES Act) Supplemental COMPETES Budget) or in draft bill or in draft bill COMPETES
COMPETES Act Appropriations Act, Act) or report**) or report**) Act)
2008 (P.L. 110-252))
Department of
Energy
DOE Science,
Engineering and
Mathematics
Programs
(Sec. 5003)
—Pilot Program of 14.0 Not Included 22.5 Not Included Not Included Not Included 30.0
Grants to Specialty
iki/CRS-RL34396Schools for
g/wScience and
s.orMathematics (Sec.
leak5003) [NEW]
—Experiential 7.5 Not Included 7.5 Not Included Not Included Not Included 7.5
://wikiBased Learning
httpOpporunities (Sec.
5003) [NEW]
—Summer 15.0 Not Included 20.0 6.4 **6.4 * 6.4 25.0
Institutes (Sec. c
5003) [NEW]
—National Energy 0.5 Not Included Such sums as Not Included Not Included Not Included Such sums as
Education necessary necessary
Development
(Sec. 5003) [NEW]
Nuclear Science


Talent
Expansion
Program (Sec.
5004)


FY2008 FY2009 FY2010
Programs with Appropriation
Specific (Consolidated House Senate
Authorized Authorization Appropriations Act, Authorization Request Appropriation Appropriation Authorization
Budgets in the (America 2008 (P.L. 110-161); (America (President’s (as reported* (as reported* (America
America COMPETES Act) Supplemental COMPETES Budget) or in draft bill or in draft bill COMPETES
COMPETES Act Appropriations Act, Act) or report**) or report**) Act)
2008 (P.L. 110-252))
—Nuclear Science 3.5 Not Included 6.5 Not Included Not Included *3.0d 9.5
Program
Expansion Grants
for Institutions of
Higher Education
(Sec. 5004) [NEW]
—Nuclear Science 3.0 Not Included 5.5 Not Included Not Included Not Included 8.0
Competitiveness
Grants for
iki/CRS-RL34396Institutions of Higher Education
g/w(Sec. 5004) [NEW]
s.or
leakHydrocarbon Systems Science
://wikiTalent Expansion
httpProgram (Sec.
5005)
—Hydrocarbon 3.5 Not Included 6.5 Not Included Not Included Not Included 9.5


Systems Science
Program
Expansion Grants
for Institutions of
Higher Education
(Sec. 5005) [NEW]


FY2008 FY2009 FY2010
Programs with Appropriation
Specific (Consolidated House Senate
Authorized Authorization Appropriations Act, Authorization Request Appropriation Appropriation Authorization
Budgets in the (America 2008 (P.L. 110-161); (America (President’s (as reported* (as reported* (America
America COMPETES Act) Supplemental COMPETES Budget) or in draft bill or in draft bill COMPETES
COMPETES Act Appropriations Act, Act) or report**) or report**) Act)
2008 (P.L. 110-252))
—Hydrocarbon 3.0 Not Included 5.5 Not Included Not Included Not Included 8.0
Systems Science
Competitiveness
Grants for
Institutions of
Higher Education
(Sec. 5005) [NEW]
Early Career 25.0 Not Included 25.0 10.0 **10.0 * 10.0 25.0
Awards for
iki/CRS-RL34396Science, Engineering,
g/wand
s.orMathematics
leakResearchers
(Sec.
://wiki5006)[NEW]c
httpOffice of 4,486.0e 4,035.6 5,200.0e 4,721.9 **4,861.7 * 4,640.5 5,814.0
Science (Sec. (3,973.1 consolidated
5007) (as act
amends the Energy +62.5 supplemental)
Policy Act of 2005
for FY2010)
Discovery Science 10.0-30.0f Not Included 10.0-30.0f 182.2 **182.2 * 82.2g 10.0-30.0f


and Engineering
Innovation
Institutes (Sec. c
5008) [NEW]


FY2008 FY2009 FY2010
Programs with Appropriation
Specific (Consolidated House Senate
Authorized Authorization Appropriations Act, Authorization Request Appropriation Appropriation Authorization
Budgets in the (America 2008 (P.L. 110-161); (America (President’s (as reported* (as reported* (America
America COMPETES Act) Supplemental COMPETES Budget) or in draft bill or in draft bill COMPETES
COMPETES Act Appropriations Act, Act) or report**) or report**) Act)
2008 (P.L. 110-252))
Protecting 7.5 Not Included 12.0 19.0 **19.0 * 19.0 20.0
America’s Edge
(PACE)
Graduate
Fellowship
Program (Sec. c
5009)[NEW]
Distinguished 15.0 Not Included 20.0 Not Included Not Included Not Included 30.0
Scientist
iki/CRS-RL34396Program (Sec. 5011) [NEW]
g/w
s.orAdvanced 300 Not Included Such sums as Not Included **15.0 Not Included Such sums as are
leakResearch Projects are necessary necessary
://wikiAgency—Energy [ARPA-E] (Sec.
http5012) [NEW]
Department of
Education
Teachers for a 151.2 * 0.98 151.2 0.0 * 0.0 * 0.98 151.2


Competitive
Tomorrow:
Baccalaureate
Degrees in
Science,
Technology,
Engineering,
Mathematics, or
Critical Foreign
Languages, with
Concurrent
Teacher


FY2008 FY2009 FY2010
Programs with Appropriation
Specific (Consolidated House Senate
Authorized Authorization Appropriations Act, Authorization Request Appropriation Appropriation Authorization
Budgets in the (America 2008 (P.L. 110-161); (America (President’s (as reported* (as reported* (America
America COMPETES Act) Supplemental COMPETES Budget) or in draft bill or in draft bill COMPETES
COMPETES Act Appropriations Act, Act) or report**) or report**) Act)
2008 (P.L. 110-252))
Certification
(Sec. 6113, 6115,
6116) [NEW]
Teachers for a 125.0 * 0.98 125.0 0.0 ** 0.0 * 0.98 125.0
Competitive
Tomorrow:
Master’s
Degrees in
Science,
iki/CRS-RL34396Technology, Engineering,
g/wand
s.orMathematics, or
leakCritical Foreign
Language
://wikiEducation (Sec. 6114-6116)
http[NEW]
Advanced 75.0 Not Included Such sums as 70.0/47.0h ** 43.5/0.0h *43.5/20.5h Such sums as
Placement and may be may be
International necessary necessary
Baccalaureate
Programs (Sec.
6121-6123)h
[NEW]
Math Now (Sec. 95.0 * 0.0 Such sums as 95.0 **0.0i * 0.0i Such sums as
6201) [NEW] may be may be
necessary necessary
Summer Term Such sums as may be Not Included Such sums as Not Included Not Included Not Included Such sums as
Education necessary may be may be
Programs (Sec. necessary necessary


6202) [NEW]


FY2008 FY2009 FY2010
Programs with Appropriation
Specific (Consolidated House Senate
Authorized Authorization Appropriations Act, Authorization Request Appropriation Appropriation Authorization
Budgets in the (America 2008 (P.L. 110-161); (America (President’s (as reported* (as reported* (America
America COMPETES Act) Supplemental COMPETES Budget) or in draft bill or in draft bill COMPETES
COMPETES Act Appropriations Act, Act) or report**) or report**) Act)
2008 (P.L. 110-252))
Math Skills for 95.0 Not Included 95.0 Not Included Not Included Not Included 95.0
Secondary
School Students
(Sec. 6203) [NEW]
Advancing 28.0 Not Included Such sums as 24.0 **0.0 * 0.0 Such sums as
America may be may be
Through necessary necessary
Foreign
Language
iki/CRS-RL34396Partnership Program (Sec.
g/w6301-6304)
s.or[NEW]j
leakP-16 Alignment 120.0 Not Included Such sums as Not Included Not Included Not Included Such sums as
://wikiof Secondary School may be necessary may be necessary
httpGraduate
Requirements
with the st
Demands of 21
Century
Postsecondary
Endeavors and
Support for P-16
Education Data
Systems (Sec.
6401) [NEW]
Mathematics Such sums as may be Not Included Such sums as Not Included Not Included Not Included Such sums as
and Science necessary may be may be
Partnership necessary necessary


Bonus Grants
(Sec. 6501) [NEW]


FY2008 FY2009 FY2010
Programs with Appropriation
Specific (Consolidated House Senate
Authorized Authorization Appropriations Act, Authorization Request Appropriation Appropriation Authorization
Budgets in the (America 2008 (P.L. 110-161); (America (President’s (as reported* (as reported* (America
America COMPETES Act) Supplemental COMPETES Budget) or in draft bill or in draft bill COMPETES
COMPETES Act Appropriations Act, Act) or report**) or report**) Act)
2008 (P.L. 110-252))
National Science 6,600.0 6,127.5 7,326.0 6,854.1 ** 6,854.1 * 6,854.1 8,132.0
Foundation (Sec. (6,065.0 consolidated
7002)
+62.5 supplemental)
Research and 5,156.0 4,844.0k 5,742.3 5,594.0 ** 5,544.1 * 5,594.0 6,401.0
Related (4,821.5 consolidated
Activities
+22.5 supplemental)
iki/CRS-RL34396—Major Research Instrumentation 115.0 Not Included 123.1 115.0 Not Included Not Included 131.7
g/w(MRI) (Sec.
s.or7002/Sec. 7036)
leak—Faculty Early 165.4 Not Included 183.6 181.9 Not Included Not Included 203.8
://wikiCareer Development
http(CAREER)
(Sec.7002)
—Research 61.6 Not Included 68.4 61.6 Not Included Not Included 75.9
Experiences for
Undergraduates
(REU) (Sec.7002)
—Experimental 120.0 * 120.0 133.2 113.5 ** 133.0 * 125.0 147.8
Programs to (115.0 consolidated
Stimulate
Competitive +5.0l
Research supplemental)
(EPSCoR)
(Sec.7002)
—Integrative 47.3 Not Included 52.5 38.8 Not Included Not Included 58.3


Graduate
Education and


FY2008 FY2009 FY2010
Programs with Appropriation
Specific (Consolidated House Senate
Authorized Authorization Appropriations Act, Authorization Request Appropriation Appropriation Authorization
Budgets in the (America 2008 (P.L. 110-161); (America (President’s (as reported* (as reported* (America
America COMPETES Act) Supplemental COMPETES Budget) or in draft bill or in draft bill COMPETES
COMPETES Act Appropriations Act, Act) or report**) or report**) Act)
2008 (P.L. 110-252))
Research
Traineeship/R&RA
(IGERT) m
(Sec.7002)
—Graduate 9.0 Not Included 10.0 8.1 Not Included Not Included 11.1
Research
Fellowship/R&RA
(GRF) (Sec.7002)
—Professional 10.0 Not Included 12.0 Not Included Not Included Not Included 15.0
iki/CRS-RL34396Science Master’s
g/wDegree Program (Sec. 7002/7034)
s.or[NEW]
leak
Education and 896.0 765.6 995.0 790.4 ** 840.3 * 790.4 1,104.0
://wikiHuman Resources (725.6 consolidated
http+40.0 supplemental)
—Mathematics 100.0 Not Included 111.0 51.0 ** 61.0 Not Included 123.2
and Science
Education
Partnership (MSP)
(Sec.7002/7028)
—Robert Noyce 89.8 * 55.0 115.0 11.6 ** 50.0j * 55.0n 140.5
Teacher (15.0 consolidated
Scholarship
Program +40.0 supplemental)
(Sec.7002/7030)
—Science, 40.0 Not Included 50.0 29.7 Not Included Not Included 55.0


Mathematics,
Engineering, and
Technology Talent


FY2008 FY2009 FY2010
Programs with Appropriation
Specific (Consolidated House Senate
Authorized Authorization Appropriations Act, Authorization Request Appropriation Appropriation Authorization
Budgets in the (America 2008 (P.L. 110-161); (America (President’s (as reported* (as reported* (America
America COMPETES Act) Supplemental COMPETES Budget) or in draft bill or in draft bill COMPETES
COMPETES Act Appropriations Act, Act) or report**) or report**) Act)
2008 (P.L. 110-252))
Expansion
(Sec.7002/7025)
—Advanced 52.0 Not Included 57.7 51.6 Not Included Not Included 64.0
Technological
Education (ATE)
(Sec.7002)
—Integrative 27.1 Not Included 30.1 25.0 Not Included Not Included 33.4
Graduate
Education and
iki/CRS-RL34396Research
g/wTraineeship/EHR (IGERT)
s.or(Sec.7002)m
leak
—Graduate 96.6 Not Included 107.2 116.7 **107.0 Not Included 119.0
://wikiResearch Fellowship/EHR
http(GRF) (Sec.7002)
Major Research 245.0 220.7 262.0 147.5 ** 147.5 * 152.0 280.0
Equipment and
Facilities
Construction
(Sec.7002)
Agency 285.6 281.8 309.76 305.1 **305.1 * 300.6 329.45
Operations and
Award
Management
(Sec.7002)
National 4.05 3.97 4.19 4.0 **4.0 * 4.0 4.34


Science Board
(Sec.7002)


FY2008 FY2009 FY2010
Programs with Appropriation
Specific (Consolidated House Senate
Authorized Authorization Appropriations Act, Authorization Request Appropriation Appropriation Authorization
Budgets in the (America 2008 (P.L. 110-161); (America (President’s (as reported* (as reported* (America
America COMPETES Act) Supplemental COMPETES Budget) or in draft bill or in draft bill COMPETES
COMPETES Act Appropriations Act, Act) or report**) or report**) Act)
2008 (P.L. 110-252))
Inspector 12.35 11.4 12.75 13.1 **13.1 * 13.1 13.21
General
(Sec.7002)
Laboratory 5.0 Not Included Such sums as Not Included Not Included Not Included Such sums as
Science Pilot may be may be
Program (Sec. necessary necessary
7026) [NEW]
Sources: America COMPETES Act (P.L. 110-69); For FY2008, information is from the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-161) and joint explanatory
iki/CRS-RL34396statement; Congressional Record, December 17, 2007; Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-252); H.Rept. 110-240; S.Rept. 110-124; H.Rept. 110-231; and S.Rept. 110-107. The FY2009 request information is based on FY2009 Congressional Budget Request documents from the Department of Energy and the National Science
g/wFoundation. The Department of Education FY2009 information is based on its Budget Summary. The NIST FY2009 request information is from the Fiscal Year 2009 Budget
s.orof the U.S. Government. Senate Committee on Appropriations FY2009 information is from the Senate Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations
leakCommittee (S. 3182; S.Rept. 110-397), the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Committee (S. 3258; S.Rept. 110-416), and the Senate Labor, Health and
Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (S. 3230; S.Rept. 110-410), as reported to the full Senate. House Committee on Appropriations information is based on
://wikidraft bills and subcommittee reports as provided on the Congressional Quarterly website as of July 18, 2008.
httpNotes: Section numbers refer to the America COMPETES Act. “[NEW]” means a program that was not authorized prior to the America COMPETES Act. “Not Included”
means that these programs were not specifically identified in the budget request, bill, act, or report. * = as reported. ** = as in draft bill or report language. All other
appropriations are numbers from bill language.
a. The President’s budget request for STRS includes almost $8 million for the Baldrige National Quality Award Program. The TIP/ATP program Senate appropriation
does not include the $30.8 million directed away from the ATP appropriation for use by other non-NIST related programs.
b. The following statement is in the Consolidated Appropriations Act joint explanatory statement: “Of the amounts provided to ITS [Industrial Technology Services],
$65,200,000 is for the Technology Innovation Program as authorized by Public Law 110-69 [the America COMPETES Act]. TIP is structured to fund high-risk, high
reward research focused on broad national needs such as advanced automotive batteries, aquaculture, novel lightweight materials, and other emerging technologies.
The funding provided for TIP will address mortgage obligations relating to projects created under the Advanced Technology Program (ATP). The amended bill also
includes language to allow the TIP immediate access to an additional $5,000,000 from deobligations and prior-year recoveries from ATP.”
c. According to an email communication between CRS and the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Science and Technology Policy received on October
14, 2008, OMB contends that the following DOE programs correspond to programs authorized by the America COMPETES Act:
DOE Summer Institutes (§5003) corresponds to the pre-existing DOE Academies Creating Teacher Scientists program (DOE ACTS);




DOE Early Career Awards (§5006) corresponds to pre-existing High Energy Physics Outstanding Junior Investigator, Nuclear Physics Outstanding Junior Investigator, Fusion
Energy Sciences Plasma Physics Junior Faculty Development; Advanced Scientific Computing Research Early Career Principle Investigator; and the Office of Science Early
Career Scientist and Engineer Award programs;
Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes (§5008) correspond with pre-existing Bioenergy Research Centers, SciDAC Institutes, and the proposed Energy
Frontier Research Centers; and the
Protecting America’s Competitive Edge (PACE) Fellowship program (§5009) corresponds to pre-existing Computer Science Graduate Fellowships; Graduate Research
Environmental Fellowships; American Meteorological Society/Industry/Government Graduate Fellowships; Spallation Neutron Source Instrumentation Fellowships, and the
Fusion Energy Sciences Graduate Fellowships.
Note that the information above is not included in DOE’s FY2009 budget request as, according to OMB, DOE did not reorganize its budget structure to match the America
COMPETES Act categories. The FY2009 budget request information provided in the table is from Attachment 4 in Testimony of Dr. John Marburger, III, Director, White House
Office of Science and Technology Policy, House Committee on Science and Technology, Funding for the America COMPETES Act in the FY2009 Administration Budget Request,
hearing, 110th Congress, 2nd session, February 14, 2008, at [http://democrats.science.house.gov/Media/File/Commdocs/hearings/2008/Full/14feb/Marburger_Testimony.pdf].
d. The committee recommends this action as part of its congressionally directed science projects stating $3 million should be appropriated for the Center for Advanced
Energy Studies at Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls “to conduct a pilot program to demonstrate the Nuclear Science Talent Expansion Program.”
e. The America COMPETES Act amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-58), Section 971(b), for FY2010. The FY2008 and FY2009 authorization number
provided here are from the Energy Policy Act.
iki/CRS-RL34396f. The Secretary of Energy can decide to establish up to three institutes per fiscal year. Each institute could receive $10 million per year for three fiscal years.
g/wg. The Senate report did not specify an appropriation for the Energy Frontier Research Centers (ERFCs). The report did specify a reduction in the Office of Science Basic
s.orEnergy Sciences funding of $152.8 million. Of this decrease, the Senate directs $59.4 million to move from the Office of Science to another office within DOE.
leakAccording to OMB, DOE does not plan to fund the ERFCs in response to the remaining reduction of $93.3 million. (Source: Personal communication between CRS
and OMB on October 15, 2008.)
://wikih. There is a similarly-named existing ED program called the Advanced Placement Incentive Program (API), authorized under Title I, Part G of the Elementary and
httpSecondary Education Act (ESEA). In its FY2009 congressional budget justification, the Department of Education proposes merging the ESEA API and the America
COMPETES Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Program(AP/IB) to provide a new “vision” for API. The request states that, “Of the requested
amount [$70 million], roughly $12 million would be required to fund State applications for the Test Fees Program and approximately $11 million would fund API
continuation grants under the ESEA program, leaving an estimated $47 million for new grants under the COMPETES Act authority. Funds available for new awards will
support projects expanding AP offerings and participation in mathematics, science, and critical languages.” This is represented in the table as “70.0/47.0,” with the first
number in the table providing the total for both the existing Advanced Placement Incentive Program (API), and, if funded, the new America COMPETES Act Advanced
Placement/International Baccalaureate (AP/IB) program; the second number is the Administration estimated portion of the total that would be used for the AP/IB
program. A similar notation is used for the congressional recommendations and estimates. The Senate committee and House subcommittee both recommended $43.5
million for this program, but the Senate committee recommended $20.5 million for the AP/IB program, while the House subcommittee recommended not funding the
COMPETES Act program stating that the “2 to 1 match from non-Federal sources would preclude low-income schools from participating.”
i. The House and Senate Committees on Appropriations each reported they did not wish to appropriate funds for this program.
j. The title for this program in the America COMPETES Act is the Foreign Language Partnership Program. The table uses the title for this program from the ED FY2009
congressional budget justification to help distinguish it from other ED foreign language programs such as the existing Foreign Language Assistance program.
k. The following statement is in the Consolidated Appropriations Act joint explanatory statement: ” The Appropriations Committees strongly support increases for the
math and physical sciences, computer sciences, and engineering directorates in fiscal year 2008 for research and related activities (R&RA). However, the Committees
also believe the Foundation should maintain comparable growth in fiscal year 2008, to the extent possible, for the biological sciences and social, behavioral and




economic sciences directorates. Each of the science disciplines is valuable in maintaining U.S. competitiveness. The Committees urge NSF to provide each directorate
with funding levels that are consistent with the goals of the America COMPETES Act and look forward to the Foundation’s operating plan in addressing these
concerns.”
l. Although included in the FY2008 supplemental appropriation, the act specifies a section in the America COMPETES Act authorizing funding for the FY2009 EPSCoR
program.
m. Two directorates of the National Science Foundation manage the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program—the Education and
Human Resources Directorate (EHR) and the Research and Related Activities (R&RA) directorate. The America COMPETES Act and the NSF budget request both
identify the allocations for each directorate.
n. The House subcommittee recommends $20 million and the Senate committee recommends $45 million of the appropriated funding for the Noyce program be used
for the “National Science Foundation Teaching Fellowships and Master Teaching Fellowships” portion of the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program. A
description of this program is provided in the America COMPETES Act Section 7030, which amends the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 (P.L.

107-368), providing a new Section 10A.




iki/CRS-RL34396
g/w
s.or
leak
://wiki
http



Deborah D. Stine
Specialist in Science and Technology Policy
dstine@crs.loc.gov, 7-8431