[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 124 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 124

  To invest in the future of the United States by doubling the amount 
           authorized for basic science and medical research.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 21, 1997

 Mr. Gramm (for himself, Mr. Mack, and Mrs. Hutchison) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                       Labor and Human Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To invest in the future of the United States by doubling the amount 
           authorized for basic science and medical research.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Research Investment Act of 
1997''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) for fiscal year 1965, 5.7 percent of the Federal budget 
        was expended for nondefense research and development 
        activities;
            (2) for fiscal year 1997, the percentage of the Federal 
        budget allocated for nondefense research and development 
        activities is 1.9 percent, which is 67 percent less than the 
        percentage in fiscal year 1965;
            (3) for the first time in 25 years during the period 
        beginning with fiscal year 1992 and ending with fiscal year 
        1995, the amount of funds expended by the Federal Government on 
        research (expressed in real dollars) declined each year;
            (4) during the period beginning with fiscal year 1970, and 
        ending with fiscal year 1995, the United States had not, during 
        any fiscal year, expended an amount for nondefense research and 
        development activities, that, expressed as a percentage of the 
        Gross Domestic Product, was greater than or equal to the 
        percentage expended by Japan or Germany for that fiscal year; 
        and
            (5) an increased level of investment in basic science and 
        medical research by the Federal Government is essential to 
        maintaining the position of the United States as the 
        technological leader of the world.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are as follows:
            (1) To double the annual authorized amount of Federal 
        funding for basic science and medical research over the 10-year 
        period following the date of enactment of this Act, so that the 
        amount of Federal funding for fiscal year 2007 is equal to 
        $65,000,000,000.
            (2) To restore the high priority that science and 
        technology had previously been afforded in the Federal budget.
            (3) To invest in the future of the United States and the 
        people of the United States by expanding the research 
        activities referred to in paragraph (1).
            (4) To enhance the quality of life for all the people of 
        the United States.
            (5) To guarantee the leadership of the United States in 
        science and medicine.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Funds for Covered Research and Development Defined.--For 
purposes of this section, the term ``funds for covered research and 
development'' means--
            (1) any funds made available by appropriations for--
                    (A) the National Science Foundation;
                    (B) the National Aeronautics and Space 
                Administration;
                    (C) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                Administration of the Department of Commerce;
                    (D) the National Institute for Standards and 
                Technology of the Department of Commerce; and
                    (E) the National Institutes of Health of the 
                Department of Health and Human Services;
            (2) any funds made available by appropriations for use for 
        research and development activities (as that term is used in 
        the most recent applicable appropriations Act with respect to a 
        Federal Agency) for basic science or medical research--
                    (A) by the Centers for Disease Control of the 
                Department of Health and Human Services;
                    (B) by the Department of Energy (to the extent that 
                the activities are not defense-related activities);
                    (C) by the Department of Agriculture;
                    (D) by the Department of Veterans Affairs;
                    (E) by the Smithsonian Institution; and
                    (F) by the Department of Education; and
            (3) any funds made available by appropriations to the 
        Environmental Protection Agency for science and technology 
        activities for basic science or medical research.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to the limitations under paragraph 
        (2), there are authorized to be appropriated as funds for 
        covered research and development--
                    (A) for fiscal year 1998, $35,750,000,000, of which 
                $14,025,000,000 shall be used by the National 
                Institutes of Health of the Department of Health and 
                Human Services;
                    (B) for fiscal year 1999, $39,000,000,000, of which 
                $15,300,000,000 shall be used by the National 
                Institutes of Health of the Department of Health and 
                Human Services;
                    (C) for fiscal year 2000, $42,250,000,000, of which 
                $16,575,000,000 shall be used by the National 
                Institutes of Health of the Department of Health and 
                Human Services;
                    (D) for fiscal year 2001, $45,500,000,000, of which 
                $17,850,000,000 shall be used by the National 
                Institutes of Health of the Department of Health and 
                Human Services;
                    (E) for fiscal year 2002, $48,750,000,000, of which 
                $19,125,000,000 shall be used by the National 
                Institutes of Health of the Department of Health and 
                Human Services;
                    (F) for fiscal year 2003, $52,000,000,000, of which 
                $20,400,000,000 shall be used by the National 
                Institutes of Health of the Department of Health and 
                Human Services;
                    (G) for fiscal year 2004, $55,250,000,000, of which 
                $21,675,000,000 shall be used by the National 
                Institutes of Health of the Department of Health and 
                Human Services;
                    (H) for fiscal year 2005, $58,500,000,000, of which 
                $22,950,000,000 shall be used by the National 
                Institutes of Health of the Department of Health and 
                Human Services;
                    (I) for fiscal year 2006, $61,750,000,000, of which 
                $24,225,000,000 shall be used by the National 
                Institutes of Health of the Department of Health and 
                Human Services; and
                    (J) for fiscal year 2007, $65,000,000,000, of which 
                $25,500,000,000 shall be used by the National 
                Institutes of Health of the Department of Health and 
                Human Services.
            (2) Limitations.--
                    (A) Development of public information.--In using 
                funds made available under this section, the 
                appropriate officials shall take such action as may be 
                necessary to ensure that priority is given to basic 
                scientific research that has the purpose of developing 
                scientific information to be available to the general 
                public.
                    (B) Use of funds.--No funds made available pursuant 
                to the authorization under this subsection may be used 
                for commercial purposes, except that such funds may 
                only be used for precompetitive research and 
                development for technology.
                    (C) Peer review.--In allocating funds made 
                available under this section, the appropriate officials 
                shall take such action as may be necessary to ensure 
                that a peer review system is used.

SEC. 4. COMPLIANCE WITH DISCRETIONARY CAPS.

    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no funds may be made 
available under this Act in a manner that does not conform with the 
discretionary spending caps provided in the most recently adopted 
concurrent resolution on the budget.
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