[Senate Hearing 111-]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR
FISCAL YEAR 2011
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U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations,
Washington, DC.
NONDEPARTMENTAL WITNESSES
[Clerk's note.--At the direction of the subcommittee
chairman, the following statements received by the subcommittee
are made part of the hearing record on the Fiscal Year 2011
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations
Act.]
Prepared Statement of the Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS)
Program
For more than 30 years, the Regional Information Sharing Systems
(RISS) Program has been a leader in providing the necessary tools and
critical services for law enforcement as well as other criminal justice
and public sector entities. RISS consists of six regional centers that
support and serve the unique needs of their individual regions while
working together on national-scope issues. RISS is a premier
information sharing program, offering secure communications, access to
intelligence databases, and investigative resources and services. The
RISS Program respectfully requests that Congress appropriate $65
million for fiscal year 2011.
As the economy continues to struggle, criminal justice agencies are
tightening budgets, decreasing resources, and limiting efforts. RISS
serves as a force multiplier, offering a one-stop shop to effectively
and efficiently aid agencies in tackling crime problems. Through RISS
services, criminal justice agencies are provided secure information
sharing capabilities and investigative support services that, in many
cases, they would not otherwise receive.
The RISS Centers provide investigative support services to more
than 96,000 officers from more than 8,500 criminal justice agencies at
the local, State, Federal, and tribal levels. RISS operates in all 50
States, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, Australia, Canada,
and England. RISS links thousands of criminal justice agencies through
secure communications and provides information sharing resources and
investigative support to combat multijurisdictional crimes. RISS
strives to enhance the ability of criminal justice agencies to
identify, target, and remove criminal conspiracies and activities while
promoting officer safety.
The support provided by RISS has enabled law enforcement and public
safety agencies to increase their success exponentially. Because of
these successes, as well as the many remaining needs throughout the
criminal justice community, RISS continues to experience an increased
demand for its services. Continued and additional funding is needed in
order to meet this demand and continue to build upon the Nation's
information sharing environment. In addition to continuing its current
services, RISS will utilize requested funds for the initiatives listed
below.
--Expand and continue to deploy the RISS Officer Safety Event
Deconfliction System (RISSafe) throughout the six RISS regions.
--Enhance the RISSGang Program, develop gang training and
publications, and connect gang intelligence systems.
--Enhance the RISS Secure Intranet (RISSNET) to improve
functionality, security, and resources and to expand agency
connectivity and officer/agency access.
--Support border initiatives by developing training and providing
secure information sharing.
--Continue to develop and enhance the Combat Meth Project.
--Expand the RISS Automated Trusted Information Exchange (RISS ATIX)
by enhancing communications and developing an off-line
notification and alert capability.
--Expand the Pawnshop Database nationwide.
--Continue to participate in the Nationwide Suspicious Activity
Reporting Initiative (NSI).
--Continue to support and expand fusion center partnerships and
connectivity.
RISS is Federal funded but locally managed by its member agencies.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Justice Programs,
U.S. Department of Justice, administers the RISS Program. The RISS
Centers operate under the BJA Funding and Administration Guidelines of
the RISS Program and the Criminal Intelligence Systems Operating
Policies (28 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] part 23). Each of the
six RISS Centers has developed operating policies and procedures that
comply with the Federal guidelines and regulations. The RISS Centers
have adopted a privacy policy that fully complies with 28 CFR part 23.
RISS developed and continues to operate RISSNET, which offers
state-of-the-art technology to support law enforcement demand for rapid
communications and information sharing nationwide. Through RISSNET,
member agencies can securely exchange information and electronically
access RISSNET resources, including the RISS Criminal Intelligence
Databases (RISSIntel), RISSafe, the RISSGang Program, RISS ATIX, the
RISS Investigative Leads Bulletin Board (RISSLeads), a data-
visualization and link-analysis tool (RISSLinks), the RISS Search
Engine (RISSearch), the RISS Center Web sites, and secure e-mail.
In fiscal year 2009, more than 3.4 million records were available
in RISSIntel and more than 3.1 million inquiries were made to the
system. RISSIntel has proved a successful tool to securely share
criminal intelligence and connect law enforcement officers. In
addition, member agencies have access to various State, regional,
Federal, and specialized criminal justice intelligence systems
connected to RISSNET. By connecting systems to RISSNET, rather than
funding the build-out of infrastructure for new stand-alone information
systems, hundreds of millions of dollars can be saved and millions of
data records can be easily and quickly accessed by law enforcement.
Currently, almost 100 agency systems are connected or pending
connection to RISSNET, including 32 High Intensity Drug Trafficking
Areas, 36 State agency systems, and 28 Federal and other systems.
RISSNET offers the ability to select one or all connected systems and
conduct a federated search.
As part of the continued commitment to promote and enhance officer
safety, RISS deployed RISSafe. RISSafe stores and maintains data on
planned law enforcement events, with the goal of identifying and
alerting affected agencies and officers of potential conflicts
impacting law enforcement efforts. As of January 22, 2010, 152,265
events were entered into RISSafe, resulting in 52,469 identified
conflicts. Without this resource, law enforcement agencies might have
interfered with each other's cases and officers might have been injured
or killed.
The RISSGang Program is a comprehensive investigative tool
consisting of a criminal intelligence database, a Web site,
informational resources, and secure communications to aid and support
gang-related investigations. RISS ATIX is available to thousands of law
enforcement and public safety agencies. RISS ATIX Participants include
local, county, State, and tribal levels of emergency management, law
enforcement, and government, as well as public and private utilities,
transportation, chemical manufacturing, environmental protection,
banking, and hospitality industries. RISS ATIX resources include Web
pages that contain general and community-specific information, links to
restricted and public Web sites, and other sources of terrorism and
disaster-related information. The RISS ATIX Bulletin Board provides
secure online conferences for users to collaborate and post
information. The Document Library provides informational and
educational materials. ATIX secure e-mail enables the distribution of
alerts and sensitive but unclassified (SBU)/controlled unclassified
information (CUI).
Some law enforcement agencies do not have the personnel, training,
or support to tackle complex multijurisdictional crimes. RISS not only
provides secure communications and access to intelligence databases but
also provides services to enhance and improve the ability to detect,
apprehend, and successfully prosecute criminals. The following
summarizes RISS's information and investigative support services.
--Information Sharing.--Operation of RISSNET and its applications and
tools.
--Analysis.--RISS analysts developed 35,655 products in fiscal year
2009 for investigators and prosecutors to help increase their
ability to identify, detect, and apprehend suspects as well as
enhance prosecutorial success. Products include flowcharts,
link-analysis charts, crime scene diagrams, telephone toll
analysis and financial analysis reports, digital forensics
analysis, and audiovisual enhancement services.
--Investigative Support.--RISS intelligence research staff responded
to 96,293 requests in fiscal year 2009 to conduct database
searches and research numerous resources.
--Equipment Loans.--Pools of highly specialized investigative and
surveillance equipment are available for loan to member
agencies for use in multijurisdictional investigations. In
fiscal year 2009, 5,669 pieces of equipment were borrowed.
--Confidential Funds.--RISS provides funds to purchase contraband,
stolen property, and other items of an evidentiary nature or to
provide for other investigative expenses. RISS provided
$664,785 in confidential funds in fiscal year 2009.
--Training.--RISS Centers sponsor or cosponsor training classes,
meetings, and conferences that build investigative expertise
for member agency personnel. In fiscal year 2009, 78,852
criminal justice professionals received RISS training.
--Publications.--Each center develops and distributes publications,
bulletins, and reports focusing on local and national issues.
In fiscal year 2009, the centers distributed 255,798 copies of
documents to law enforcement personnel.
--Field Services Support.--The integration of field services is
unique to RISS, whereby individuals regularly contact law
enforcement and public safety agencies to ensure that RISS is
meeting their needs. RISS field staff conducted 25,242 on-site
visits in fiscal year 2009 to train, support, and help
integrate RISS services. This one-on-one support has resulted
in trusted relationships and a program prized among its
members.
Through the services and support provided by RISS, member agencies
made 4,975 arrests in fiscal year 2009. In addition, seizures or
recoveries of more than $27 million in narcotics, property, and
currency resulted from member agency cases in which RISS services were
used.
RISS continues pursuing and refining partnerships and programs in
order to leverage proven technology and expand information sharing.
Some of these include connecting fusion centers to RISSNET, supporting
NSI, partnering with the National Gang Intelligence Center,
participating in the National Virtual Pointer System, enhancing gang
investigators' ability to share intelligence data, and expanding the
capabilities and resources of RISS ATIX.
The National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan (NCISP) and the Law
Enforcement Information Sharing Program (LEISP) Strategy were developed
to focus on national parameters for information and intelligence
sharing. RISS is noted in both documents as a mechanism to facilitate
secure information sharing.
There is a critical need to provide a seamless SBU/CUI solution.
Local law enforcement officers/analysts need one single sign-on and
access to an interoperable SBU/CUI environment, regardless of
ownership. To accomplish this, interoperability requirements must be
defined. RISSNET--along with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's
Homeland Security Information Network, FBI LEO, and the Intelligence
Community's Intelink--have been identified by the Interagency Policy
Committee (IPC) formed within the jurisdiction of the executive office
of the President as the four SBU/CUI networks necessary to be involved
in the interoperability initiative to ensure timely and effective
information sharing among local, State, Federal, and tribal agencies.
RISS will play a major role in this development process. RISS has made
strides in this area, through the LEISP initiatives, to connect users
via Federated Identity to the Federal Joint Automated Booking System
(JABS). Currently, 89 RISSNET users are accessing JABS via Federated
Identity, and 1,756 non-RISSNET users are accessing RISS resources via
Federated Identity.
In addition, each RISS Center has developed partnerships and
programs to meet the needs of its unique region. Some examples include
the Project Safe Neighborhoods Mapping and Analysis Program, the
National Identity Crimes Law Enforcement Network, the Cold Case Locator
System, the Metals Theft Initiative, the Master Telephone Index, the
Pawnshop Database, the Combat Meth Project, and the Cold Hit Outcome
Project.
RISS is supported and endorsed by numerous groups, including the
International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Sheriffs'
Association, the National Narcotic Officers' Associations' Coalition,
and the National Alliance of Gang Investigators Associations.
Without continued funding and support for RISS, law enforcement and
public safety efforts will be severely hampered. Specifically, RISS and
its users will experience the following:
--Reduced expansion of RISSafe
--Inability to effectively support RISS ATIX and RISSGang
--Limited expansion of RISSNET and redundancy of system applications
--Minimal enhancement of the RISSNET Portal
--Limited support for border initiatives
--No expansion of the Pawnshop Database
--Decreased support services, limited analytical support, and fewer
training opportunities
--Delayed and/or a lack of new connectivity among agencies and users
--Limited support for information sharing initiatives
It is respectfully requested that Congress appropriate $65 million
for fiscal year 2011 to continue RISS's efforts. Local and State law
enforcement depend on RISS for information sharing, investigative
support, and technical assistance. It would be counterproductive to
require local and State RISS members to self-fund match requirements,
as well as to reduce the amount of BJA discretionary funding. Local and
State agencies require more, not less, funding to fight the Nation's
crime problem. RISS is unable to make up the decrease in funding that a
match would cause, and it has no revenue source of its own. Cutting the
RISS appropriation by requiring a match should not be imposed on the
program.
RISS operates one of the most important law enforcement information
sharing programs in the Nation. RISS plays a part in ensuring that law
enforcement and public safety have the information and resources
necessary to secure our country. For additional information, please
visit www.riss.net. RISS appreciates the support this subcommittee has
continuously provided to the RISS Program and is grateful to provide
this testimony.
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Prepared Statement of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters
Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony to this
subcommittee in support of $44 million in funding for the Commerce
Department's Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) in
fiscal year 2011. As the president and CEO of the National Federation
of Community Broadcasters (NFCB), I speak on behalf of 250 community
radio stations and related individuals and organizations across the
country including many Low Power FM stations. NFCB is the sole national
organization representing this group of stations, which provide
independent local service in the smallest communities and the largest
metropolitan areas of this country. Nearly one-half of NFCB's members
are rural stations, and one-half are controlled by people of color.
In summary, the points we wish to make to this subcommittee are:
--PTFP funding is unique. It is the only funding source available to
help get new stations on the air and ensure that public
broadcasting is available everywhere in the United States.
--In the current budget, a loss of PTFP will mean an irreplaceable
loss in new community radio stations because of an
unprecedented number of new licensees in the pipeline flowing
from a large number of radio stations granted new construction
permits by the Federal Communications Commission. This new
licensing opportunity will not come again.
--PTFP is a targeted program carefully managed to replace necessary
equipment by leveraging public with private funds.
--PTFP will help public and community radio stations prepare to
provide emergency information during natural or man-made
disasters.
--PTFP will help fund for conversion of public radio to digital
broadcasting, which has only recently begun.
PTFP is poised to fund new stations that have recently been granted
construction permits by the Federal Communications Commission. PTFP is
the only program available that supports new station construction. No
alternate funding exists--the Corporation for Public Broadcasting does
not support stations until they have been on the air for 1 year. The
solid funding levels for CPB will not translate into production of new
stations. The opportunity in this budget year is unique because of its
timing. In 2007, the Federal Communications Commission opened up a new
licensing window for new noncommercial radio stations. This was the
first opportunity to apply for new radio stations in a decade. Because
of the scarcity of radio spectrum, this is the last significant
licensing windows for new public radio stations unless new spectrum is
allocated to radio broadcasting. Community radio has put an immense
effort into recruiting new and diverse applicants who are just now
receiving their construction permits from the FCC and are able to apply
for PTFP funding. With adequate funding and support, the new group of
applicants has the potential to fund construction of 45 new community
radio stations authorized by the FCC in its most recent licensing
window and double the number of Native American radio stations in this
country. Federal funding is particularly critical to stations
broadcasting to rural and underserved audiences which have limited
potential for fundraising due to sparse populations, limited number of
local businesses, and low income levels. In addition, PTFP often funds
translator stations to expand the geographic coverage of an existing
station.
PTFP is a targeted program carefully managed to replace necessary
equipment by leveraging public with private funds. Funding from PTFP
has been essential to keep public radio stations on the air by funding
the replacement of equipment, often items that have been in use for 20
or more years. The program is administered carefully to be certain that
stations are acquiring the most appropriate type of equipment. They
also determine that equipment is being properly maintained and will not
fund the replacement of equipment before an appropriate period of time
in use. Even so, PTFP funding is a matching program, so Federal money
is leveraged with a local commitment of funds. This program is a strong
motivating factor in raising the significant money necessary to
replace, upgrade and purchase expensive broadcast equipment.
PTFP will help public and community radio stations prepare to
provide emergency information during natural or man-made disasters. As
we saw during the severe storms and devastating hurricanes of the last
few years, radio is the most effective medium for informing a community
of weather forecasts, traffic issues, services available, evacuations,
and other emergency conditions. Since everyone has access to a radio
and they are portable and battery operated, a radio is the first source
for this critical information. Radio stations therefore must have
emergency power at both their studios and their transmitter in order to
provide this service.
We support $44 million in funding to ensure that both the ongoing
program will be continued, and hope that that there will be additional
financial resources available to help cover the cost of improving the
emergency infrastructure of public broadcasting stations. This
additional funding is considered an urgent need if community stations
are to withstand and continue broadcasting through extreme weather or
other emergency situations. At a time when local service is being
abandoned by commercial radio, PTFP aids communities developing their
own stations which provide local information and emergency
notifications.
The National Federation of Community Broadcasters supports PTFP
funding to help public radio to convert to digital to provide more
public service and keep up with the market. While television's digital
conversion was completed last year, radio is also converting to
digital. Commercial radio stations are converting to digital
transmission, and public radio should not be left behind. The digital
standard for radio has been approved by the Federal Communications
Commission, and over 400 public radio transmitters have been converted.
Public digital radio signals will provide more public service. Most
exciting to public radio is that stations can broadcast two or more
high quality signals, even while they continue to provide the analog
signal. Additional digital audio channels will potentially more than
double the service that public radio can provide, particularly to
unserved and underserved communities. For example, public radio will be
able to add services in languages other than English, or will be able
to add distinctive cultural, music, or news programming.
In sum, community radio supports $44 million in funding for the
Public Telecommunications Facilities Program in fiscal year 2011. PTFP
funding is unique. It is the only funding source available to help get
new stations on the air and ensure that public broadcasting is
available everywhere in the United States. Federal funding distributed
through the PTFP is essential to continuing and expanding the public
broadcasting service throughout the United States. PTFP funding is
critical to ensuring public radio's readiness to provide life-saving
information to communities in the event of local disasters, as we have
seen during weather emergencies in the past few years. With the advent
of digital broadcasting, PTFP funding is helping with the conversion to
this new technology. It is particularly critical for rural stations and
those serving low income communities. PTFP funds new stations,
expanding the reach of public broadcasting to rural areas and to
audiences that are not served by existing stations. Finally, it
replaces obsolete and worn out equipment so that existing public
stations can continue to broadcast high quality programming in a
carefully targeted, fiscally responsible manner.
Public radio is the most vibrant part of the radio dial, bringing a
diverse spectrum of news, information and entertainment to millions of
listeners every day. PTFP will give us an unprecedented opportunity to
be sure that radio is providing local news and journalism, enhancing
local culture, and bringing new communities into the information age.
Thank you for your consideration of our testimony.
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Prepared Statement of the Institute of Makers of Explosives (IME)
Dear Madam Chairman: On behalf of the Institute of Makers of
Explosives (IME), I am submitting a statement for inclusion in the
subcommittee's hearing record regarding the proposed fiscal year 2011
budget for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
(ATF) Arson and Explosives (A&E) program.
INTEREST OF THE IME
The IME is the safety and security association of the commercial
explosives industry. The production, distribution, storage and use of
explosives are highly regulated. ATF is one of the agencies that play a
primary role in assuring that explosives are identified, tracked, and
stored only by authorized persons. The ability to manufacture,
distribute and use these products safely and securely is critical to
this industry. We have carefully reviewed the administration's fiscal
year 2011 budget request for ATF, and have the following comments about
its impact on the commercial explosives industry.
ATF'S EXPLOSIVES REGULATORY PROGRAM
The administration's fiscal year 2011 budget request proposes to
support ATF's regulation and oversight of explosives industries at a
level that will sustain current services. In fiscal year 2010, this
program was increased by 9 FTE to 383 FTE.
The Bureau's Explosives Industry Programs Branch has embraced the
Obama administration's pledge to be more transparent and accountable.
To help us do our job better, data about theft and diversion of
commercial explosives is being shared on an annual basis. ATF is
continuing efforts to enhance data capabilities. These efforts should
be supported.
We are pleased to report that the $200,000 set-aside provided the
Bureau in fiscal year 2009 to begin addressing its pending regulatory
backlog has borne fruit. In January, ATF finalized its rule on the
storage of shock tube with detonators.\1\ By statute, ATF is supposed
to ``take into consideration . . . the standards of safety and security
recognized in the explosives industry'' when issuing rules and
requirements.\2\ We believe ATF followed this directive in issuing the
shock tube final rule. Four other rulemakings of importance to IME are
still pending; the oldest dating to 2001. We hope to continue to see
progress in this area. We are grateful to Congress for its oversight of
this issue.
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\1\ 75 FR 3160 (January 20, 2010).
\2\ 18 U.S.C. 842(j).
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In the absence of rulemaking that is capable of keeping up with new
developments and practices, industry must rely on interpretive guidance
and variances from rules to conduct business. While we appreciate the
Bureau's accommodations, these stop-gap measures do not afford the
protections that rulemaking would provide the regulated community, nor
allow the oversight necessary to ensure that all parties are being held
to the same standard of compliance. These regulatory tasks are critical
to the lawful conduct of the commercial enterprises that the bureau
controls.
INDUSTRY STANDARDS
We take seriously the statutory obligation that ATF take into
account industry's standards of safety when issuing rules and
requirements. We have endeavored to fulfill this obligation through the
development of industry best practices for safety and security,
participation in relevant standard-setting organizations, and forums
for training. We have offered ATF recommendations that we believe will
enhance safety and security through participation in the rulemaking
process, in the Bureau's research efforts, and in other standard
setting activities.
In this regard, IME has spent years developing and validating a
credible alternative to strict interpretation of quantity-distance
tables used to determine safe setback distances from explosives. IME
collaborated with the Department of Defense Explosives Safety Board and
Canadian and U.S. regulatory agencies, including ATF. The result is a
windows-based computer model for assessing the risk from a variety of
commercial explosives activities called IMESAFR.\3\ Not only can
IMESAFR determine the amount of risk presented, but it can also
determine what factors drive the overall risk and what actions would
lower risk, if necessary. The probability of events for the activities
were based on the last 20 years experience in the United States and
Canada and can be adjusted to account for different explosive
sensitivities, additional security threats, and other factors that
increase or decrease the base value. Following this effort, ATF is
starting to recognize this powerful assessment tool as a potential
alternative for the regulated community to meet quantity-distance
limitations. ATF has taken advantage of opportunities to partner with
IME and is deliberating whether to accept this or any other risk-based
approach to explosives safety. ATF should be encouraged to recognize
the benefits of risk-based modeling and develop policy that would allow
the use of such models to meet regulatory mandates.
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\3\ IMESAFR was built on the DDESB's software model, SAFER. The
DDESB currently uses SAFER and table-of-distance methods to approve or
disapprove Department of Defense explosives activities.
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PERFORMANCE MEASURE IMPROVEMENTS
We have expressed concern at the drop in the performance of the
Bureau's A&E programs as measured by the Program Assessment Rating Tool
(PART).\4\ During assessment year 2004, the A&E program was rated
``moderately effective.'' By 2008, the rating of the A&E program had
fallen to ``adequate.'' The program's scores fell in all categories:
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\4\ http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/expectmore/detail/
10002202.2008.html. PART was developed by OMB to assess and improve
program performance of the Federal Government. ATF's A&E programs are
measured together because A&E investigators are cross trained and only
32 percent of the ATF A&E budget goes to explosives regulatory
activities.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Score--2004 Score--2008
Section (percent) (percent)
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Program Purpose & Design................ 100 80
Strategic Planning...................... 88 75
Program Management...................... 100 43
Program Results/Accountability.......... 67 40
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As a result, ATF developed improvement plans to be implemented in
the arson and explosives program: \5\
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\5\ Fiscal Year 2011 ATF Budget Submission, page 63.
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--ATF will continue to work with the FBI to implement the provisions
of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two agencies.
--ATF will establish a performance measure based on in-depth
evaluation of the application of select training it provides.
While these are worthy goals, we question whether they are
sufficient to address all programmatic shortfalls. For a number of
years, IME has expressed concern about the lack of appropriate measures
to assess the ATF's performance as a regulator of the commercial
explosives industry.\6\ Instead of adding such performance indicators,
however, ATF has discontinued all prior performance measures and
outcomes and replaced them with three metrics, of which only one
applies to the Bureau's explosives regulatory program.\7\ The ``outcome
measure'' for the explosives regulatory program is ``improve public
safety by increasing compliance with Federal laws and regulations by
explosives industry members.'' \8\ While a laudable objective, the
Bureau provides no metrics to assess whether this objective has been
achieved.\9\ Absent information of this type, it is unclear how
Congress can effectively oversee ATF's handling of its responsibilities
toward the regulated community or determine the adequacy of its budget
request.
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\6\ IME has requested performance measures such as the percent of
perfected explosives applications acted on within 90 days; the number
of background checks that ATF has performed, within what average
timeframe, and of those, how many individuals failed to receive
clearance, and of those, how many appealed the Bureau's findings; the
number of rulemakings outstanding and their priority; and turnover
rates among agents and inspectors.
\7\ Fiscal Year 2011 ATF Budget Submission, pages 57-61.
\8\ Fiscal Year 2011 ATF Budget Submission, pages 58 and 60.
\9\ Other Federal Government agencies have such metrics. For
example, see the fiscal year 2011 budget submission for the U.S.
Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
program.
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ATF states that in fiscal year 2009, it received a ``clean audit
opinion.'' \10\ However, the measures or scores used in the audit are
not disclosed so there is no way to determine where progress has been
made relative to the PART assessments. Anecdotally, we believe that
ATF's arson and explosives program is more responsive. However, we
would welcome an independent audit of the program to corroborate that
the Bureau has reversed the trend reflected in the last two PART
reviews with regard to its ``resource utilization, strategic planning,
program management, and program results.'' \11\ We believe that the
timing for such an audit is consistent with the administration's pledge
of transparency and accountability.
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\10\ Fiscal Year 2011 ATF Budget Submission, page 63.
\11\ Fiscal Year 2011 ATF Budget Submission, page 63.
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LEADERSHIP
The resolution of these issues may have to wait the appointment of
a new director. The ATF has been without a director since August 2006.
We hope that an appointment will soon be announced. The Bureau has been
too long without permanent leadership.
CONCLUSION
The manufacture and distribution of explosives is accomplished with
a remarkable degree of safety and security. We recognize the important
role played by ATF in helping our industry achieve and maintain safe
and secure workplaces. Industry and the public trust that ATF has the
resources to fulfill its regulatory responsibilities. It is up to
Congress and, in particular, this subcommittee to ensure that ATF has
the resources it needs. We strongly recommend full funding for ATF's
explosives program.
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Prepared Statement of the Coastal States Organization
The Coastal States Organization (CSO) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit
organization that represents the interests of the Governors of the 35
coastal States, territories and commonwealths in Washington, DC.
Established in 1970, CSO focuses on legislative and policy issues
relating to the sound management of coastal, Great Lakes, and ocean
resources and is recognized as the trusted representative of the
collective interests of the coastal States on coastal and ocean
management. For fiscal year 2011, CSO supports the following coastal
programs and funding levels within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA):
Coastal Zone Management Program (Sec. Sec. 306/306A/309)--$88
million
Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program--$60 million
CZM and Stewardship $12.5--million
Every American, regardless of where he or she lives, is
fundamentally connected to our coasts, oceans, and Great Lakes. These
valuable resources are a critical framework for commerce, recreation,
energy, environment, and quality of life. The U.S. economy is an ocean
and coastal economy: though Federal investment does not reflect it, the
oceans and coasts provide an irreplaceable contribution to our Nation's
economy and quality of life. With sectors including marine
transportation, tourism, marine construction, aquaculture, ship and
boat building, mineral extraction, and living marine resources, the
U.S. ocean-based sector alone provides $138 billion to U.S. GDP and
over 2.3 million jobs to our citizens. In addition, the annual
contribution of coastal counties is in the trillions of dollars, from
ports and fishing to recreation and tourism. In 2007, our Nation's
coastal counties provided $5.7 trillion to the economy and were home to
108.3 million people on only 18 percent of the U.S. land area. If these
counties were their own country, they would have the world's second
largest economy. Coasts and oceans also add to the quality of life of
nearly one-half of all Americans who visit the seashore each year; the
non-market value of recreation alone is estimated at over $100 billion.
Today, our Nation's coasts are as vital for our future as they are
vulnerable. As a result of their increasing draw and economic vitality,
we are exerting more pressure on our coastal and ocean resources. This
demand, combined with an increase in natural hazards such as sea level
rise, hurricanes and other flooding events, can be proven to show that
the country is in danger of losing these invaluable assets. Despite the
difficult budgetary times, we need to provide more funding and support
for the key programs that are on the front lines of this daily battle,
the programs utilizing the advances in coastal and ocean science,
research, and technology to manage our coastal and ocean resources for
future generations.
Programs that are engaged in these important efforts and working to
balance the protection of coastal and ocean resources with the need for
sustainable development include the Coastal Zone Management Program and
the Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Program. These programs
reside within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) and provide direct funding or services to the States and
territories, which account for a small portion of the total NOAA
Federal budget. The funding for these programs is very cost-effective,
as these grants are matched by the States and are used to leverage
significantly more private and local investment in our Nation's coasts.
Increased funding for these programs that provide on-the-ground
services to our local communities and citizens is well worth the
investment.
COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM (SEC. SEC. 306/306A/309)
CSO requests that these grants be funded at a level of $88 million,
an amount that will be shared among the 34 States and territories that
have approved coastal zone management programs. Pursuant to the Coastal
Zone Management Act (CZMA), NOAA and the States partner to implement
coastal zone management programs designed to balance protection of
coastal and ocean resources with the need for sustainable development
of coastal communities. States have the flexibility to develop
programs, policies and strategies that are targeted to their State
priorities while advancing national goals. Under the CZMA program, the
States receive grants from NOAA that are matched by the States and are
used to leverage significantly more private and local investment in our
Nation's coastal areas. These grants have been used to reduce
environmental impacts of coastal development, resolve conflicts between
competing coastal uses, and provide critical assistance to local
communities in coastal planning and resource protection.
The CZMA State grants have essentially remained level-funded for 9
years, resulting in a decreased capacity in the State coastal zone
management programs and less funding being granted out to local
communities. An increase in funding to $88 million provides an
additional $300,000-$800,000 for each State and territory based on a
Federal formula that takes into account coastal population and
shoreline mileage. With the additional funding, States and territories
could focus on near-term activities that would prepare their coastal
communities to adapt to climate change, develop renewable energy
sources, and conserve and restore habitat and working waterfronts. The
following is a representative list of activities that the States and
territories could pursue with the increased funding:
--Acquire high resolution topography and bathymetry mapping data (for
example, LIDAR, shallow water-penetrating LIDAR) and/or
integrate these and existing datasets for consistent statewide
coverage and public dissemination;
--Invest in research, mapping and modeling to enable decisionmaking
for renewable energy development;
--Host workshops to assist local officials to assess resources and
identify strategies to integrate climate change adaptation
measures into local policies, regulations and programs;
--Conserve and restore coastal habitat for storm protection, water-
filtering benefits, fish nurseries, and recreation and preserve
waterfront property for businesses dependant on access to the
water to flourish;
--Foster coordinated permitting review and siting guidance among
State and Federal agencies for offshore renewable energy
development;
--Work to implement new or modify existing State and local policies,
regulations and programs to address climate change impacts,
including those related to building design and construction,
wetland conservation and restoration, stormwater systems and
roadways, shore protection, and general public infrastructure;
and
--Support outreach and extension activities related to science and
public education with partners such as the National Estuarine
Research Reserves and Sea Grant College Programs.
Under the current level of funding, most States and territories
receive between $850,000 and $2 million to carry out their coastal
management programs based on a formula accounting for shoreline miles
and coastal population. Appropriate at the time, a cap of $2 million
was instituted years ago to allow for funding to spread more evenly
across the States and territories, so as to prevent most of the funding
from going entirely to the larger, more heavily populated States. But,
now, over one-half of the States have met the cap and no longer receive
an increase in funding, despite increased overall funding for CZMA
State grants. Therefore, CSO requests that language be included in the
appropriations bill declaring that each State will receive no less than
1 percent and no more than 5 percent of the additional funds over and
above previous appropriations. As was provided for in fiscal year 2010,
CSO requests that language be included in the appropriations bill that
directs NOAA to refrain from charging administrative costs to these
grants. This is to prevent any undue administrative fees from NOAA from
being levied on grants intended for States.
COASTAL AND ESTUARINE LAND CONSERVATION PROGRAM
CSO requests $60 million for the Coastal and Estuarine Land
Conservation Program (CELCP). Authorized by Congress in 2002, CELCP
protects ``those coastal and estuarine areas with significant
conservation, recreation, ecological, historical, or aesthetic values,
or that are threatened by conversion from their natural or recreation
states to other uses.'' To date, Congress has appropriated nearly $260
million for CELCP. This funding has allowed for the completion of over
125 conservation projects, with more in progress. CELCP projects in 27
of the Nation's 35 coastal States have already helped preserve
approximately 45,000 acres of the Nation's coastal treasures. All
Federal funding has been leveraged by at least an equal amount of
State, local, and private investments, demonstrating the broad support
of the program, the importance of coastal protection throughout the
Nation, and the critical role of Federal funding to its success.
The preservation of coastal and estuarine areas is critical to both
humans and the environment. These areas shield us from storms, protect
us from the effects of sea-level rise, filter pollutants to maintain
water quality, provide shelter, nesting and nursery grounds for fish
and wildlife, protect rare and endangered species and provide access to
beaches and waterfront areas. CELCP is the only program entirely
dedicated to the conservation of these vital coastal areas.
The demand for CELCP funding far outstrips what has been available
in recent years. In the last 3 years, NOAA, in partnership with the
States, has identified over $270 million of vetted and ranked projects.
As demand for CELCP funding has grown, the funding has not kept pace.
Adequate funding is needed to meet the demand of the increasingly high-
quality projects developed by the States and submitted to NOAA.
This March, the CELCP program was formally authorized as part of
H.R. 146, the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009, once again
showing the broad, bi-partisan support for coastal and estuarine land
conservation. In recognition of the significant demand for CELCP
projects, H.R. 146 authorized the program at $60 million annually.
CZM AND STEWARDSHIP
CSO requests $12.5 million for CZM and Stewardship under NOAA's
Office of Ocean and Coastal Resources Management (OCRM). OCRM provides
support to the States and territories by providing program liaisons,
and processing grants and program changes for the Coastal Zone
Management Program, as well as leading the development of NOAA's
Coastal Strategy. It also administers the Coastal and Estuarine Land
Conservation Program (CELCP), leads coral reef conservation activities,
and manages the development of a National System of Marine Protected
Areas. With all of these vested responsibilities, and to administer all
of its programs adequately, OCRM needs this funding to be the best
possible partner to the States and territories.
CSO greatly appreciates the support the subcommittee has provided
in the past. Its support has assisted these programs in working
together to protect our coasts and sustain our local communities. Thank
you for taking our requests into consideration as you move forward in
the fiscal year 2011 appropriations process.
______
Prepared Statement of the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife
Commission
Summary of GLIFWC's Fiscal Year 2011 Testimony.--GLIFWC supports
the administration's fiscal year 2011 proposal to increase tribal COPS
funding to $67 million but not the $15 million reduction in the Tribal
Resources Grant Program (TRGP). The administration's proposal to set
aside tribal funding within the Universal Hiring Program (UHP) is
timely given the great need in Indian country. However, the proposed
decrease of $15 million for the Tribal Resources Grant Program (TRGP)
is an unwise trade-off that will undercut the effectiveness of tribal
law enforcement. Not only must new officers be trained and equipped,
something which cannot be done with UHP funding, but fully-staffed
agencies still need the logistical support that the TRGP provides. The
TRGP has enabled GLIFWC to solidify its communications, training, and
equipment requirements, essential elements that help ensure the safety
of GLIFWC officers and their role in the proper functioning of
interjurisdictional emergency mutual assistance networks in the treaty
ceded territories.
Ceded Territory Treaty Rights and GLIFWC's Role.--GLIFWC was
established in 1984 as a ``tribal organization'' within the meaning of
the Indian Self-Determination Act (Public Law 93-638). It exercises
authority delegated by its member tribes to implement Federal court
orders and various interjurisdictional agreements related to their
treaty rights. GLIFWC assists its member tribes in:
--Securing and implementing treaty guaranteed rights to hunt, fish,
and gather in Chippewa treaty ceded territories; and
--Cooperatively managing and protecting ceded territory natural
resources and their habitats.
For over 25 years, Congress and various administrations have funded
GLIFWC through the BIA, Department of Justice and other agencies to
meet specific Federal obligations under: (a) a number of U.S./Chippewa
treaties; (b) the Federal trust responsibility; (c) the Indian Self-
Determination Act, the Clean Water Act, and other legislation; and (d)
various court decisions, including a 1999 U.S. Supreme Court case,
affirming the treaty rights of GLIFWC's member tribes. GLIFWC serves as
a cost efficient agency to conserve natural resources, to effectively
regulate harvests of natural resources shared among treaty signatory
tribes, to develop cooperative partnerships with other Government
agencies, educational institutions, and non-governmental organizations,
and to work with its member tribes to protect and conserve ceded
territory natural resources.
Under the direction of its member tribes, GLIFWC operates a ceded
territory hunting, fishing, and gathering rights protection/
implementation program through its staff of biologists, scientists,
technicians, conservation enforcement officers, and public information
specialists.
Community-based Policing.--GLIFWC's officers carry out their duties
through a community-based policing program. The underlying premise is
that effective detection and deterrence of illegal activities, as well
as education of the regulated constituents, are best accomplished if
the officers work within tribal communities that they primarily serve.
The officers are based in reservation communities of the following
member tribes: in Wisconsin--Bad River, Lac Courte Oreilles, Lac du
Flambeau, Red Cliff, Sokaogon Chippewa (Mole Lake) and St. Croix; in
Minnesota--Mille Lacs; and in Michigan--Bay Mills, Keweenaw Bay and Lac
Vieux Desert. To develop mutual trust between GLIFWC officers and
tribal communities, officers provide outdoor skills workshops and
safety classes (hunter, boater, snowmobile, ATV) to 300 tribal youth in
grades 4-8 annually. Recently GLIFWC officers worked to support drug
and alcohol prevention efforts in the Lac du Flambeau school system by
sponsoring a snowshoe making workshop for tribal youth.
Interaction With Law Enforcement Agencies.--GLIFWC's officers are
integral members of regional emergency services networks in Minnesota,
Michigan and Wisconsin. They not only enforce the tribes' conservation
codes, but are fully certified officers who work cooperatively with
surrounding authorities when they detect violations of State or Federal
criminal and conservation laws. These partnerships evolved from the
inter-governmental cooperation required to combat the violence
experienced during the early implementation of treaty rights in
Wisconsin. As time passed, GLIFWC's professional officers continued to
provide a bridge between local law enforcement and many rural Indian
communities.
GLIFWC remains at this forefront, using DOJ funding to develop
interjurisdictional legal training attended by GLIFWC officers, tribal
police and conservation officers, tribal judges, tribal and county
prosecutors, and State and Federal agency law enforcement staff. DOJ
funding has also enabled GLIFWC to certify its officers as medical
emergency first responders trained in the use of defibrillators, and to
train them in search and rescue, particularly in cold water rescue
techniques. When a crime is in progress or emergencies occur, local,
State, and Federal law enforcement agencies look to GLIFWC's officers
as part of the mutual assistance networks of the ceded territories. In
fact, the role of GLIFWC's officers in these networks was further
legitimized in 2007 by the passage of Wisconsin Act 27. This law
affords GLIFWC wardens the same statutory safeguards and protections
that are afforded to their DNR counterparts. GLIFWC wardens will now
have access to the criminal history database and other information to
identify whom they are encountering in the field so that they can
determine whether they are about to face a fugitive or some other
dangerous individual.
DOJ has acknowledged that, ``[t]he officer-to-population ratio
still remains lower on Indian reservations than in other jurisdictions
across the country . . . tribal law enforcement has a unique challenge
of patrolling large areas of sparsely populated land'' (DOJ 2011 budget
summary). GLIFWC's participation in mutual assistance networks located
throughout a 60,000 square mile region directly addresses this problem
in an effective and cost efficient manner.
GLIFWC Programs Funded by DOJ.--GLIFWC recognizes that adequate
communications, training, and equipment are essential both for the
safety of its officers and for the role that GLIFWC's officers play in
the proper functioning of interjurisdictional emergency mutual
assistance networks in the ceded territories. GLIFWC's COPS grants have
provided a critical foundation for achieving these goals. Significant
accomplishments with Tribal Resources Grant Program funds include:
--Increased Versatility and Homeland Security.--In 2007, GLIFWC used
COPS funding to obtain a 22-foot boat to expand patrol
capabilities and coverage on Lake Superior. This boat also
provides greater versatility than GLIFWC's larger patrol boat
to access bays and harbors in the Lake. In 2008, GLIFWC used
COPS funding to purchase an incident command center trailer
that will be used to provide a base for enforcement activities
and to improve response to incidents that trigger joint law
enforcement actions.
--Emergency Response Equipment and Training.--Each GLIFWC officer has
completed and maintains certification as a First Responder and
in the use of life saving portable defibrillators. Since 2003,
GLIFWC officers have carried First Responder kits and portable
defibrillators during their patrol of around 275,000 miles per
year throughout the ceded territories. In remote, rural areas
the ability of GLIFWC officers to respond to emergencies
provides critical support of mutual aid agreements with
Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies.
--Ice Rescue Capabilities.--Each GLIFWC officer maintains
certification in ice rescue techniques and was provided a Coast
Guard approved ice rescue suit. In addition, each of the patrol
areas was provided a snowmobile and an ice rescue sled to
participate in interagency ice rescue operations with county
sheriffs departments and local fire departments.
--Wilderness Search and Rescue Capabilities.--Each GLIFWC officer has
completed Wilderness Search and Rescue training. The COPS
Tribal Resources Grant Program also enabled GLIFWC to replace a
number of vehicles that were purchased over a decade ago,
including 10 ATV's and 16 patrol boats and the GPS navigation
system on its 31-foot Lake Superior Patrol Boat. These vehicles
are used for field patrol, cooperative law enforcement
activities, and emergency response in the 1836, 1837 and 1842
ceded territories. GLIFWC officers also utilize these vehicles
for boater, ATV, and snowmobile safety classes taught on
reservations as part of the Commission's Community Policing
Strategy, providing critical outreach to tribal youth.
Consistent with numerous other Federal court rulings on the
Chippewa treaties, the United States Supreme Court re-affirmed the
existence of the Chippewa's treaty-guaranteed usufructuary rights in
Minnesota v. Mille Lacs Band, 526 U.S. 172 (1999). As tribes have re-
affirmed rights to harvest resources in the 1837 ceded territory of
Minnesota, workloads have increased. In addition, a consent decree
signed in 2007 will govern the exercise of treaty rights in inland
portions of the 1836 ceded territory in Michigan, where one of GLIFWC's
member tribes exercises treaty rights.
But for GLIFWC's COPS grants, this expanded workload, combined with
staff shortages would have limited GLIFWC's effective participation in
regional emergency services networks in Minnesota, Michigan and
Wisconsin. The effectiveness of these mutual assistance networks is
more critical than ever given: (1) national homeland security concerns;
(2) State and local governmental fiscal shortfalls; (3) staffing
shortages experienced by local police, fire, and ambulance departments
due to the call up of National Guard and military reserve units; and
(4) the need to cooperatively combat the spread of methamphetamine
production in rural areas patrolled by GLIFWC conservation officers.
Examples of the types of assistance provided by GLIFWC officers follow:
--As trained first responders, GLIFWC officers routinely respond to,
and often are the first to arrive at, snowmobile accidents,
heart attacks, hunting accidents, and automobile accidents
(throughout the ceded territories) and provide sheriffs'
departments valuable assistance with natural disasters (e.g.
floods in Ashland County and a tornado in Siren, Wisconsin).
--Search and rescue for lost hunters, fishermen, hikers, children,
and the elderly (Sawyer, Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, and Forest
Counties in Wisconsin and Baraga, Chippewa, and Gogebic
Counties in Michigan).
--Being among the first to arrive on the scene where officers from
other agencies have been shot (Bayfield, Burnett, and Polk
Counties in Wisconsin) and responding to weapons incidents
(Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Sawyer, and Vilas Counties in
Wisconsin).
--Use of a thermal imaging camera (purchased through the TRGP) to
track an individual fleeing the scene of an accident (Sawyer
County, Wisconsin).
--Completing snowmobile death investigations in cooperation with
other agencies using skills learned through investigation
training funded through the TRGP program (Vilas County),
--Organizing and participating in search and rescues of ice fishermen
on Lake Superior (Ashland and Bayfield Counties in Wisconsin),
Lake Superior boats (Baraga County in Michigan and with the
U.S. Coast Guard in other parts of western Lake Superior), and
kayakers (Bayfield County in Wisconsin).
In 2010, GLIFWC proposes to utilize DOJ TRGP funding to provide:
(1) training to maintain law enforcement, first aid, and emergency
rescue certifications; (2) specialized training in human tracking to
support cooperative efforts with newly stationed Lake Superior border
patrol agents and other agencies; (3) the capability to issue
electronic tickets (e-tickets); and (4) equipment necessary to maintain
officer safety and efficiency. TRGP resources will allow GLIFWC
conservation officers to conduct essential cooperative conservation,
law enforcement, and emergency response activities. We ask Congress to
support a restoration of the DOJ COPS TRGP program to its fiscal year
2010 level.
______
Prepared Statement of the Innocence Project
On behalf of the Innocence Project, thank you for allowing me to
submit testimony to the Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee
on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies as it considers
budget requests for fiscal year 2011. I write to request the continued
funding of the following programs at the following levels:
--Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program (the
``Coverdell Program'') at $35 million through the National
Institute of Justice (the ``NIJ'');
--Kirk Bloodsworth Postconviction DNA Testing Program (the
``Bloodsworth Program'') at $5 million through the NIJ;
--The Capital Litigation Improvement Grant Program at its current
level of $5.5 million, so that the Wrongful Conviction Review
Program may continue to be funded at its current level, $3.0
million, through the Bureau of Justice Assistance (the
``BJA''); and
--The National Institute for Standards and Technology Preservation of
Evidence Working Group (the ``NIST Preservation Working
Group'') at $350,000 through the NIJ.
Further, I will discuss a concern with regard to block-granting
these important programs.
As you may know, the Innocence Project represents convicted persons
who seek to prove their innocence through post-conviction DNA testing.
To date, 252 men and women have been exonerated by such testing
nationwide. The mission of the Innocence Project is to free innocent
people and prevent wrongful convictions through reform. Yet it is very
important to note that this work has tremendous benefit for the publics
safety. There are two aspects to this. First, every time DNA identifies
a wrongful conviction, it enables the identification of the real
perpetrator of those crimes. Indeed, the true perpetrators have been
identified in 106 of the DNA exoneration cases. What's more, the
reforms that can prevent wrongful convictions are simply measures to
enhance the accuracy of criminal investigations and prosecutions, and
thus have the effect of enhancing criminal investigations and
strengthening criminal prosecutions.
We recognize, through our work with Congress, that these dual
benefits are well recognized by this body, and it has been our great
pleasure to work closely with many of you on the very programs we're
supporting in this testimony. I am writing to underscore the value of
these programs to both safety and justice, and to request the continued
funding of each of these critical programs in fiscal year 2011.
COVERDELL PROGRAM
Recognizing the need for independent Government investigations in
the wake of forensic scandals, Congress created the forensic oversight
provisions of the Coverdell Program, which provides State and local
crime laboratories and other forensic facilities with much needed
Federal funds.
The Innocence Project views the Congressional mandate under the
Coverdell Program as a crucial step toward ensuring the integrity of
forensic evidence. Unfortunately, however, because of administration
problems at its outset, the Coverdell Program is only now beginning to
reach its potential as a rigorous oversight mechanism. And now, more
than ever, as forensic science budgets find themselves on the chopping
block in State legislatures all over the country, their very survival
may be dependent upon these Federal funds. With such import and
capacity for positive change, we ask that you continue to fund the
Coverdell Program at, in the very least, its current level of $35
million.
BLOODSWORTH PROGRAM
The Bloodsworth Program provides hope to inmates who might
otherwise have none by helping States more actively pursue post-
conviction DNA testing for those who claim innocence. Tied to funding
are those ``innocence incentive'' requirements discussed above. As we
have testified to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees in the
past, under President Bush, the NIJ moved very slowly and hesitantly on
implementation of the Bloodsworth Program. Despite its authorization
for 5 years, these monies were only disbursed in two of those years.
The good news is that once these program funds began flowing, they had
a solidly positive impact that led to even more success in the
subsequent offering. Many organizational members of the national
Innocence Network partnered with State agencies that have received
Bloodsworth funding.\1\ According to the Innocence Network's President,
Keith Findley, the Bloodsworth Program will dramatically improve the
ability of Innocence Network members to meet the tremendous need for
post-conviction DNA testing. Many of the projects funded under the
Bloodsworth Program will enable projects in various States to
proactively search for and identify forcible rape, murder and non-
negligent manslaughter cases in which DNA testing can prove guilt or
innocence, but which are otherwise overlooked or hidden.\2\
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\1\ The Innocence Network is an affiliation of organizations
dedicated to providing pro bono legal and investigative services to
individuals seeking to prove innocence of crimes for which they have
been convicted and working to redress the causes of wrongful
convictions.
\2\ Strengthening Our Criminal Justice System: Extending the
Innocence Protection Act. 111th Cong., 1st Sess., 10 (2009) (testimony
of Keith Findley, President of the Innocence Network).
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It is worth noting that the Bloodsworth Program does not fund the
work of Innocence Projects directly. In fact, the Office of Justice
Programs has encouraged State applicants to draft proposals that fund a
range of entities involved in settling innocence claims, from law
enforcement agencies to crime laboratories. Additionally, the
Bloodsworth Program has fostered the cooperation of innocence projects
and State agencies. For example, with the $1,386,699 that Arizona was
awarded for fiscal year 2008, the Arizona Justice Project, in
conjunction with the Arizona Attorney General's Office, began the Post-
Conviction DNA Testing Project. Together, they have canvassed the
Arizona inmate population, reviewed cases, worked to locate evidence
and filed joint requests with the court to have evidence released for
DNA testing. In addition to identifying the innocent, Arizona Attorney
General Terry Goddard has noted that the ``grant enables [his] office
to support local prosecutors and ensure that those who have committed
violent crimes are identified and behind bars.'' \3\ Such joint efforts
have followed in Connecticut, Louisiana, Minnesota, North Carolina and
Wisconsin.
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\3\ Arizona receives Federal DNA grant, http://
community.law.asu.edu/news/19167/Arizona-receives-federal-DNA-grant.htm
(last visited Mar. 17, 2010).
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The Bloodsworth Program will continue to be vital to States' work
in providing meaningful post-conviction review of innocence claims. As
such, we ask that you continue to fund the Bloodsworth Program at its
current funding level of $5 million.
WRONGFUL CONVICTION REVIEW PROGRAM
Particularly when DNA isn't available, or when it alone isn't
enough to prove innocence, those innocents languishing behind bars
require expert representation to help navigate the complex issues that
invariably arise in their bids for post-conviction relief. And the need
for such representation is enormous when only a small fraction of cases
involve evidence that could be subjected to DNA testing (for example,
it is estimated that even among murders, only 10 percent of cases have
the kind of evidence that could be DNA tested). Realizing the
imperative presented by such cases, the BJA carved-out of its Capital
Case Litigation Initiative funding to create the Wrongful Prosecution
Review (now the Wrongful Conviction Review) discretionary grant
program.\4\ The program provides applicants--non-profits and public
defender offices dedicated to exonerating the innocent--with funds
geared toward providing high quality and efficient representation for
potentially wrongfully convicted defendants in post-conviction claims
of innocence. Eleven offices in 10 States received a total of
$2,475,285 for fiscal year 2009.
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\4\ Reauthorization of the Innocence Protection Act. 111th Cong.,
1st Sess., 8 (2009) (testimony of Lynn Overmann, Senior Advisor, Office
of Justice Programs).
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The program's goals, in addition to exonerating the innocent, are
significant: to alleviate burdens placed on the criminal justice system
through costly and prolonged post-conviction litigation and to
identify, whenever possible, the actual perpetrator of the crime. Above
all, though, this program forms a considerable piece of the
comprehensive Federal package of innocence protection measures created
in recent years; without it, a great deal of innocence claims might
otherwise fall through the cracks. Accordingly, we urge you to re-
appropriate the Capital Litigation Improvement Grant Program at its
current level of $5.5 million, so that the Wrongful Conviction Review
Program may continue to be funded at its current level through the BJA.
NIST PRESERVATION WORKING GROUP
The need for the NIST Preservation Working Group is particularly
pressing as outdated policies and practices still fail to consider the
power of DNA in biological evidence. And, while many State legislators
have expressed a desire to more effectively and efficiently preserve
evidence to harness the probative power of DNA, they find themselves
unable to secure the information necessary to do so. Failures in
preservation practice can frustrate even the most aggressive efforts to
solve active cases and cold cases or the quests of the wrongfully
convicted to prove their innocence.
With funds recently disbursed by the NIJ, the NIST Preservation
Working Group is currently being formed. Its first meeting is
tentatively scheduled for June 2010, when the group will gather to
begin its critical work toward identifying and recommending best
practices for the preservation of biological evidence. According to Sue
Ballou of NIST, generally, $60,000 covers a meeting of 25 attendees.
The $250,000 will cover labor costs as well as travel, per diem and
other costs for all invitees to the year's meetings, which will number
at least three. However, Ms. Ballou estimates that $350,000 would
enable the group to more quickly and thoroughly complete its critically
important mandate of educating the States on the proper preservation of
evidence. As such, we ask that Congress provide funding to the NIJ
sufficient for the disbursement of $350,000 for fiscal year 2011 so
that the NIST Preservation Working Group may carry on with its work--so
that ``the discovery of preserved biological evidence--to protect the
innocent and the public at large--will no longer have to rely on
serendipity and happenstance.'' \5\
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\5\ Reauthorization and Improvement of DNA Initiatives of the
Justice for All Act of 2004. 110th Cong., 2d Sess., 27 (2008)
(testimony of Peter Neufeld, Esq.).
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an additional note on the department of justice's requested budget for
fiscal year 2011
The Department of Justice's fiscal year 2011 budget request appears
to do away with many of the above programs as separate programs;
instead, it seems to advocate providing a blanket $150 million for what
is termed ``DNA Initiative.'' \6\
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\6\ U.S. Department of Justice, fiscal year 2011 Budget Request
Factsheet, pp. 13, 15. http://www.justice.gov/jmd/2011factsheets/pdf/
law-enforcement.pdf.
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We are particularly concerned about the impact that block-granting
the above programs will have on the requirement incentives that the
Bloodsworth Program and the Wrongful Conviction Review Program
currently provide for States to prevent wrongful convictions and
otherwise ensure the integrity of evidence.\7\ These incentives have
proven significant for the advancement of State policies to prevent
wrongful convictions.
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\7\ We have previously advocated for the reauthorization and
appropriation of all programs originally intended to be tied to the
post-conviction DNA testing access and preservation of evidence
requirements under section 413 of the JFAA. Congress, in doing so, will
only add to the incentives discussed above.
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To the extent these incentives would no longer exist, or be
diminished, if delivered in block grant form, the Innocence Project
would recommend that they not be so delivered and that Congress
maintain and fund the individual programs in order to preserve their
important incentive and performance requirements. Doing away with these
requirements would thwart the original intent of the JFAA, which was to
provide funding only to States that demonstrate a commitment to
preventing wrongful convictions in those areas. Should these innocence
protection requirements of the above programs remain in full force and
in all instances despite a change to block grants, however, this
specific issue will no longer be of concern.
CONCLUSION
Thank you for your time and consideration of these important
programs, and the opportunity to submit testimony. We look forward to
working with the subcommittee this year.
______
Prepared Statement of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Madam Chairman and members of the subcommittee: Thank you for the
opportunity to submit testimony regarding fiscal year 2011 funding for
the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (Foundation). The
Foundation's fiscal year 2011 funding request is fully authorized and
each Federal dollar appropriated will be matched by a minimum of one
non-Federal dollar. We respectfully request your approval of funding
through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at
the following levels:
--Three million dollars to help fishing communities in the transition
to catch share programs--National Marine Fisheries Service's
(NMFS) Operations, Research and Facilities appropriation; and
--Two million dollars to foster coordination between NOAA, State,
tribal, and local partners in comprehensive marine spatial
planning--National Ocean Service's (NOS) Ocean and Coastal
Management appropriation.
Since its inception, the Foundation has leveraged $500 million in
Federal funds into more than $1.6 billion in on-the-ground and in-the-
water conservation with less than 5 percent aggregate overhead to the
Federal Government and fewer than 90 staff nationwide.
The Foundation was established by Congress in 1984 to foster
public-private partnerships to conserve fish, wildlife and their
habitats. The Foundation is required by law to match each Federal-
appropriated dollar with a minimum of one non-Federal dollar. We
consistently exceed this requirement by leveraging Federal funds at a
3:1 average ratio while building consensus and emphasizing
accountability, measurable results, and sustainable conservation
outcomes. fiscal year 2011 funds will allow the Foundation to uphold
our mission and expand our successful partnership with NOAA.
SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES AND CATCH SHARES
This $3 million NOAA-NMFS request will support the Foundation's
Fisheries Innovation Fund which is a grant program to assist fishing
communities in the design and implementation of catch shares. This new
initiative is a priority for the Foundation in fiscal year 2011 and
closely aligned with NOAA's budget priorities. The purpose of the Fund
is to partner with NOAA, private partners, and local communities to
catalyze the development and implementation of limited access privilege
programs (``LAPPs''), or catch shares, for the Nation's marine
fisheries. The Foundation will build on our successful grant-making
partnerships in gear modification/exchange, bycatch reduction, and
marine debris prevention to implement this grant-making and technical
assistance program. Private partners have already committed to support
the Fund and leverage Federal funds with their own matching
contributions.
It is notable that the administration's fiscal year 2011 request
includes $54 million to initiate a National Catch Share Program. This
is an important step and the Foundation is committed to helping NOAA
implement this program consistent with the Federal Catch Share Policy.
As a neutral consensus builder with a proven track record of success,
the Foundation has a unique role to play as a non-regulatory partner in
NOAA's efforts to implement catch share programs.
The Draft Catch Share Policy states that NOAA will ``encourage
public-private partnerships and facilitate collaboration with State and
local governments, regional economic development districts, public and
private nonprofit organizations, and tribal entities to help
communities address problems associated with long-term fishery and
community sustainability.'' The Foundation is well-positioned to help
NOAA implement this particular aspect of the policy by serving as a
conduit to members of the fishing community in the design of catch
share programs. The Foundation's role will be to build trust and
effective partnerships within local communities and, among other
things, provide grants to improve their capacity to participate in the
catch share design process.
As an example, we have recently made an investment in the State of
Maryland to build a sustainable blue crab fishery in the Chesapeake Bay
through development of catch shares. Our role was to help build trust
between the regulators and the fishermen by promoting fishermen-to-
fishermen learning opportunities about catch shares.
In the Gulf of Mexico, we have provided grants to enable fishermen
to meet regulatory requirements to convert their fishing gear, free of
charge, to avoid bycatch. We operated similar gear conversion programs
for New England lobsterman. The Fishing for Energy Program, established
in 2008 with NOAA, Covanta Energy, and Schnitzer Steel allows fishermen
to dispose of derelict gear, free of charge, that Covanta converts to
create energy. This successful partnership has benefited fishermen
through collection and disposal of over 250 tons of derelict fishing
gear from 18 ports in the United States.
The Foundation looks forward to working with NOAA as a funding
partner in fiscal year 2011 to develop catch share programs that are
well-designed and thoughtfully prepared to foster healthy, profitable
fisheries that are sustainable and beneficial to coastal communities.
MARINE SPATIAL PLANNING AND MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
This $2 million NOAA-NOS request will support the Foundation's
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) Fund which is a grant program focused on
the implementation of marine spatial planning conservation priorities.
The Fund was established in 2009 in partnership with NOAA's MPA Center
to provide grants that will foster collaboration at all levels of
government to work together at regional, national and international
levels to strengthen the management, protection, and conservation of
MPAs.
MPA's play a critical role in the conservation of marine and
coastal resources and span a range of habitats including open ocean,
estuaries and inter-tidal zones. There are a variety of MPA programs at
the Federal, State, tribal and local level that make up the new
National System of MPAs. The Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force
Framework for Effective Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning identifies
MPAs as a primary tool for conservation of the marine environment. The
Foundation's MPA Fund can deliver tangible results that contribute to
the marine spatial planning conservation goals of the Interagency Ocean
Policy Task Force by enhancing coordination of Federal, State, tribal,
and local MPAs.
With fiscal year 2011 funding, the Foundation will continue grant-
making to support effective management, including strengthening of
technical, scientific and enforcement capacity, and facilitating
participation of stakeholders in planning efforts needed to ensure the
success of the National System of MPAs. Further, the Fund will help to:
(1) enhance the protection of U.S. marine resources by providing new
opportunities for regional and national cooperation; (2) support the
national economy by helping to sustain fisheries and maintain healthy
marine ecosystems for tourism and recreation businesses; and (3)
promote public participation in MPA decisionmaking by improving access
to public policy information.
The administration's fiscal year 2011 budget request recognizes the
need and importance of marine spatial planning and ocean governance. To
that end, we respectfully ask for your support of the Foundation's MPAs
Fund in fiscal year 2011.
CONCLUSION
As the congressionally-chartered Foundation for NOAA, the
Foundation is uniquely positioned to help the agency implement priority
programs and leverage Federal investments to support our shared
conservation objectives. Direct appropriations through NOAA in fiscal
year 2011 will accelerate our collective efforts to fully implement the
Fisheries Innovation Fund and the Marine Protected Areas Fund. NOAA
appropriations of $5 million in fiscal year 2011 would be matched at a
minimum by an additional $5 million from non-Federal sources. As a
trusted, neutral consensus builder, the Foundation stands ready to
assist NOAA with implementation of these Federal programs by catalyzing
effective local partnerships to protect marine and coastal resources
while ensuring continued economic benefits for local communities.
Madam Chairman, we greatly appreciate your continued support and
hope the subcommittee will approve funding for the Foundation in fiscal
year 2011.
______
Prepared Statement of the ASME Technical Communities' National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Task Force
The ASME Technical Communities' National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) Task Force is pleased to have this opportunity to
provide comments on the fiscal year 2011 budget request for NIST. The
NIST Task Force and ASME Standards & Certification have a long-standing
relationship with NIST and thus recognize NIST as a key Government
agency that contributes significantly to the development and
application of technology.
In the President's fiscal year 2011 budget request, the Task Force
supports the proposed increases for NIST programs, which are consistent
with the doubling path by fiscal year 2017 identified by the
administration as a goal for NIST.
INTRODUCTION TO ASME AND THE NIST TASK FORCE
Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers,
ASME is a worldwide engineering society of over 127,000 members focused
on technical, educational and research issues. ASME conducts one of the
world's largest technical publishing operations, holds approximately 30
technical conferences and 200 professional development courses each
year, and sets many industry and manufacturing standards.
Mechanical engineers play a key role in the research, technology
development, and innovation that influence the economic well being of
the Nation. ASME has supported the mission of NIST since it was founded
in 1901, as the National Bureau of Standards. In fact, ASME was
instrumental in establishing the Department of Commerce, NIST's parent
agency. The technical programs of NIST are unique in that they foster
Government and industry cooperation through cost-sharing partnerships
that create long-term investments based on engineering and technology.
These programs are aimed at providing the technical support so vital to
our Nation's future economic health.
OVERVIEW OF NIST'S FISCAL YEAR 2011 BUDGET REQUEST
The administration's budget request for NIST in fiscal year 2011 is
$918.9 million. This represents a $62.3 million increase over the
fiscal year 2010 appropriated amount and is on target to reach the
doubling goal by fiscal year 2017, as identified by the administration
for this agency.
This budget includes $584.6 million for the Scientific and
Technical Research and Services (STRS), NIST laboratory research and
$9.9 million for the Baldrige National Quality Program. A large portion
of the NIST budget is devoted to the Industrial Technology Services
programs, which consist of the Technology Innovation Program (TIP) as
well as the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). This
budget requests $79.9 million for TIP, a $10 million increase over the
fiscal year 2010 appropriated amount. Additionally, it requests $129.7
million for the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a
$4.6 million increase over the fiscal year 2010 appropriated amount.
The NIST laboratories are critical to the economic health and
national security of the United States as outlined in the President's
Innovation Agenda, inspired, in part, by the bipartisan ``America
COMPETES Act of 2007'' (Public Law 110-69), which authorizes the
doubling of funding at key Federal agencies, including NIST. Therefore,
the NIST Task Force will be very anxious to learn more about NIST
Director Dr. Gallagher's proposal for reconfiguring the NIST
laboratories to better reflect technological innovations in
manufacturing and product development. Additionally, the important work
of NIST in the area of standards, including serving as the U.S. inquiry
point for the World Trade Organization (WTO) Technical Barriers to
Trade (TBT) Agreement, is vital to ensuring that U.S. technology and
products are not unduly handicapped in the global market.
NIST'S STANDARDS MISSION
Part of the mission of NIST is to promote the use of American codes
and standards in countries and industries around the world as a means
of enhancing U.S. competitiveness. Standards provide technical
definitions and guidelines for design and manufacturing. They serve as
a common global language, define quality and establish safety criteria.
In the United States, standards are developed by private-sector
organizations such as ASME in close collaboration with representatives
from industry, Government and academia. These standards are used by
industry and are frequently adopted by Government agencies as a means
of establishing regulatory requirements. They are vital to the economic
health of many industries, and--more important--they help to ensure the
health and safety of the American people and of citizens in countless
nations around the world.
The Department of Commerce and NIST have an indispensable role in
ensuring acceptance by other nations of U.S.-developed standards that
incorporate technological advances and that meet changing industry,
regulatory, and public safety needs. Congress should be aware that,
unlike in the United States where standards development is largely the
province of private sector organizations, standards development in many
other countries is undertaken with strong government support. The
governments of many of our key trading partners invest significant
resources--in the millions of dollars--to promote acceptance of
competing standards (developed by organizations in those countries) in
the global marketplace. It is therefore essential that the U.S.
Government, in partnership with private sector standards development
organizations, strengthen its commitment to ensuring adequate
representation of U.S. interests in international standards
negotiations.
Enabling U.S. manufacturers to design and build to one standard or
set of standards increases their competitiveness in the world market.
The ability of NIST to assist U.S. domiciled standards developers in
their negotiations with international and national standards
organizations is important to the U.S. business community. The United
States must be a full participant in global standards development if
our industries are to compete effectively in a world market. Decisions
made in standards bodies outside the United States have a profound
impact on the ability of U.S. companies to compete in foreign markets.
TASK FORCE POSITION
In the President's fiscal year 2011 budget request, the Task Force
supports the increases for TIP and MEP. The Task Force is tentatively
supportive, pending a detailed plan from the NIST Director, of the
recent announcement to undertake a restructuring of the NIST
laboratories. These laboratories conduct critical research in areas
like high-technology manufacturing and nanotechnology which have the
potential to establish new industries and keep the U.S. manufacturing
base strong.
The erosion of U.S. manufacturing jobs has become a key issue for
the MEP to develop sustainable practices for the industry. The MEP
incorporates competitive business practices and technologies into
small- to medium-sized enterprises--companies that create a significant
number of jobs. The administrations request of $129.7 million reflects
the importance of NIST as a part of the administration's goals for
innovation, as well as harkens to the bipartisan ``America COMPETES
Act.''
The Task Force is pleased by the robust funding increase requested
for the TIP. The TIP provides cost-shared funding to industry for high-
risk research and development projects with potentially broad-based
economic benefits for the United States. One key difference between the
TIP program, versus its predecessor the Advanced Technology Program
(ATP) is the inclusion of universities to draw upon the technical
talents housed in these institutions for breakthroughs in ``high risk,
high reward'' research for manufacturing. The Task Force supports the
funding request for TIP to serve as an initial down payment to
investing in high-risk research and development.
The Task Force firmly believes that TIP and the MEP are critical to
the Nation's future economic well-being and the health of the U.S.
science, engineering, and technology base. These programs hold the
potential to improve the transfer of new discoveries and developments
in science and engineering to innovative technologies, global quality
practice, and profitable manufacturing capabilities on the shop floor.
The NIST Task Force has long supported MEP and TIP as a catalyst of
technological innovation and is pleased to see the administration's
support for these two critical programs as NIST seeks to facilitate the
development of new industries that will catalyze manufacturing and
industrial practices in the United States.
The Task Force is in full support of the $584.6 million proposed
funding for the Scientific and Technical Research and Services (STRS)
directorate in the fiscal year 2011 budget. This funding will help
support building and fire research, information technology, and
manufacturing engineering laboratories.
CONCLUSION
Despite the proposed freeze on discretionary funding for the next
three fiscal years, the administration has demonstrated a willingness
to support increases for key NIST initiatives for fiscal year 2011.
Accordingly, the Task Force remains strongly supportive of these
initiatives as well as the underlying goals of NIST as it related to
advanced manufacturing and technological innovation.
______
Prepared Statement of The American Physiological Society
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION AND NASA
The American Physiological Society (APS) thanks the subcommittee
for its sustained support of science at the National Science Foundation
(NSF) and NASA. The scientific research and technology development
programs supported by these two agencies are critical to the future
technological excellence and economic stability of the United States.
In this testimony, the APS offers its recommendations for the fiscal
year 2011 budgets for the NSF and NASA.
--The APS recommends that Congress fund the fiscal year 2011 NSF
budget at a level of $7.68 billion.
--The APS urges Congress to restore cuts to NASA's life sciences
research budgets and make every effort to fully fund the
proposed 42 percent increase in the Human Research Program.
The APS is a professional society dedicated to fostering research
and education as well as the dissemination of scientific knowledge
concerning how the organs and systems of the body work. The Society was
founded in 1887 and now has nearly 10,000 members who do research and
teach at public and private research institutions across the country,
including colleges, universities, medical and veterinary schools. Many
of our members conduct physiology research that is supported by funds
allocated through the NSF and NASA.
MOMENTUM FROM ARRA SHOULD BE MAINTAINED AT THE NSF
With passage of the America COMPETES Act of 2007, Congress
authorized a doubling of the agency's budget over several years.
Unfortunately, the NSF budget failed to grow at the authorized levels
in subsequent years and fell behind the doubling goal significantly.
Congress remedied this in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009 (ARRA), which provided an additional $3 billion in fiscal year
2009 and 2010. This additional funding has allowed the NSF to
significantly expand its efforts to fund cutting edge research and
support the scientific enterprise. To date, the ARRA investment has
provided funding for 4,599 competitive awards, supporting more than
6,700 investigators, including 2,352 new investigators.\1\ In order to
maintain the momentum generated by the ARRA investment and sustain the
agency's research capacity, the APS recommends that Congress fund the
fiscal year 2011 NSF budget at a level of $7.68 billion.
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\1\ NSF fiscal year 2011 Budget Request to Congress http://
www.nsf.gov/about/budget/fy2011/pdf/01-Overview_fy2011.pdf.
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The basic science initiatives funded by the NSF are driven by the
most fundamental principles of scientific inquiry. The agency provides
support for approximately 20 percent of Federal funded basic science
and is the major source of support (68 percent) for non-medical biology
research, including integrative, comparative, and evolutionary biology,
as well as interdisciplinary biological research. It has been shown
time and again that the knowledge gained through basic biological
research is the foundation for more applied studies that lead to
improvements in the lives of humans, animals and ecosystems.
The majority of the funding NSF provides is awarded through
competitive, merit-based peer review, which ensures that the best
possible projects are supported. NSF has an excellent record of
accomplishment in terms of funding research endeavors that have
produced results with far-reaching potential. Listed below are just a
few recent advances in biological research that were supported by the
NSF.
--Using three-dimensional computational models, researchers
investigating the design and functionality of stents used to
open blocked blood vessels showed that appropriate sizing of
stents is necessary to prevent disturbances in blood flow and
mechanical stress on the blood vessel wall. These processes
contribute to blood vessels becoming re-blocked over time,
leading to the need for additional treatment.\2\
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\2\ H. Y. Chen et al., J Appl Physiol 106, 1686-91 (May, 2009).
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--Researchers studying how inhaled particles, such as nanoparticles,
pass from the lung into the rest of the body compared how well
natural barriers blocked such particles in developing versus
adult lungs. They found that developing lungs were more
susceptible to allowing the passage of particles than adult
lungs.\3\
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\3\ R. Dickie, M. Cormack, M. Semmler-Behnke, W. G. Kreyling, A
Tsuda, J Appl Physiol 107, 859-63 (Sep, 2009).
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--Researchers studying factors contributing to birth weight
demonstrated that at high altitudes, babies born to mothers of
Andean descent had higher birth weights than those born to
mothers of European descent. They hypothesize that genetic
factors in the Andean mothers contributed to increased blood
flow and oxygen delivery to the developing fetus, resulting in
more rapid growth late in pregnancy.\4\
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\4\ C. G. Julian et al., Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physio,
296, R1564-75 (May, 2009).
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In addition to funding innovative research in labs around the
country, the NSF also fosters the next generation of scientists through
education programs. The APS is proud to have partnered with NSF in this
program to provide training opportunities and career development
activities to enhance the participation of underrepresented minorities
in science. The APS was recognized for these efforts in 2003 with a
Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and
Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM), funding for which was provided by NSF
and was reinvested in our education programs. We believe that NSF is
uniquely suited to administer science education programs of the highest
quality, and we recommend that Congress continue to provide Federal
funds for science education through the NSF.
The America COMPETES Act and the ARRA demonstrate the strong
support of Congress for the NSF because of its highly-regarded research
and education programs. The APS thanks Congress for these votes of
confidence in the NSF and joins the Federation of American Societies
for Experimental Biology to recommend that the agency be funded at a
level of $7.68 billion in fiscal year 2011.
SUPPORT FOR LIFE SCIENCES RESEARCH AND THE HUMAN RESEARCH PROGRAM
SHOULD BE INCREASED AT NASA
NASA sponsors research across a broad range of the basic and
applied life sciences, including gravitational biology, biomedical
research and the Human Research Program (HRP). The gravitational
biology and biomedical research programs explore fundamental scientific
questions through research carried out both on Earth and aboard the
space shuttle and International Space Station, environments that offer
the unique ability to conduct experiments in the space environment. The
HRP at NASA conducts research and develops countermeasures with the
goal of enabling safe and productive human space exploration.
During prolonged space flight, the physiological changes that occur
due to microgravity, increased exposure to radiation, confined living
quarters, and alterations in eating and sleeping patterns can lead to
health problems and reduced ability to perform tasks. APS scientists
are actively engaged in research that explores the physiological basis
of these problems with the goal of contributing to the development of
countermeasures. The knowledge gained from this research is not only
relevant to humans traveling in space, but is also directly applicable
to human health on Earth. For example, some of the muscle and bone
changes observed in astronauts after prolonged space flight are similar
to those seen in patients confined to bed rest. Some recent advances
made by NASA funded physiologists are below.
--Scientists studying the effects of exercise on astronauts who spent
6 months aboard the International Space Station found that
despite regular exercise, they still experienced a decrease in
muscle mass. This indicates the need to determine how to
improve the effectiveness of such exercise programs.\5\
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\5\ S. Trappe et al., J Appl Physiol 106, 1159-68 (Apr, 2009).
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--Researchers investigating how breathing changes during space flight
showed that during certain stages of sleep, astronauts showed
differences in their breathing patterns.\6\
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\6\ R. C. Sa, G. K. Prisk, M. Paiva, J Appl Physiol 107, 1406-12
(Nov, 2009).
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NASA is the only agency whose mission addresses the biomedical
challenges of manned space exploration. Recently the amount of money
available for conducting this kind of research at NASA has dwindled.
The overall number of projects and investigators supported by NASA
through the HRP, National Space Biomedical Research Institute and
Exploration and Technology Development program has decreased markedly
over the last 5 years, falling from more than 900 projects funded in
fiscal year 2005 to only 336 in fiscal year 2009.\7\ In the past,
appropriations legislation specified funding levels for biomedical
research and gravitational biology, but recent internal reorganizations
at NASA have made it difficult to understand how much money is being
spent on these programs from year to year. The APS recommends that
funding streams for these important fundamental research programs be
clearly identified and tracked within the NASA budget.
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\7\ Advanced Capabilities Division Research and Technology Task
Book http://peer1.nasaprs.com.
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The fiscal year 2011 budget request to Congress includes a planned
42 percent increase in the HRP budget. We applaud this proposal and
urge Congress to make every effort to fully fund that request. The APS
also calls on Congress and NASA to restore cuts to peer-reviewed life
sciences research.
As highlighted above, investment in the basic sciences is critical
to our Nation's technological and economic future. The APS urges you to
make every effort to provide these agencies with increased funding for
fiscal year 2011.
______
Prepared Statement of the American Public Power Association
The American Public Power Association (APPA) is the national
service organization representing the interests of over 2,000 municipal
and other State and locally owned utilities in 49 States (all but
Hawaii). Collectively, public power utilities deliver electricity to 1
of every 7 electric consumers (approximately 45 million people),
serving some of the Nation's largest cities. However, the vast majority
of APPA's members serve communities with populations of 10,000 people
or less.
The Department of Justice's (DOJ) Antitrust Division and the
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) play critical roles in monitoring and
enforcing antitrust laws affecting the electric utility industry. With
the repeal of the Public Utility Holding Company Act (PUHCA) included
in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the electric utility industry has
experienced an increase in mergers that could result in increased
market power in certain regions. This development, coupled with the
volatility and uncertainty continuing to occur in wholesale electricity
markets run by regional transmission organizations, makes the oversight
provided by DOJ and the FTC more critical than ever.
APPA supports adequate funding for staffing antitrust enforcement
and oversight at the FTC and DOJ. For the FTC's fiscal year 2011
budget, we support the President's budget request of $314 million. We
were pleased with the fiscal year 2011 funding level of $167 million
for the DOJ Antitrust Division, which is a slight increase from the
previous year.
We appreciate the opportunity to submit this statement outlining
our fiscal year 2011 funding priorities within the Commerce, Justice
and Science Subcommittee's jurisdiction.
______
Prepared Statement of the Pew Environment Group
The Pew Environment Group (PEG) appreciates the opportunity to
provide testimony on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's (NOAA) fiscal year 2011 budget request. Specifically,
we would like to comment on the fisheries data collection and analysis
request of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). In order to
meet critical new fisheries management requirements, we request a total
of $380.9 million for data collection and analysis, which is an
increase of $58.4 million over the President's fiscal year 2011 budget
request.
In 2006, Congress reauthorized and amended the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act to finally put an end to
overfishing, i.e., taking fish from the ocean faster than they can
reproduce. To achieve that objective, Congress required Federal fishery
managers to establish science-based annual catch limits (ACLs) that do
not allow overfishing for all U.S. ocean fisheries. As these ACLs are
developed, it is imperative that Congress appropriate the funding
necessary to continue providing and improving the scientific
information fisheries managers need to guide decisions that will
sustain our fisheries. ACLs must be based on science, not politics, to
ending overfishing and rebuild depleted fisheries.
Improvements in data collection and analysis will enable fishery
managers to better achieve the goal of the 2006 amendments, ending
overfishing. The following core data collection and monitoring programs
should be increased by a total of $58.4 million over the President's
fiscal year 2011 budget request. This represents an increase of $35.5
million over fiscal year 2010 enacted funding levels, for a total of
$380.9 million. This increase is broken down into specific budget
categories below.
Fisheries Research and Management Programs: +$11.4 Million Over the
President's Request, for a Total of $190.9 Million, an Amount Equal to
the Fiscal Year 2010 Enacted Level.--Fisheries research and management
programs provide accurate and timely information and analysis on the
biology and population status of managed fish as well as the
socioeconomics of the fisheries that depend on those populations. Such
information is critical for the development of fisheries management
measures to ensure that they end overfishing. In NOAA's fiscal year
2011 budget request, $11.4 million is transferred from the Fisheries
Research and Management Programs line item into the National Catch
Share Program line item. We believe that any increases for catch share
programs should be made with new money, not transferred from existing
general research programs that should be available for all fisheries.
Because of their vital role in ending overfishing, Fisheries Research
and Management Programs should be funded at no less than the fiscal
year 2010 enacted level of $190.9 million. Additionally, no funds from
the line item should be transferred to the National Catch Share
Program, because those funds would become permanently unavailable to
fund research and management programs for the vast majority of Federal
managed fisheries that are not currently in a catch share program, and
may not be included in one in the future.
Expand Annual Stock Assessments: +$10 Million Over the President's
Request, for a Total of $61.7 Million, an Increase of $10.7 Million
Over the Fiscal Year 2010 Enacted Level.--Stock assessments are the
basic scientific tool that scientists use to determine the health of
fisheries. A stock assessment provides estimates of population size and
the amount of fishing that the population can sustainably support. The
President's budget request of $51.7 million would only provide the
capability to assess 57 percent of the 230 commercially and
recreationally important fish stocks managed by the Federal
Government.\1\ However, NMFS's goal is to assess all major fish stocks
and conduct annual baseline monitoring for all Federal-managed fish
species.\2\ Using funds appropriated under this budget line, NMFS plans
to update fish stock assessments, support the implementation of ACLs,
support fishery independent surveys, expand fishery dependent sampling,
and improve ACL forecasting through enhanced modeling. Increased
funding for data collection and monitoring will increase certainty in
determining fish population sizes and the amount of fishing these
populations can sustain, thus enabling managers to increase fishing
opportunities.
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\1\ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Budget
Estimate for fiscal year 2010, Exhibit 13, p. 217.
\2\ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, ``NOAA's
National Marine Fisheries Service Requirements for Improved and
Integrated Conservation of Fisheries, Protected Resources and
Habitat,'' January 2003.
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Cooperative Research: +$10 Million Over the President's Request,
for a Total of $17.1 Million, a Decrease of $500,000 Below the Fiscal
Year 2010 Enacted Level.--Cooperative research programs pay fishermen,
operating under the direction of Federal scientists, to collect
fisheries data, and test new more sustainable fishing gear and
practices. In addition to the information collected, cooperative
research programs build partnerships among scientists and fishermen.
They are also an effective way to provide financial relief for
struggling fishermen, while also creating a more transparent process
and providing a cost-effective way to improve the data upon which
fisheries management decisions are made.
In 2003, NMFS estimated that it would need $25.5 million for
cooperative research by fiscal year 2009.\3\ The President's fiscal
year 2011 budget request transfers $6 million out of the cooperative
research line item and into the National Catch Share Program line item.
Although NMFS asserts that the $6 million will be used for cooperative
research in catch share fisheries, there is no guarantee that it will
continue to be used for cooperative research in the future. In
addition, taking funds from general cooperative research, where it
would be available for all fisheries, and restricting it to only catch
share fisheries, short changes the vast majority of fisheries that are
not catch share fisheries. Moreover, the President's budget request
decreases funding for cooperative research an additional $4.565
million. Therefore, NMFS proposes to cut the cooperative research
funding available to all fisheries by $10.5 million, in other words a
60 percent decrease in funding available to all fisheries from fiscal
year 2010 enacted levels. We request an increase of $10 million, for
general cooperative research funding available to all fisheries, for a
total of $17.1 million, close to fiscal year 2010 enacted levels.
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\3\ Id. NMFS 2003 5 year assessment estimated the need for
cooperative research to be $22.75 million above fiscal year 2003 levels
by fiscal year 2009, for a total of $25.50 million.
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Survey and Monitoring Projects: +$6 Million Over the President's
Request, for a Total of $30 Million, an Increase of $6.2 Million Over
the Fiscal Year 2010 Enacted Level.--NOAA has stated that ``many
fisheries lack adequate and timely monitoring of catch and fishing
effort.'' \4\ Survey and monitoring projects provide critical support
for implementation of the new ACL requirement. Increased funding will
improve that accuracy of ACLs and will increase the percentage of
stocks with assessments. Two of the most important needs overall are
research vessel surveys to collect fishery independent information on
abundance and distribution of fish populations.\5\ Additional funding
for fishery-independent surveys, monitoring, and research will improve
estimates of ecosystem change, fishing mortality, and population size.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Id. at 166.
\5\ Marine Fisheries Stock Assessment Improvement Plan: Report of
the National Marine Fisheries Service National Task Force for Improving
Fish Stock Assessments. October 2001. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-F/
SPO-56.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fisheries Statistics: +$11 Million Over the President's Request,
for a Total of $32.4 Million, an Increase of $11.3 Million Over the
Fiscal Year 2010 Enacted Level.--Given the fact that there are great
data collection needs in the south Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico
recreational fisheries, PEG recommends that the entire $11 million
increase go toward the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP),
a new saltwater recreational fishing data collection program that is
partially included in the Fisheries Statistics line. MRIP funding
should total $20 million, an increase of $11 million over the fiscal
year 2010 enacted level of $9 million. Increased funding will improve
data on recreational fishing catch (both landed and released fish) and
participation. One promising new technology is electronic reporting,
which could improve the timeliness and accuracy of recreational data.
Additional resources could be used to develop and deploy such new
systems. Better quality data on marine recreational fishing, which
contributes roughly $80 billion annually to the U.S. economy,\6\ will
allow scientists to better estimate fishing mortality and set ACLs more
accurately, thus reducing the risk of overfishing. In addition,
improving the timeliness of recreational data will allow managers to
take action before an ACL is exceeded. This will lead to less
restrictive management decisions and more fishing opportunities.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ NOAA, Saltwater Recreational Fishing Factsheet, 2009. Available
at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/PartnershipsCommunications/
rec_fishing_facts.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Observers/Training: +$10 million over the President's Request, for
a Total of $48.8 million, an Increase of $7.7 Million Over the Fiscal
Year 2010 Enacted Level.--NMFS has been required by law to establish a
standardized bycatch (incidental catch of non-target ocean wildlife)
reporting system since 1996. Fishery observers (trained biologists who
go to sea on commercial fishing vessels) collect close to real-time
commercial fishing catch and bycatch data and important information on
fishing practices, gear use, where and when fishing occurs, compliance,
and biological samples not available from dockside sampling. Observer
programs are ``often the best means to gather current information on
fisheries status'' and enable effective management, even though
currently only 40 fisheries have observer programs.\7\ Additional
funding for observer coverage will improve the quality and quantity of
fisheries data, especially estimates of bycatch mortality, information
that is critical to estimating populations size and sustainable fishing
levels.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Budget
Estimate for fiscal year 2011, p. 191.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In 2003, NMFS recommended that the National Observer Program be
funded at $104 million by fiscal year 2009. The increased funding would
have been used for research and development into innovative fishing
gear to reduce bycatch, implementation of bycatch reduction strategies,
and implementation of statistically valid observer coverage in all
fisheries. Unfortunately, in the President's fiscal year 2011 budget
request, Observers/Training suffers more than $3 million in
terminations, resulting in a request of $38.8 million. Increasing that
request to $48.8 million would be a down payment on fully funding the
observer program.
CONCLUSION
NMFS data indicates that 37 of the 190 assessed commercially and
recreationally important fish stocks (about 20 percent) are subject to
overfishing. It is essential to increase funding to support research,
data collection and assessment activities necessary to put an end to
this overfishing. Congress established the legal tool to accomplish
this in 2006 by requiring the implementation of science-based ACLs that
end and prevent overfishing for U.S. fisheries. Now it must provide the
funding to collect and analyze the information necessary to continue
meeting that requirement and sustaining healthy fisheries. Increasing
funding for data collection and analysis will significantly improve the
Federal Government's efforts to maintain viable fisheries and healthy
marine ecosystems.
______
Prepared Statement of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium
On behalf of this Nation's 36 Tribal Colleges and Universities
(TCUs), which compose the American Indian Higher Education Consortium
(AIHEC), thank you for the opportunity to express our views and
recommendations regarding the National Science Foundation's Tribal
Colleges and Universities Program (NSF-TCUP) for fiscal year 2011.
SUMMARY OF REQUEST
National Science Foundation (NSF)--Education and Human Resources
Directorate (EHR).--Since fiscal year 2001, a TCU initiative has been
funded and administered under the NSF-EHR. This competitive grants
program enables Tribal Colleges and Universities to enhance the quality
of their science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
instructional and outreach programs. TCUs that have been awarded an
NSF-TCUP grant have done comprehensive institutional needs analysis and
developed plans for how to address their institutional and NSF goals,
with primary institutional goals being significant and sustainable
expansion and improvements to STEM programs. We strongly urge the
subcommittee to reject the recommendation included in the President's
fiscal year 2011 budget proposal to combine the NSF minority serving
institutions programs into a consolidated minority undergraduates in
STEM program. If all funds are competed as a single program there is no
recognition of the uniqueness of these various communities or an
assurance that these communities will be served equitably. We further
request that the subcommittee support funding the separate TCU Program,
at a minimum of $15.5 million.
BACKGROUND
Tribal Colleges and Universities are accredited by independent,
regional accreditation agencies and like all U.S. institutions of
higher education, must undergo stringent performance reviews on a
periodic basis to retain their accreditation status. TCUs fulfill
additional roles within their respective reservation communities
functioning as community centers, libraries, tribal archives, career
and business centers, economic development centers, public meeting
places, and child and elder care centers. Each TCU is committed to
improving the lives of its students through higher education and to
moving American Indians toward self-sufficiency.
TCUs have advanced American Indian higher education significantly
since we first began four decades ago, but many challenges remain.
Tribal Colleges and Universities are poor institutions. In fact, TCUs
are the most poorly funded institutions of higher education in the
country.
First, while Tribal Colleges and Universities are public they are
not State institutions. Consequently, our institutions receive little
or no State funding. In fact, very few States provide operating support
to our institutions for the non-Indian students attending TCUs, which
account for about 21 percent of our enrollments. However, if these
students attended a State institution, the State would be required to
provide the institution with operational support for them. This is
something we are trying to rectify through education and public policy
change at both the State and local levels.
Second, the tribal governments that have chartered TCUs are not
among the handful of wealthy gaming tribes located near major urban
areas. Rather, they are some of the poorest governments in the Nation.
In fact, 3 of the 10 poorest counties in America are home to Tribal
Colleges.
Finally, the Federal Government, despite its trust responsibility
and treaty obligations, has never fully funded our primary
institutional operations source, the Tribally Controlled Colleges &
Universities Assistance Act of 1978. Today, TCUs are appropriated
$5,784 per full-time Indian student, which is still considerably less
than the authorized level of $8,000 per Indian student. In fact, if you
factor in inflation, the buying power of the current appropriation is
$965 less per Indian student than it was when it was initially funded
almost 30 years ago, when the appropriation was $2,831 per Indian
student.
TCUs effectively blend traditional teachings with conventional
postsecondary curricula. They have developed innovative ways to address
the needs of tribal populations and are overcoming long-standing
barriers to success in higher education for American Indians. Since the
first TCU was established on the Navajo Nation in 1968, these vital
institutions have come to represent the most significant development in
the history of American Indian higher education, providing access to,
and promoting achievement among, students who may otherwise never have
known postsecondary education success.
JUSTIFICATIONS
National Science Foundation/Education and Human Resources Directorate
American Indian students have the highest high school drop-out
rates in the country. On average, more than 75 percent of all TCU
students must take at least one developmental course, most often
precollege mathematics. Of these students, our data indicates that many
do not successfully complete the course in 1 year. Without question, a
tremendous amount of the TCUs' already limited resources are spent
addressing the failings of K-12 education systems.
To help address this, our institutions have developed strong
partnerships with our K-12 feeder schools and are vigorously working,
often through NSF-TCU programs, to actively and consistently engage
young students in community and culturally relevant science and math
programs.
Beginning in fiscal year 2001, NSF-TCUP made essential capacity
building assistance and resources available to TCUs, either through
direct funding or by leveraging funding from other sources. In the less
than 10 years since the program began, NSF-TCUP has become the primary
Federal program for building STEM capacity at the Nation's TCUs. NSF-
TCUP has served as a catalyst for capacity building and positive change
at TCUs and the program can be credited with many success stories.
American Indians are more aware of the importance of STEM to their
long-term survival, particularly in areas such as climate change.
Partnerships between TCUs and major research institutions are emerging
in areas of education and research, including pre-engineering.
A goal stated in the President's fiscal year 2011 budget proposal
with regard to NSF-EHR is ``increasing participation of students from
groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM.'' Though consolidating
the various minority serving institutions' (MSIs) undergraduate
programs in the NSF Undergraduate/Graduate Student Support budget line
may seem like a step toward streamlining funding and administration of
duplicative Federal programs and enhancing participation of minority
students in STEM, the result will likely be quite the opposite, for the
following reasons:
--Each of the MSI specific programs is designed to address the unique
challenges and issues facing the communities served by the
respective groups of MSIs, including Historically Black
Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving
Institutions (HSIs), and TCUs; and perhaps of the greatest
significance, TCUs are extensions of the Federal recognized
tribes that charter them and as such are subject to the unique
government-to-government relationship. Consolidating TCU
programs with other programs simply because they too target a
minority population disregards tribal sovereignty.
--MSIs are not able to compete for funding at the same level not to
mention the majority institutions that would now be eligible.
Those institutions that are able to employ a professional grant
writing staff will be successful in competing for the proposed
universal pool of limited funding. Therefore, the consolidation
of MSI-STEM programs may bolster participation of some minority
student groups, but it will come at the expense of others.
--The President's budget proposal would: (1) consolidate three
currently active undergraduate programs, and (2) add to the
pool of eligible applicants at least 226 HSIs, heretofore not
funded under Undergraduate/Graduate Student Support budget line
as well as majority institutions that produce underrepresented
STEM graduates. The proposed increase of $13 million to the new
program is undoubtedly inadequate to accommodate the vastly
enlarged pool of eligible applicants.
The NSF-TCU program, administered by the Education and Human
Resources Directorate, is a competitive grants program that enables
TCUs to develop and expand critically needed science and math education
and research programs relevant to their respective communities. Through
this program, Tribal Colleges and Universities that have been awarded
an NSF-TCUP grant have been able to enhance their STEM instructional
offerings, workforce development, and outreach programs. At Navajo
Technical College (NTC), for example, STEM enrollment has increased by
32.5 percent over just the past year and a total of 52.6 percent over
the past 6 years. Outreach programs at NTC include the Internet to the
Hogan project, which has increased the college's high performance
computing capacity and brought heretofore nonexistent broadband access
to the surrounding community. Unfortunately, not all of the TCUs have
been able to benefit from this program; yet, funding for this vital
program has been static, and the percentage of proposals funded has
declined each year since 2004. We strongly urge the subcommittee to
resist the recommendation to combine programs for minority institutions
and to recognize tribal sovereignty and support retaining the separate
NSF-TCU program at a minimum of $15.5 million, to help ensure that much
needed undergraduate programs and community services are expanded and
continued in the communities served by the Nation's Tribal Colleges and
Universities.
PRESIDENT'S FISCAL YEAR 2011 BUDGET
The President's fiscal year 2011 budget proposal proposes merging
separate programs that serve unique minority constituencies into a
consolidated program for minority undergraduates in STEM fields. We
request that the subcommittee reject the budget recommendation and
continue to support separate funding for each of the affected programs,
namely: Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP); Historically
Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate (HBCUUP); Louis Stokes
Alliances of Minority Participation (LSAMP); and the new program
Hispanic Serving Institutions.
CONCLUSION
We respectfully request that in fiscal year 2011, Congress
recognize the unique nature of each of the minority communities and the
capacity of the various minority serving institutions and their
contributions to their respective communities and retain the following
separate programs: NSF TCU program; HBCUU program; and LSAMP program;
and fund the newly established Hispanic Serving Institutions program.
Thank you for your continued support of TCUs and for your consideration
of our fiscal year 2011 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies
(NSF) appropriations request.
______
Prepared Statement of the American Shore and Beach Preservation
Association (ASBPA)
Dear Chairman Mikulski and Ranking Member Shelby: I am writing on
behalf of the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association, a
group dedicated to preserving, protecting and enhancing the beaches,
shores and other coastal resources of America. It is impossible to deny
the financial, social and environmental benefits of maintaining and
protecting our valuable coastal resources. There are many agencies
involved in this important work; however I would like to highlight some
programs and services administered by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The work being done by NOAA is
critical to the protection of these important national treasures,
however the current level of funding to support these programs and
services is severely lacking. Without an increase in Federal funding,
these programs will not be able to function properly, if at all.
Increased financial support for NOAA is needed to strengthen the
scientific research that underlies management and policy decisions,
such as fisheries management, and to improve ocean and coastal
stewardship. Specifically, we request your support for the following
programs in the fiscal year 2011 Commerce, Justice and Science
appropriations bill. These programs will continue to strengthen and
support our economy.
Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS).--Enacted in 2009, the
IOOS is a valuable tool in data distribution through a partnership
between the Federal and local government. This data is used
consistently by local officials to support their decisionmaking process
in policy formation as it related to marine issues. Not only is this
information used to promote efficiency and safety of day to day marine
operations, it also is used to sustain and protect healthy ecosystems,
strengthen the predications of potential coastal hazards and to
stimulate local and national economic development.
We are asking for an investment of $53 million in funding for
fiscal year 2011, to include $33 million for regional IOOS programs.
This funding would be used to provide new observing, modeling, and
visualization technologies, support observing platforms for deploying
sensors, and establish regional data information centers. NOAA will use
a competitive process to allocate funding to regional associations,
thereby ensuring that the American public receives the greatest return
for its investment in the form of a nationally consistent system for
critical ocean information, forecasts and timely warnings.
National Sea Grant Program.--The National Sea Grant Program is a
partnership between NOAA and 32 university-based programs that
addresses national, regional, and local coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes
issues. The result of this critical partnership is a further
understanding and better stewardship and management of ocean, coastal
and Great Lakes resources.
Additionally, the program supports local communities and industries
with sound data to be used in decisionmaking as well as to support the
connection of the two often competing interests. We request $79.5
million for the National Sea Grant Program in fiscal year 2011, the
amount authorized in the National Sea Grant College Program Amendments
Act of 2008.
Coastal Zone Management Program (CZMP).--Coastal regions are vital
to the national economy, to include tourism, industry and
transportation of goods. Though our coastal region is 17 percent of the
land area of the United States, it is home to more than one-half of its
population. The Coastal Zone Management Program (CZMP) is used to
safeguard against common threats to coastal areas, to include poorly
designed and planned development, hurricanes and flooding, as well as
threats that we are still trying to understand, such as sea level rise.
This Federal-State partnership designed to balance the protection
of our coastal and ocean resources with the need for sustainable
development of coastal communities. The program helps reduce
environmental impacts of coastal development, resolve conflicts between
competing coastal uses, and provide critical assistance to local
communities in coastal planning and resource protection. Without an
increase in funding of CZMP grants, States and territories are unable
to keep up with the increasing complex coastal challenges. We request
$112.4 million for the CZMP in fiscal year 2011.
We recognize and understand the fiscal constraints facing the
subcommittee in crafting the fiscal year 2011 Commerce, Justice,
Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. However, we feel
that these are valuable investments in our oceans and coasts, and we
feel that these would benefit not only these areas, but our Nation as a
whole. Thank you for your consideration and please feel free to contact
me with any questions.
______
Prepared Statement of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science
Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America
FISCAL YEAR 2011 APPROPRIATIONS--SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL SCIENCE
FOUNDATION
Dear Chairman Mikulski, Ranking Member Shelby, and members of the
subcommittee: The American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of
America, and Soil Science Society of America (ASA, CSSA, and SSSA) are
pleased to submit the following funding recommendations for the
National Science Foundation (NSF) for fiscal year 2011. ASA, CSSA, and
SSSA understand the challenges the Senate Commerce, Justice, Science,
and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee faces with the tight
science budget for fiscal year 2011. We also recognize that the
Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill has many valuable
and necessary components, and we applaud the efforts of the
subcommittee to fund critical research through the National Science
Foundation (NSF). ASA, CSSA, and SSSA recommend that the Subcommittee
on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies increase the fiscal
year 2011 funding level for NSF to $7.424 billion, the level requested
by the administration. This strong level of funding will enable NSF to
continue to fund worthy projects that promote transformational and
multidisciplinary research, provide needed scientific infrastructure,
and contribute to preparing a globally engaged science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics workforce.
With more than 25,000 members and practicing professionals, ASA,
CSSA, and SSSA are the largest life science professional societies in
the United States dedicated to the agronomic, crop and soil sciences.
ASA, CSSA, and SSSA play a major role in promoting progress in these
sciences through the publication of quality journals and books,
convening meetings and workshops, developing educational, training, and
public information programs, providing scientific advice to inform
public policy, and promoting ethical conduct among practitioners of
agronomy and crop and soil sciences.
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES DIRECTORATE
Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB)
The Molecular and Cellular Biosciences division of the NSF Biology
Directorate provides funding for critical research that contributes to
the fundamental understanding of life processes at the molecular,
subcellular, and cellular levels. Programs such as the Microbial
Observatories and Microbial Interactions and Processes program increase
the understanding of microbial distribution in a variety of
ecosystems--a primary step in evaluating microbial impact on ecosystem
function. Furthermore, while we agree that considerable advances
investigating interactions between microbial communities and plants
have been made, critical gaps remain requiring additional study to
understand the complex, dynamic relationships existing between plant
and microbial communities.
Biological Infrastructure (DBI)
The emergence of a bioeconomy requires greater reliance on plants
and crops, further expanding their use into the energy sector. To meet
the increased demands and develop more robust crops, additional
fundamental understanding regarding the basic biology of these crops is
needed. The Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP) accomplishes these
objectives by supporting key NSF projects. The Developing Country
Collaborations in Plant Genome Research program links U.S. researchers
with partners from developing countries to solve problems of mutual
interest in agriculture and energy and the environment. Additionally,
in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, the Plant Genome Research Program has
financed the Maize Genome Sequencing Project--a sequencing project for
one of the most important crops grown globally. Finally, the
International Rice Genome Sequencing Project published in 2005 the
finished DNA blueprint for rice, a crop fundamental to populations
worldwide. To continue the discovery of new innovative ways to enhance
crop production for a growing population, sustained funding is needed
for similar projects. Finally the PGRP and the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation co-fund the Basic Research to Enable Agricultural
Development (BREAD) program. This program supports basic research to
allow academic and industrial researchers to expand the breeders'
toolkit and exploit the diversity of agronomically useful traits in
wild and domesticated crop plants and to accelerate the development of
new plant varieties through marker-assisted breeding specifically to
accommodate the needs of developing countries. ASA, CSSA, and SSSA are
very supportive of this program.
GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES DIRECTORATE
Atmospheric Sciences (ATM)
Changes in terrestrial systems will have great impact on
biogeochemical cycling rates. The Atmospheric Sciences Division funds
critical programs, such as Atmospheric Chemistry, that increase
understanding of biogeochemical cycles. Soils and plants make up one of
the largest sinks and sources for several environmentally important
elements.
Earth Sciences (EAR)
The Earth Sciences Division supports research emphasizing improved
understanding of the structure, composition, and evolution of the
Earth, the life it supports, and the processes that govern the
formation behavior of the Earth's materials. EAR supports theoretical
research, including the biological and geosciences, the hydrologic
sciences, and the study of natural hazards. An important program funded
within this division is the Critical Zone Observatories which focuses
on watershed scale studies that advance understanding of the
integration and coupling of Earth surface processes as mediated by the
presence and flux of fresh water.
We also support the premise that was laid out in the BIO/GEO Dear
Colleague Letter: ``Update: Emerging Topics in Biogeochemical Cycles
(ETBC)''. The letter encourages advancement in quantitative and/or
mechanistic understanding of biogeochemical cycles, including the water
cycle and suggests that interdisciplinary proposals are put forth that
address biogeochemical processes and dynamics within and/or across
terrasphere, hydrosphere, or atmosphere. We find that these types of
interdisciplinary endeavors are critical to solving many of the
pressing issues that we, as a society, face today. We also support
efforts made in collaboration with the Directorate for Social,
Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) to encourage productive
interdisciplinary collaborations between the geosciences and the
social, behavioral, and economic sciences.
ENGINEERING DIRECTORATE
Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems (CBET)
The Environmental Engineering and Sustainability program and its
Energy for Sustainability sub-program support fundamental research and
education in energy production, conversion, and storage and is focused
on energy sources that are environmentally friendly and renewable. Most
world energy needs are currently met through the combustion of fossil
fuels. With projected increases in global energy needs, more
sustainable methods for energy production will need to be developed,
and production of greenhouse gases will need to be reduced.
DIRECTORATE FOR EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES
Division of Graduate Education
ASA, CSSA, and SSSA are dedicated to the enhancement of education,
and concerned about recent declines in enrollment for many sciences. To
remain competitive, scientific fields need to find new, innovative ways
to reach students. The programs offered in the Education and Human
Resource Directorate accomplish this goal. The Graduate Teaching
Fellows in K-12 Education program offers graduate students interested
in teaching an opportunity to get into the classroom and teach
utilizing new innovative methods. Graduate students are the next crop
of scientists, therefore opportunities for study must be increased with
the ever-increasing demands of science. Global problems rely on
scientific discovery for their amelioration; it is critical that the
U.S. continue to be a leader in graduate education. ASA, CSSA, and SSSA
recommend strong support for the Integrative Graduate Education and
Research Traineeships (IGERT) program.
Because education is the key for our future competitiveness, it is
essential that sustainable, long-term support for these and other
educational programs be made.
Division of Undergraduate Education
Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program focuses on the
education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive our
Nation's economy. We support continued, strong funding for this
program. The program involves partnerships between academic
institutions and employers to promote improvement in the education of
science and engineering technicians at the undergraduate and secondary
school levels.
NSF WIDE PROGRAMS
Cyberlearning Transforming Education (CTE)
ASA, CSSA, and SSSA fully support the cross-cutting program in NSF
on cyberlearning for transforming education. The program will establish
a new multidisciplinary research which will fully capture the
transformative potential of advanced learning technologies across the
education enterprise. We are excited about the opportunities that CTE
holds to better communicate and transfer information about basic
science performed by our members. Recruiting the next generation of
high quality scientists is one of the main focuses of our membership
and new information on how we can communicate and train these students
using technologies available through cyberlearning will help propel our
sciences into the future. In addition to the educational benefits,
cyberlearning may also help us better understand how to coordinate and
communicate science even within our community of researchers.
National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI)
Regarding the Environmental, Health and Safety program under the
NNI, we find that the President's request of $33.01 million, to be well
justified in order to support a rapidly growing field of science that
presents both new opportunities for human health, the environment,
agricultural science, but also unprecedented risks if not well
researched and reviewed to identify appropriate safety measures. We are
excited that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the European Union (EU) will
collaborate on implementation of a joint solicitation for nano
environmental health and safety protocol.
Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability
To create a more sustainable future, ASA, CSSA, and SSSA strongly
believe that more students must be trained as scientists to bring new
and revolutionary approaches to environmental and agroecosystem
science. Economic incentives and misconceptions steer students in the
basic sciences away from careers in the agronomic, crop, and soil
sciences. If current trends continue, our workforce will lack the
highly trained agronomists, soil scientists, plant breeders,
pathologists, entomologists and weed scientists necessary to make the
technical advances essential to meet future production and
sustainability challenges, let alone control new, emerging invasive
weed and insect species and pathogens that will continue to threaten
agricultural systems. Thus, we applaud the efforts put forth by the
administration to make investments in this area.
U.S. Global Change Research Program
The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) seeks to better
understand how the interplay between natural factors and human
activities affects the climate system. The USGCRP engages 13 U.S.
agencies in a concerted interagency program of basic research,
comprehensive observations, integrative modeling, and development of
products for decisionmakers. NSF provides support for a broad range of
fundamental research activities that provide a sound scientific basis
for climate-related policy and decisions. ASA, CSSA, and SSSA support
an appropriation for the U.S. Global Change Research Program at $370
million as the President requests in the fiscal year 2011 budget.
Biological systems are critical to mitigating the impacts and
effects of climate change. Additional research is needed to examine
potential crop systems, plant traits, wetland properties, and other
ecosystem adaptations to help manage climate change. The basic sciences
of agroecosystems, plant improvement, soils, and riparian and wetland
ecology need support as well.
As you lead the Senate in deliberation on funding levels for the
National Science Foundation, please consider American Society of
Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of
America as supportive resources. We hope you will call on our
membership and scientific expertise whenever the need arises.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of our requests.
______
Prepared Statement of the American Museum of Natural History
OVERVIEW
Recognizing its potential to support NASA in its goals to pioneer
the future in space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics
research; to develop a balanced overall program of science,
exploration, and aeronautics; and to establish new and innovative
programs to enhance understanding of our Earth, other planets,
asteroids, and comets in our solar system, as well as the search for
life around other stars, the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)
seeks $3.5 million to contribute its unique science, education, and
technological capacity to helping the agency to meet these goals.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is one of the
Nation's preeminent institutions for scientific research and public
education. Since its founding in 1869, the Museum has pursued its joint
mission of science and public education. It is renowned for its
exhibitions and collections of more than 32 million natural specimens
and cultural artifacts. With some 4 million annual on-site visitors--
approximately one-half of them children--it is one of the largest and
most diverse museums in the country. Museum scientists conduct
groundbreaking research in fields ranging from all branches of zoology,
comparative genomics, and informatics to Earth science, biodiversity
conservation, and astrophysics. Their work forms the basis for all the
Museum's activities that seek to explain complex issues and help people
to understand the events and processes that created and continue to
shape the Earth, life and civilization on this planet, and the universe
beyond.
COMMON GOALS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF AMNH AND NASA
For many years, NASA and AMNH have shared a joint commitment to
advancing scientific research and to integrating that research into
unique educational tools and resources. Over the years, the Museum has
successfully pursued a number of competitive opportunities, has
cultivated rich relationships with NASA divisions such as the Science
Mission Directorate's Heliophysics division and the Informal Education
program, and has worked with the agency to develop innovative
technologies and resources that reach audiences of millions in New
York, across the country, and around the world.
The Museum's educational mission is fueled by and reflects cutting-
edge science, including the work of our scientists in collaboration
with NASA centers and researchers. In keeping with that mission, the
Museum has built a set of singular national resources that bring
current science and integrated NASA content to total audiences of more
than 16 million in New York City, across the country, and around the
world. One such resource, Science Bulletins--immersive multimedia
science encounters, presenting science news and discoveries in various,
flexible formats--is already on view in nearly 40 locations across the
country (including eight NASA visitor centers), with more being added.
In the New York area alone, the Museum reaches nearly 4 million annual
on-site visitors, including more than 450,000 children in school
groups, with millions more visiting online.
In fiscal year 2011, AMNH seeks to build on the sustained successes
of these collaborations by reaching even larger audiences with a
program to communicate current science content--about NASA science and
missions in particular--to diverse national audiences. The program
encompasses:
PRESENTING CURRENT SCIENCE IN PUBLIC SPACES--SCIENCE BULLETINS
Science Bulletins is a nationally distributed, multi-media science
exhibition program designed to address the need of informal science
institutions to communicate and interpret current science by informing
the public about ongoing scientific exploration and recent discoveries.
Presenting the latest science news in a variety of high-definition
formats--including laboratory and field footage, 3-D animation, and
data visualization, all co-developed and vetted for scientific rigor by
PhD scientists--the Bulletins program is at the leading edge of
research and education. We propose the following activities:
--Increasing Science Bulletins Dissemination.--In addition to AMNH,
Bulletins are currently on view at 38 subscribing venues across
the country (including 8 NASA visitor centers), with annual
audiences of more than 13 million. To increase the program's
reach and impact, and to make the it more accessible to a wider
variety of institutions and audiences, AMNH will undertake a
graphical redesign and technical innovation of the program that
will increase the Bulletins' flexibility for use in a variety
of live, auto-run, and interactive programs. These innovations,
which will make the program more user-friendly, customizable,
and affordable, will enable AMNH to extend the reach of
Bulletins to new and diverse audiences.
--R&D and Program Delivery.--AMNH will develop new visualization
methods to advance the communication of current science, and
will utilize them in developing and distributing the Bulletins
program. AMNH will release approximately 26 bi-weekly updates,
create 6 new feature documentaries, and increase Web site
visits in the Bulletins focused on the earth, space, and
biosphere. Science Bulletins DVDs will also be distributed in
New York City schools.
--Science Bulletins on the Web.--AMNH will continue to promote the
Bulletins Web site as a resource for formal education and
educators, providing materials online to facilitate classroom
use.
Visualizing and Disseminating Current Science Data
Visualization of real, large scale datasets into digital
planetarium shows marks one of the Museum's signature achievements in
the new era of digital dome technologies. AMNH proposes to draw on its
unique expertise and capacity in visualizing astrophysics data from
NASA and other sources to create a new digital space show that will
engage children, families, and general audiences worldwide.
The Museum has very successfully leveraged past NASA investments
with funds from other Government and private sources, and will support
the present project with funds from non-Federal as well as Federal
sources. The Museum looks forward to continuing to contribute its
unique resources and capacity to helping the agency meet its goals.
______
Prepared Statement of the Society for Industrial and Applied
Mathematics (SIAM)
Summary.--This written testimony is submitted on behalf of the
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) to ask you to
continue your support of the National Science Foundation (NSF) in
fiscal year 2011 by providing NSF with $7.424 billion, a 7.2 percent
increase over NSF's fiscal year 2010 appropriated level. In particular,
we urge you to provide at least the request level for key applied
mathematics and computational science programs in the Division of
Mathematical Sciences and the Office of Cyberinfrastructure.
WRITTEN TESTIMONY
My name is Douglas Arnold, and I am the President of the Society
for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM). I am submitting this
written testimony for the record to the Subcommittee on Commerce,
Justice, Science, and Related Agencies of the Committee on
Appropriations of the U.S. Senate.
SIAM has approximately 13,000 members, including applied and
computational mathematicians, computer scientists, numerical analysts,
engineers, statisticians, and mathematics educators. They work in
industrial and service organizations, universities, colleges, and
government agencies and laboratories all over the world. In addition,
SIAM has over 400 institutional members--colleges, universities,
corporations, and research organizations.
First, I would like to emphasize how much SIAM appreciates your
subcommittee's continued leadership on and recognition of the critical
role of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and its support for
mathematics, science, and engineering in enabling a strong U.S.
economy, workforce, and society. In particular, we thank you and your
colleagues for the significant increases in funding provided for NSF in
the fiscal year 2010 Consolidated Appropriations bill.
Today, I submit this testimony to ask you to continue your support
of NSF in fiscal year 2011 and beyond. In particular, we request that
you provide NSF with $7.424 billion, the level requested by the
President for this agency in his fiscal year 2011 budget. This
represents a 7.2 percent increase over NSF's fiscal year 2010
appropriated level and would continue the effort to double funding at
NSF, as endorsed by Congress in the America COMPETES Act and by the
President in his fiscal year 2011 budget request.
As we are reminded every day, our Nation's economic strength,
national security, and public health and welfare are being challenged
in profound and unprecedented ways. Addressing these challenges
requires that we confront fundamental scientific questions.
Computational and applied mathematical sciences, the scientific
disciplines that occupy SIAM members, are particularly critical to
addressing U.S. competitiveness and security challenges across a broad
array of fields: medicine, engineering, technology, biology, computer
science, and others.
Other countries have observed the success of the U.S. model and are
investing in research and education. Without sufficiently increasing
support for science, engineering, and mathematics, the U.S. pre-
eminence in innovation will be compromised.
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
The National Science Foundation (NSF) provides essential Federal
support of applied mathematics and computational science, including
more than 60 percent of all Federal support for basic academic research
in the mathematical sciences. Of particular importance to SIAM, NSF
funding supports the development of new mathematical models and
computational algorithms, which are critical to making substantial
advances in such fields as climate modeling, energy technologies,
genomics, analysis and control of risk, and nanotechnology. In
addition, new techniques developed in mathematics and computing
research often have direct application in industry. NSF also supports
mathematics education at all levels, ensuring that the next generation
of the U.S. workforce is appropriately trained to participate in
cutting-edge technological sectors and that students are attracted to
careers in mathematics and computing.
I will now briefly highlight the main budgetary and programmatic
components at NSF that support applied mathematics and computational
science.
NSF DIVISION OF MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES
The NSF's Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) provides the core
support for all mathematical sciences, including areas such as
analysis, applied mathematics, combinatorics, computational
mathematics, probability, and statistics. In addition, DMS supports
national mathematical science research institutes; infrastructure,
including workshops, conferences, and equipment; and postdoctoral,
graduate, and undergraduate training opportunities.
The activities supported by DMS and performed by SIAM members, such
as modeling, analysis, algorithms, and simulation, provide new ways of
obtaining insight into the nature of complex phenomena, such as the
power grid, global climate change, software for military applications,
the human body, and energy efficient building systems. SIAM strongly
urges you to provide DMS with at least the budget request level of
$253.46 million to enable sustained investment by NSF in critical
mathematical research and related mathematical education and workforce
development programs.
In particular, investment in DMS is critical because of the
foundational and cross-cutting role that mathematics and computational
science play in sustaining the Nation's economic competitiveness and
national security, and in making substantial advances on societal
challenges such as energy, the environment, and public health. DMS has
traditionally played a central role in cross-NSF interdisciplinary
efforts that bear on these challenges, with programs supporting the
interface of mathematics with a variety of other fields.
SIAM deeply appreciates DMS's role in enabling interdisciplinary
work and supports the expansion of this work in fiscal year 2011. In
particular, the proposed increase within DMS for the NSF-wide Science,
Engineering, and Education for Sustainability initiative would support
the development of potentially transformative mathematical,
statistical, and computational methods needed for analysis and
simulation of climate models and increase DMS investment in an existing
program on solar energy. In addition, the proposed establishment of a
new Life Sciences Interface initiative involving DMS and other NSF
units is particularly timely in light of the challenges outlined in the
recent National Research Council report on ``A New Biology for the 21st
Century,'' which emphasizes the need for development of new information
sciences and new education programs in order to create a quantitative
approach in biological sciences to tackle key challenges in food,
environment, energy, and health.
NSF OFFICE OF CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE
Work in applied mathematics and computational science is critical
to enabling effective use of the rapid advances in information
technology and cyberinfrastructure. Programs in the NSF Office of
Cyberinfrastructure (OCI) focus on providing research communities
access to advanced computing capabilities to convert data to knowledge
and increase our understanding through computational simulation and
prediction.
SIAM strongly urges you to provide OCI with at least the budget
request level of $228.1 million to invest in the computational
resources and science needed to solve complex science and engineering
problems. In addition, SIAM strongly endorses OCI's efforts to take on
the role of steward for computational science across NSF, strengthening
NSF support for relevant activities and driving universities to improve
their research and education programs in this interdisciplinary area.
The programs in OCI that support work on software and applications
for the next generation of supercomputers and other cyberinfrastructure
systems are very important to enable effective use of advances in
hardware, to facilitate applications that tackle key scientific
questions, and to better understand increasingly complex software
systems. SIAM strongly supports the proposed fiscal year 2011 increase
in funding for OCI software activities, particularly the proposed new
Software Institutes program, aimed at supporting a community of
partnerships among academia, government laboratories, and industry for
the development and stewardship (expansion, hardening, and maintenance)
of sustainable end-to-end software systems. SIAM also supports the
proposed increase in OCI data activities. The explosion in data
available to scientists from advances in experimental equipment,
simulation techniques, and computer power is well known, and applied
mathematics has an important role to play in developing the methods and
tools to translate this shower of numbers into new knowledge.
SUPPORTING THE PIPELINE OF MATHEMATICIANS AND SCIENTISTS
Investing in the education and development of young scientists and
engineers is a critical role of NSF and a major step that the Federal
Government can take to ensure the future prosperity and welfare of the
United States. Currently, the economic situation is negatively
affecting the job opportunities for young mathematicians--at
universities, companies, and other research organizations. It is not
only the young mathematicians who are not being hired who will suffer
from these cutbacks. The research community at large will suffer from
the loss of ideas and energy that these graduate students, postdoctoral
fellows, and early career researchers bring to the field, and the
country will suffer from the lost innovation.
In light of this situation, SIAM strongly supports NSF's proposed
fiscal year 2011 increases in the Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF)
program and the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program. We
also strongly endorses OCI's participation in these programs as part of
efforts to create opportunities in the interdisciplinary area of
computational science and engineering and nurture the development of
young researchers in this emerging field.
MATHEMATICS AND INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Science knows no borders, and nowhere is this more true than in
mathematics. Mathematical research typically advances through the close
collaboration of small groups of researchers, without the need for
expensive equipment and using universal mathematical notation to
minimize language obstacles. In addition, mathematics, as an enabling
discipline for all of science and technology, and as a foundation for
science education, plays a key role in addressing many of the most
challenging problems that the world faces, such as climate change,
infectious disease, and sustainable energy generation. International
scientific cooperation is not just good science; it can also aid in
promoting United States international policy goals by building
relationships and trust with other countries, enhancing the global
image of America, and spurring global development.
SIAM believes strongly in the Federal Government's support of
international science and technology initiatives, including cooperative
research programs that further scientific knowledge applicable to major
societal challenges, promote development of research and education
capabilities abroad, and introduce U.S. students to global issues and
collaborative relationships.
CONCLUSION
SIAM is aware of the significant fiscal constraints facing the
administration and Congress this year, but we note that, in the face of
economic peril, Federal investments in mathematics, science, and
engineering create and preserve good jobs; stimulate economic activity;
and help to maintain U.S. pre-eminence in innovation, upon which our
economy depends.
I would like to conclude by thanking you again for your ongoing
support of NSF and actions you have already taken to enable NSF and the
research and education communities it supports, including thousands of
SIAM members, to undertake the activities that contribute to the
health, security, and economic strength of the U.S. NSF needs sustained
annual funding to maintain our competitive edge in science and
technology, and therefore we respectfully ask that you continue your
robust support of these critical programs into the future, starting
with providing $7.424 billion for NSF for fiscal year 2011.
I appreciate the opportunity to provide testimony to the
subcommittee on behalf of SIAM and look forward to providing any
additional information or assistance you may ask of us during the
fiscal year 2011 appropriations process.
______
Prepared Statement of the National Council of EEOC Locals, No. 216,
AFGE/AFL-CIO
Chairwoman Mikulski, Ranking Member Shelby, and members of the
subcommittee, my name is Gabrielle Martin and I am the president of the
National Council of EEOC Locals, No. 216, AFGE/AFL-CIO. The Council is
the exclusive representative of the bargaining unit employees at the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), including
investigators, attorneys, administrative judges, mediators, paralegals,
and support staff located in offices in 53 cities around the country. I
want to thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony on the
proposed fiscal year 2011 budget for the EEOC. Our number one ``ask''
is that this subcommittee support the fiscal year 2011 budget request
to increase EEOC's funding from $367 million to $385 million. The
request is in line with the amount that this subcommittee included in
its fiscal year 2008 report language, which was passed by the Senate.
We understand that you will receive testimony from many well deserving
programs. Nevertheless, the Council can confirm from the perspective of
EEOC's frontline workers that the increase is absolutely necessary and
justified. Moreover, the budget request should be considered a
restoration of funds after several years of frozen budgets. Service
today at the EEOC is still impacted by the loss of 25 percent of EEOC's
frontline staff since fiscal year 2001. To ensure that EEOC can
effectively enforce workplace discrimination laws that help Americans
get and keep jobs, the Council urges the inclusion of bill and report
language which: (1) adopts the fiscal year 2011 budget request for
EEOC, increasing funding to $385 million; (2) raises the staffing to
3,000 FTEs, i.e., the same level as 1994, the last time that EEOC's
charge receipts were close to the record high levels of recent years;
(3) maintains oversight of headquarters and field restructuring,
including the Office of Federal Operations; and (4) directs EEOC to
implement the Full-service Intake Plan to provide real help to the
public and reduce the backlog.
Introduction.--The EEOC's mission is to enforce this Nation's laws,
which protect against discrimination in employment based on race,
color, religion, sex, national origin, age, and disability. As of 2009,
EEOC is also responsible for enforcing the Americans with Disabilities
Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), the Genetics Information Nondiscrimination
Act (GINA), and the Lilly Ledbetter Act. The fiscal year 2011 budget
request is needed so that EEOC's dedicated employees have the resources
to keep discrimination out of the workplace so Americans can stay on
the job.
Thank you to This Subcommittee for Fiscal Year 2010 Funding and to
Senator Mikulski for Statements at the Recent Help Hearing Regarding
Backlog and Need for Confirmation of EEOC Nominees.--The Council first
wishes to thank this subcommittee supporting the fiscal year 2010
budget request increasing EEOC's funding to $367 million. Also, the
fiscal year 2010 Omnibus conference report language called for
oversight of agency staffing and Federal sector changes. It also
directed EEOC that its workload projections account for a Federal
Arbitrator's decision regarding the agency's illegal overtime
practices.\1\ Finally, the Omnibus Act bill language retained
oversight, which prevents EEOC from taking any action to restructure
without first coming to the subcommittee. The Council also wishes to
extend a special thank you to Chairwoman Mikulski for her continued
advocacy for EEOC. Most recently at the March 11, 2010 HELP Hearing on
Pay Equity, Senator Mikulski raised the critical issue of EEOC backlog
and pressed for confirmation of permanent leadership. The Council is
grateful for your efforts and looks forward to working with EEOC's new
leadership.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The damages phase of the case remains ongoing unless a
settlement can be reached.
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Adopt the Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Request to Increase EEOC's Budget
From $367 Million to $385 Million.--While this subcommittee has
increased EEOC's budget, EEOC is still playing catch-up from 5 years of
level funding. EEOC's workload has never been higher, even as staffing
levels remain inadequate. The chart included with this testimony
illustrates EEOC's troubling customer service trends from fiscal year
2001 through fiscal year 2010. If EEOC is to break these trends, so
that it more effectively can enforce the laws on the books, it needs to
be funded at no less than the fiscal year 2011 budget request.
More Frontline Staff is Needed to Offer Timely Assistance and
Tackle a Giant Backlog.--After losing 25 percent of its staff since
fiscal year 2001, EEOC took steps to ``rebuild'' in fiscal year 2009,
but the gains barely kept pace with attrition.\2\ The EEOC ended fiscal
year 2009 with 2,192 FTEs, a minimal increase from fiscal year 2008's
2,174 FTEs.
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\2\ ``EEOC will have 42 percent of its employees eligible for
retirement between fiscal years 2007 and 2012, which includes 46
percent of its investigators and 24 percent of its attorneys.'' OIG
Semiannual Report, 10/30/07. Additional attrition has occurred in the
ranks of the hearing officers (administrative judges), who are often
selected for higher paid administrative law judges at Social Security,
where they have the subpoena power and support staff that they are
lacking at EEOC. According to the GAO, the EEOC has 13 percent fewer
administrative judges than it did in fiscal year 2005.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The inevitable result when EEOC's slashed workforce cannot keep up
with the increased workload is that the backlog goes from bad to worse.
According to EEOC's budget justification, the backlog is anticipated to
rise to 96,865 cases in fiscal year 2010 and 105,203 cases in fiscal
year 2011.\3\ Thus, roughly an entire year's incoming inventory is
getting shelved in order to process the previous year's complaints.
Moreover, since fiscal year 2006, charge filings at EEOC have exceeded
resolutions, with the trend expected to continue at least through
fiscal year 2013. (See chart and Budget Justification).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ The White House fiscal year 2011 budget request projected that
the backlog would grow even higher, i.e., 104,450 in fiscal year 2010
and 122,452 in fiscal year 2011. The EEOC fiscal year 2011 budget
justification that followed contained these slightly lower figures.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
These unreasonably high workloads of 250 cases do not allow
investigators to do an effective and timely job of interviewing
witness, reviewing documents, attempting conciliation, etc. Quick
resolutions could mean saving the jobs of the applicants and workers
who file these charges. But, landing in EEOC's backlog puts off
assistance for 294 days, i.e., over 9 months. Justice delayed is
justice denied for these workers.
In order to effectively enforce its mission and reduce the backlog,
the Council requests that Congress raise EEOC's staffing to 3,000 FTEs,
i.e., the same level as 1994, the last time that EEOC's charge receipts
were close to the current record high numbers. The Council supports
maintaining report language directing EEOC to submit ``quarterly
reports on projected and actual agency staffing levels so that the
subcommittee can better monitor EEOC's personnel resources.'' However,
to ensure hiring keeps up with attrition, it is suggested that the
report language also include benchmarks for where actual frontline
staffing should be at the end of each quarter.\4\ Finally, report
language should be maintained directing that workload projections
account for a Federal Arbitrator's decision regarding the agency's
willful and illegal overtime practices, because unreasonably high
investigator caseloads demonstrate EEOC has not hired enough staff.
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\4\ The Council understands that as of fiscal year 2011, agency
budget projections are to concentrate on actual staffing, rather than
ceilings. This makes oversight even more critical so that EEOC ends
fiscal year 2011 with no less than the 2,577 FTE actual staffing
reflected in the fiscal year 2011 justification.
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For the Current Fiscal Year 2010, Oversight Is Needed To Ensure
Hiring Is Prioritized.--Historically, EEOC ends each year with ``hollow
FTEs,'' i.e., about 200 positions below the authorized ceiling.
Therefore, for the current fiscal year 2010, the Council urges this
subcommittee to exercise its oversight, including monitoring the
quarterly staffing submissions, to ensure that EEOC does in fact hire
up to the 2,556 FTEs authorized. If this year's staffing is not
achieved, then fiscal year 2011's projections for staffing,
resolutions, and backlog will all be undermined. Most importantly, the
public needs frontline EEOC employees immediately available to help
them get jobs and keep jobs.
Bill Language Should Retain Oversight of EEOC Restructuring.--On
January 1, 2006, as part of a nationwide field restructuring, EEOC
downsized a dozen offices. The restructuring added bureaucratic layers,
but no frontline staff. EEOC should now revisit the restructuring to
fix its worst inefficiencies, such as States that were split between
two districts. The EEOC should also keep its promise to reduce top-
heavy offices to a 1:10 supervisor to employee ratio. Redeployed
supervisors can help the frontline without added cost.
The final phase of EEOC's repositioning is the delayed
restructuring of headquarters. Also, recent internal plans to
reorganize the EEOC's Office of Federal Operations (OFO) have proposed
adding additional layers of high levels of management at the expense of
frontline administrative judges. The Council urges the subcommittee to
retain bill language regarding oversight of this restructuring.
Additionally, Congress should assure a transparent process for public
and internal stakeholders to have an opportunity to provide feedback of
a draft plan.
Direct EEOC To Implement the Full-Service Intake Plan To Provide
the Public Real Help and Reduce the Backlog.--EEOC's current backlogs
and poor customer service can be attributed to its stubborn insistence
on continuing to use a failed call center model. Though the House and
Senate CJS subcommittees in fiscal year 2008 defunded an outsourced
call center, EEOC currently uses an in-house center mirroring that
failed model.
Council 216 submitted a comprehensive plan for a national Full-
Service Intake Plan 6 months ago, which EEOC's leadership is reviewing
at a snail's pace. The plan calls for staffing each field office with a
compliment of positions and grades able to advance the intake process
from pre-charge counseling through charge filing, handling the flood of
downloadable intake questionnaires and responding to over 5,000
unanswered e-mails.\5\ The plan should help EEOC avoid the high rates
of turnover. The plan satisfies the interest of Congress to ``provide
more substantive assistance to callers and resolve a greater number of
calls at the first point of contact.'' (H.R. 110-919). The plan also
produces cost savings. It also implements part of EEOC's backlog
reduction plan, which according to EEOC's OIG should include a renewed
emphasis on pre-charge counseling. In turn, investigative staff, who
would be relieved from many of these intake responsibilities, could
focus on investigating cases to reduce the backlog.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ The units would be comprised of some new staff and current
staff, including converting in-house call center operators to
investigator supporter assistants.
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The Council supports maintaining report language directing EEOC
``to develop and implement a multiyear plan to increase EEOC staffing
to the levels necessary to achieve backlog reduction in a timely
manner.'' The Council would respectfully request the language be
expanded to include a direction that the Full Service Intake Plan be
incorporated into the backlog reduction plan.
``Fast Track'' for Feds Requires Stakeholder Input and Oversight
Before Implementation.--For several years, EEOC has been internally
debating controversial changes to the hearing process, called ``fast
track,'' which would direct administrative judges (AJs) to cut off
discovery and deny hearings for many Federal employees. In these fast-
tracked cases, the EEOC AJ is forced to accept the investigative record
submitted by the Federal agency alleged to have committed
discrimination. A more straightforward way to reduce Federal backlog
and processing times is to replenish AJs, down 13 percent since fiscal
year 2005, and provide them support staff.
The Council represents AJs, who oppose mandatory tracking, because
it re-writes the regulations to remove judicial independence to manage
cases and interferes with fair hearings. Outside stakeholders must also
be given an opportunity to weigh in on the current plan. Therefore, the
Council supports maintaining current report language requiring
oversight before implementation.
CONCLUSION
In closing, I want to again thank the chairwoman, ranking member
and the subcommittee for allowing me to provide testimony. I hope my
statement will give you insight into the difficult challenges facing
EEOC.
EEOC'S TROUBLING CUSTOMER SERVICE TRENDS \1\
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fiscal Year Fiscal Year Fiscal Year Fiscal Year Fiscal Year Fiscal Year Fiscal Year Fiscal Year Fiscal Year Fiscal Year
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Full Time Employees........................................... 2,924 2,787 2,617 2,462 2,349 2,250 2,137 2,174 2,192 2,470
Backlog....................................................... 32,481 29,041 29,368 29,966 33,562 39,946 54,970 73,941 85,768 96,685
Charge Receipts Filed......................................... 80,840 84,442 81,293 79,432 75,428 75,768 82,792 95,402 93,277 101,653
Resolutions................................................... 90,106 95,222 87,755 85,259 77,352 74,308 72,442 81,081 85,980 93,284
Avg. Charge Processing........................................ 182 171 160 165 171 193 199 229 294 ( \2\ )
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\1\ National Academy of Public Administration report, 2/2/03; EEOC Budget Requests; www.eeoc.gov.
\2\ Not available.
______
Prepared Statement of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Chairwoman Mikulski, Ranking Member Shelby, and members of the
subcommittee--my name is Bud Rock and I am the chief executive officer
of the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC).
ASTC is a nonprofit organization of science centers and museums
dedicated to furthering public engagement with science among
increasingly diverse audiences. Science centers are sites for informal
learning and are places to discover, explore, and test ideas about
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. They feature
interactive exhibits, hands-on science experiences for children,
professional development opportunities for teachers, and educational
programs for adults. In science centers, visitors of all ages become
adventurous explorers who together discover answers to the myriad
questions of how the world works--and why. ASTC has nearly 600 members,
including 445 operating or developing science centers and museums in 44
countries, who engage over 80 million people annually in intriguing
educational science activities and explorations of scientific
phenomena. The recently released Science and Engineering Indicators
2010 says that 59 percent of our fellow citizens visited an informal
science venue in the past year. Science centers vary widely in scale,
from institutions like the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore's Inner
Harbor and the McWane Center in Birmingham, Alabama, to the ECHO Lake
Aquarium and Science Center in Burlington, Vermont and the SEE Science
Center in Manchester, New Hampshire.
ASTC works with science centers and museums like these to address
critical societal issues, locally and globally, where understanding of
and engagement with science are essential. As liaisons between the
science community and the public, science centers are ideally
positioned to heighten awareness of critical issues including energy
and environmental issues; infectious diseases; the space program;
increase understanding of important new technologies; and promote
meaningful informed debate between citizens, scientists, policymakers,
and the local community.
THE IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION OF SCIENCE CENTERS TO IMPROVING STEM
EDUCATION
Science centers offer places where science and citizens can meet.
Many centers have scientists on staff and some feature research
facilities on-site. Through exhibits and programming, such as lecture
series and science cafes, science centers help to bring current
research findings to the public and encourage discussion and debate of
current science issues. Science centers also encourage the public to
become involved in research projects themselves.
Science centers reach a wide audience. Most have membership
programs, including family memberships. Many offer programs designed
for senior citizens. Some train students to serve as docents and
``expert explainers''. In addition to the hands-on, experiential
exhibits and programs that are the hallmark of science centers, many
have large-format theaters, planetariums, and outdoor science parks.
Through outreach programs, science centers also extend their work well
beyond their buildings.
School groups make up a significant percentage of science center
and museum attendance--an estimated 17.7 million student visits
worldwide in 2009 (12 million in the United States). But school field
trips are just the beginning: most science centers offer demonstrations
and workshops, school outreach programs, professional development for
teachers, curriculum materials, science camps, overnight camp-in
programs, and resources for home schoolers. Many also offer after-
school and youth employment programs.
Last year the Congress--led by this subcommittee--appropriated
about $1.4 billion for science, technology, engineering and mathematics
(STEM) education through the National Science Foundation (NSF), the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
This subcommittee is singularly responsible for nearly 40 percent
of all the Federal support for STEM education.
There is a strong consensus that improving science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics education is critical to the Nation's
economic strength and global competitiveness in the 21st century.
Reports have emphasized the need to attract and educate the next
generation of American scientists and innovators. For example, the
National Academies' 2005 report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm,
recommends that the Nation increase its talent pool by vastly improving
K-12 science and mathematics education. In order to improve STEM
education, we must draw on a full range of learning opportunities and
experiences, including those in informal, non-school settings. Informal
science education can take place in a variety of places and through a
wide variety of media such as science centers and museums, film and
broadcast media, aquariums, zoos, nature centers, botanical gardens,
and after-school programs. Informal learning can happen in everyday
environments and through everyday activities as well.
The Committee on Learning Science in Informal Environments was
established by the National Research Council (NRC) of the National
Academies to undertake a study of the status of, and potential for
science learning in informal environments. In January 2009, the
National Academies Committee released a report entitled Learning
Science in Informal Environments: People Places, and Pursuits, which
stated, ``Beyond the schoolhouse door, opportunities for science
learning abound . . .'' The Academy found, among other things, that
there is ample evidence to suggest that science learning takes place
throughout the life span and across venues in non-school settings.
Another key issue highlighted in the report is the role of informal
STEM education in promoting diversity and broadening participation. The
Academy found that informal environments can have a significant impact
on STEM learning outcomes in historically underrepresented groups, and
informal learning environments may be uniquely positioned to make STEM
education accessible to all.
VITAL FEDERAL SUPPORT FOR INFORMAL STEM EDUCATION IS PROVIDED BY NSF,
NOAA AND NASA
National Science Foundation.--Scientific discoveries and
technological innovations have profound impact on individuals and
societies. STEM education shapes our everyday lives and holds the
potential to produce solutions to daunting problems facing the Nation.
This prospect calls for unprecedented energy and innovative efforts to
promote public understanding of--and engagement with--STEM, its
processes, and implications. Informal learning settings offer learners
of all ages enjoyable opportunities to become interested in STEM and
more knowledgeable about the world around them. Such learning
experiences foster a better informed citizenry and inspire young people
to consider STEM careers in which they may help address societal
challenges. NSF's Informal Science Education (ISE) program supports
projects that promote lifelong learning of science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics by the public through voluntary, self-
directed engagement in STEM-rich informal learning environments and
experiences. The ISE program invests in projects that:
--Advance knowledge through research and evaluation about STEM
learning in informal environments;
--Design, implement, and study models, resources, and programs for
STEM learning in informal environments; and/or
--Expand the capacity of professionals engaged in the work of
informal STEM education programs.
The fiscal year 2011 budget for NSF's ISE program is $64.4
million--2.4 percent below the fiscal year 2010 level. In fact, NSF
support for ISE has been frozen in recent years at about $65 million
since at least fiscal year 2007.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.--Since 2005,
NOAA's Office of Education has promoted the improvement of public
environmental literacy through competitive education grants, also known
as Environmental Literacy Grants. The recipients of Environmental
Literacy Grants have consistently demonstrated: (1) alignment with
NOAA's goals and NOAA's Education Strategic Plan; (2) a robust project
evaluation plan; (3) partnership with NOAA offices and programs to
leverage NOAA scientific, educational and human resources; and (4) the
promotion of ocean and/or climate literacy--the components of
environmental literacy closely tied to NOAA's mission. Additionally,
NOAA strives to fund projects that complement other grant programs and
educational efforts offered by other offices within NOAA, and by other
Federal agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
NASA and NSF.
Successful NOAA projects catalyze change in K-12 and informal
education through development of new partnerships, programs, and
materials that not only increase knowledge of scientific phenomena, but
also provide opportunities for the application of that knowledge to
societal issues. To date 59 competitive awards have been made
supporting a wide range of projects from teacher training, to
experiential learning for youth and families, to the development of
media products, and public opinion research.
In the face of this progress, the administration's budget would
reduce NOAA's education programs by over 28 percent.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration.--NASA's Education
program works to: foster a science, technology, engineering, and math
workforce in fields that support NASA's strategic goals; attract
students to the disciplines through a progression of education
opportunities; and build strategic partnerships between formal and
informal education providers. NASA's education programs have been
evaluated as part of the administration's program assessment process
with the following findings: NASA has taken several steps to improve
the Education program's potential to strengthen and measure its
performance. For instance, the agency developed a new education
framework and implementation plan as well as new metrics by which to
evaluate the program's achievement of intended outcomes; the program
has made considerable progress in focusing the program's plans on
achieving meaningful outcomes. The program has established baseline
performance standards and has begun to collect and report some
performance data against its new metrics; and the program has developed
a solid plan and set aside resources to conduct independent evaluations
of the portfolio's effectiveness and efficiency; now the program must
implement that plan.
Despite these improvements, the administration's budget for fiscal
year 2011, NASA's education programs would decline by nearly 21
percent.
ASTC AND EDUCATE TO INNOVATE
As mentioned previously, the administration has recently released
its latest edition of the biennial Science and Engineering Indicators
report. This report says that the state of U.S. science and engineering
is strong, but that U.S. dominance of world science and engineering has
eroded significantly in recent years, primarily because of rapidly
increasing capabilities among East Asian nations, particularly China.
On the heels of that report, the administration announced a new set of
public-private partnerships in the ``Educate to Innovate'' campaign
committing more than $250 million in private resources to attract,
develop, reward, and retain science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics teachers. This initiative is responsive to data, presented
in Indicators, showing that American 15-year-olds are losing ground in
science and math achievement compared to their peers around the world.
ASTC applauds the President's Educate to Innovate initiative and
ASTC members are active participants in this campaign. ASTC also
applauds the efforts of the private sector to commit more than $250
million in resources to attract and retain K-12 STEM teachers. At the
same time, we believe that any effective campaign to improve the
quality and effectiveness of the STEM education provided to our
students and teachers is grounded in a deeper appreciation by the
public--and decisionmakers--in the importance of STEM education for the
long term health and well-being of our Nation.
It is for this very reason that on January 28, ASTC leadership met
with officials of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to put
forth a new ``Youth Inspired'' initiative that is comprised of two
parts:
``Two Million Hours to the Future,'' capitalizes on the fact that
science centers and science museums are key partners for supporting the
Nation's youth in becoming the innovative and creative thinkers needed
for the 21st century workforce. We propose that 300 science centers and
science museums, representing each of the 50 States, could engage
approximately 30 students per year through either afterschool or youth
employment programs. With at least 1 hour of in-person contact per week
per student, the initiative would cumulatively reach 2 million hours of
science and personal development at the end of 3 years.
``Two Million Teachers to Inspire,'' is a national initiative that
takes advantage of the important role that science centers play in
developing and supporting STEM teachers in America's schools. Through
the initiative--which will be supported in part by private and
corporate funding and substantial in-kind institutional investment--
ASTC will collect, catalog, and share best practices in teacher
professional development, providing a valuable resource for the 2
million teachers our members impact every year.
CONCLUSION
The reductions proposed by the administration for valuable informal
STEM education programs at NSF, NOAA and NASA are counterproductive
given all the concern expressed by public and private thought leaders
regarding the importance of STEM education for the long term health and
well being of the Nation. Informal STEM education programs reach over
80 million people a year--children, parents, teachers, and even adult
learners--with irreplaceable hands-on experiences that stimulate
creativity and foster a valuable appreciation for the role of science
and technology in the world around us--both today and tomorrow.
To that end, ASTC urges the Congress--understanding the bounds of
fiscal constraints--to continue to recognize the value of informal STEM
education. ASTC respectfully requests the subcommittee to reverse the
reductions proposed by the administration. In fact, to the maximum
extent possible, ASTC suggests that given the fact these programs have
remained relatively level since at least fiscal year 2008; they should
be re-vitalized at a rate commensurate with the administration's intent
to double the NSF over the next 10 years.
Thank you for the opportunity to present these views. I would be
happy to respond to any questions or provide additional information
should it be needed by the subcommittee.
______
Prepared Statement of the American Society of Plant Biologists
On behalf of the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) we
submit this testimony for the official record to support the requested
level of $7.424 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF) for
fiscal year 2011. The testimony also highlights the importance of
biology, particularly plant biology, as the Nation seeks to address
vital issues including climate change and energy security. ASPB would
also like to thank the subcommittee for its consideration of this
testimony and for its strong support for the basic research mission of
the National Science Foundation.
Our testimony will discuss:
--Plant biology research as a foundation for addressing food, fuel,
climate change, and health concerns;
--The rationale for robust funding for the National Science
Foundation while maintaining a well proportioned science
portfolio with support for all core science disciplines,
including biology; and
--The rationale for continued support for NSF education and workforce
development programs that provide support for the future
science and technical expertise critical to America's
competitiveness.
The American Society of Plant Biologists is an organization of more
than 5,000 professional plant biologists, educators, graduate students,
and postdoctoral scientists with members in all 50 States and
throughout the world. A strong voice for the global plant science
community, our mission--achieved through work in the realms of
research, education, and public policy--is to promote the growth and
development of plant biology, to encourage and communicate research in
plant biology, and to promote the interests and growth of plant
scientists in general.
FOOD, FUEL, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND HEALTH--PLANT BIOLOGY RESEARCH AND
AMERICA'S FUTURE
Plants are vital to our very existence. They harvest sunlight,
converting it to chemical energy for food and feed; they take up carbon
dioxide and produce oxygen; and they are almost always the primary
producers in ecosystems. Indeed, basic plant biology research is making
many fundamental contributions in the areas of fuel security and
environmental stewardship; the continued and sustainable development of
better foods, fabrics, and building materials; and in the understanding
of basic biological principles that underpin improvements in the health
and nutrition of all Americans. To go further, plant biology research
can both help the Nation predict and prepare for the impacts of climate
change on American agriculture, and make major contributions to our
Nation's efforts to combat a warming climate.
In particular, plant biology is at the interface of numerous
scientific breakthroughs. For example, the interface between plant
biology and engineering is a critical frontier in biofuels research.
Similarly, the interface between plant biology and chemistry
contributes to biofuel production, as well as the identification of
novel, bioactive compounds for medical use. With the increase in plant
genome sequencing and functional genomics, the interface of plant
biology and computer science is essential to our understanding of
complex biological systems ranging from single cells to entire
ecosystems.
Despite the fact that basic plant biology research--the kind of
research funded by the NSF--underpins so many vital practical
considerations, the amount invested in understanding the basic function
and mechanisms of plants is relatively small when compared with the
impact it has on multibillion dollar sectors like energy and
agriculture.
ROBUST FUNDING FOR THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
The American Society of Plant Biologists encourages the
subcommittee to fund the National Science Foundation at robust levels
that would keep the Foundation's budget on a doubling path over the
next several years.
The fiscal year 2011 NSF budget request would fund the NSF at
$7.424 billion in fiscal year 2011, keeping the Foundation budget on a
path for doubling. ASPB enthusiastically supports this request and
encourages proportional funding increases across all of the science
disciplines funded by the NSF.
As scientific research becomes increasingly interdisciplinary with
permeable boundaries, a diverse portfolio at the NSF is needed to
maintain cutting-edge research and innovation. The most pressing
problems of the 21st century will not be solved by one science or
method, but by numerous innovations across the research spectrum. This
funding enables the scientific community to address challenging and
basic cross-cutting research questions regarding climate change,
sustainable food supply, energy, and health, all of which are impacted
by or involve basic research in plant biology supported by the NSF.
This idea is reflected in the National Research Council's report ``A
New Biology for the 21st Century: Ensuring the United States Leads the
Coming Biology Revolution.''
The NSF Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) is a critical
source of funding for nonbiomedical research, supporting innovative
research ranging from the molecular and cellular levels to the
ecosystem and even biosphere levels. Much of this funding has been
provided to individual investigators; however, the NSF has also
supported major research programs over the longer term. These
investments continue to have significant pay offs, both in terms of the
knowledge directly generated and in deepening collaborations and
fostering innovation among communities of scientists.
The BIO Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP) is an excellent
example of a high impact program, which has laid a strong basic
research foundation for understanding plant genomics as it relates to
energy (biofuels), health (nutrition and functional foods), agriculture
(impact of climate change on agronomic ecosystems), and the environment
(plants' roles as primary producers in ecosystems). The American
Society of Plant Biologists asks that the PGRP continue to be a
separate funding line within the NSF budget, as in years past, and that
the PGRP continues sustained funding growth over multiple years to
address 21st century biology issues. For fiscal year 2011 ASPB asks
that PGRP be funded at the highest possible level.
Without significant and increased support for BIO and the NSF as a
whole, promising fundamental research discoveries will be delayed and
vital collaborations around the edges of the disciplines will be
postponed, thus limiting the ability to respond to the pressing
scientific problems that exist today. Increased funding for the NSF
with proportional increases throughout the Foundation will also serve
as a catalyst to encourage young people to pursue a career in science.
Low funding rates throughout the NSF can be discouraging to early
career scientists and dissuade them from pursuing a career in
scientific research.
CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR NSF EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
The National Science Foundation is a major source of funding for
the education and training of the American scientific workforce. The
NSF's education portfolio impacts students at all levels, including K-
12, undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate. Importantly, the
Foundation also offers programs focused on outreach to and engagement
of underrepresented groups.
The Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT)
program is just one example of NSF's commitment to education. IGERT is
successful in fostering the development of novel programs that provide
multidisciplinary graduate training. As discussed above, it is at the
intersections of traditional disciplines that the greatest
opportunities for scientific advancement can be found. The American
Society of Plant Biologists encourages expansion of the IGERT program
in order to foster the development of a greater number of innovative
science leaders for the future.
Furthermore, ASPB urges the subcommittee to revitalize and expand
NSF's fellowship programs--such as the Postdoctoral Research
Fellowships in Biology, the Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) and the
Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) programs--and, thereby, to
provide continuity in funding opportunities for the country's most
promising early career scientists. Additionally, such continuity and
the broader availability of prestigious and well-supported fellowships
may help retain underrepresented groups in the science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. ASPB further encourages the
NSF to develop ``transition'' awards that will support the most
promising scientists in their transition from postdoctoral research to
full-time, independent, tenure-track positions in America's
universities. The NSF might model such awards after those offered by
the NIH and initially championed by private philanthropies, such as the
Burroughs Wellcome Fund and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
ASPB urges the NSF to further develop programs aimed at increasing
the diversity of the scientific workforce by leveraging professional
scientific societies' commitment to provide a professional home for
scientists throughout their education and careers to help promote and
sustain broad participation in the sciences. ASPB is also concerned
over the proposed change to consolidate the Historically Black Colleges
and Universities Undergraduate Program, the Louis Stokes Alliances for
Minority Participation program, and the Tribal Colleges and
Universities Program into the Comprehensive Broadening Participation of
Undergraduates in STEM program. Discreet focused training and
infrastructure support programs for Hispanic Serving Institutions,
Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Tribal Colleges and
Universities remain vitally important. These institutions are key
producers of members of the STEM workforce, therefore ASPB recommends
that distinct funding amounts be specified for Hispanic Serving
Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Tribal
Colleges and Universities within the proposed Comprehensive Broadening
Participation of Undergraduates in STEM program.
Finally, as this subcommittee oversees the White House Office of
Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) appropriations, ASPB asks that the
subcommittee direct OSTP to coordinate interagency development and
implementation of a strategy to address the recommendations made in the
National Research Council's (NRC) report ``A New Biology for the 21st
Century: Ensuring the United States Leads the Coming Biology
Revolution.'' The report accurately lays out the current status,
potential and challenges for ``New Biology'' and how increased efforts
in these areas can address major societal and environmental challenges.
The National Science Foundation has a critical role to play in an
interagency strategy and initiative in this area, as do other agencies
such as the Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
and the National Institutes of Health.
Thank you for your consideration of our testimony on behalf of the
American Society of Plant Biologists. Please do not hesitate to contact
the American Society of Plant Biologists if we can be of any assistance
in the future.
______
Prepared Statement of Oceana
Dear Chairwoman Mikulski, Ranking Member Shelby and members of the
subcommittee, on behalf of more than 320,000 members of Oceana, the
world's largest international organization focused solely on ocean
conservation, I submit the following testimony on the fiscal year 2011
budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
within the Department of Commerce. I request that this testimony be
submitted for the official record.
NOAA's responsibilities are wide-ranging and essential to healthy
oceans, public safety, and a vital economy. The agency provides
fisheries management, coastal and marine conservation, weather
forecasting, climate monitoring, and many other vital services. Despite
the indispensable products and services that NOAA provides, the agency
has been chronically underfunded. At first glance, the President's
budget for fiscal year 2011 appears to buck this trend by increasing
NOAA's funding to $5.5 billion, but the vast majority of that increase
is directed toward Procurement, Acquisition, and Construction (PAC)
account while Operations, Research, and Facilities (ORF) account
remains relatively flat-funded.
As evidenced above, the seemingly sharp increase in NOAA funding is
primarily directed toward the PAC account. The vast amount of the
increase in the PAC account is directed to satellites. While the
satellite program is important and in need of increased funding, this
increase must not come at the expense of NOAA's programmatic work,
which operates under the ORF account. Funding for ORF has essentially
idled since 2004, which, when accounting for inflation, has resulted in
less money for ocean conservation and management.
Oceana strongly encourages the subcommittee to provide $8 billion
for NOAA in the fiscal year 2011 Commerce, Justice, Science
appropriations bill. NOAA provides crucial services which are
fundamental to the health of our oceans, coastal communities, and
economy. While we are pleased that the President's request calls for
increased funding for NOAA, many programs in the ORF account remain
severely underfunded, and we ask that resources are directed toward
marine research, management, and conservation programs including the
following:
NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE (NMFS)
The President's fiscal year 2011 budget requests for the National
Marine Fisheries Service, NMFS, is less than the previous year's
enacted level. This decrease is disappointing, as many NMFS programs
remain underfunded, while the President himself has cited challenges
facing our oceans, including, ``habitat loss, fishing impacts, invasive
species, [and] disease.'' Increased funding is needed to address these
problems and to strengthen the following programs:
Fishery Observer Programs--$50.9 Million (Fiscal Year 2010 Enacted--
$41.1 Million)
Fishery observers are independent scientists who collect data
aboard working fishing vessels, and record the entire composition of
what is brought aboard the boat. This is a more complete record than
landings data which only record what is brought to port, failing to
account for bycatch, the incidental catch of non-target fish species or
marine wildlife. This bycatch is thrown overboard, often dead or dying.
According to NMFS, 85 fisheries require observer coverage and only 42
of those have any amount of coverage. Of those 42, less than one-half
have adequate levels of coverage. Observer coverage needs to increase
to provide accurate and precise estimates of bycatch in commercial
fisheries to allow for better fishery management.
Stock Assessments--$60.0 Million (Fiscal Year 2010 Enacted--$51.0
Million)
Fishery management must be supported by adequate data and science.
Quantitative stock assessments provide the scientific basis for setting
catch limits that allow for the maximum fishing effort while preventing
overfishing. Strong science leads to healthy fisheries and a healthy
economy. According to NOAA, only 128 of 230 major U.S. fish stocks were
considered to have inadequate stock assessments in 2007. Based on an
estimated cost of approximately $1 million per stock assessment, NOAA
would require an additional $100 million above last year's funding in
order to develop adequate stock assessments for all 230 major stocks,
so by comparison, the increase sought is modest.
Enforcement--$75.0 Million (Fiscal Year 2010 Enacted--$65.7 Million)
Fisheries laws are ineffectual without adequate enforcement.
Successful implementation of new legal requirements for annual catch
limits (ACLs) and accountability measures in all U.S. fisheries will
demand increased funding. Additional resources are needed to establish
a program for enforcement and surveillance of Illegal, Unregulated and
Unreported (IUU) fishing within the existing NMFS fisheries enforcement
program. IUU fishing is a major threat to fisheries sustainability and
value, marine habitat, and the livelihoods of fishermen and local
communities. Increased funding would be used to identify and take
action against vessels engaged in IUU fishing.
Deep Sea Coral Conservation--$7.0 Million (Fiscal Year 2010 Enacted--
$2.5 Million)
The Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Reauthorization Act of 2006 (MSRA) directed NOAA to establish a Deep
Sea Coral Research and Technology Program, to map coral habitats and
help scientists understand deep sea coral biology and ecology. These
delicate, slow-growing corals often serve as nurseries for commercially
and ecologically important fish and a variety of marine wildlife. These
corals are extremely vulnerable to destructive fishing gear, and
increased funding is necessary to map the location of, and minimize
gear impacts on deep sea coral habitat.
Sea Turtle Research and Conservation--$26.4 Million (Fiscal Year 2010
Enacted--$14.6 Million)
Oceana urges the subcommittee to reject the administration's
funding cut to marine turtle programs, and instead, expand upon
existing funding. Sea turtles have been swimming the oceans for more
than 100 million years, yet today, all six species of sea turtles in
U.S. waters are listed as either endangered or threatened under the
Endangered Species Act (ESA). Commercial fisheries alone are authorized
to kill 10,000 and injure an additional 334,000 turtles each year. This
mortality is compounded by other challenges such as marine debris,
pollution, coastal development, vessel strikes, and climate change.
Additional funding is needed to research the cumulative impact of these
threats, and to ensure the recovery of imperiled sea turtle
populations.
Marine Mammal Protection--$82.0 Million (Fiscal Year 2010 Enacted--
$49.7 Million)
Oceana requests that funding be restored to fiscal year 2005
enacted level of $82 million. There are 13 domestic species of marine
mammal that are currently protected under the ESA, all marine mammals
are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and NMFS is the
agency primarily responsible for their management. Increased funding is
needed for updated stock assessments and research cruises, bycatch
monitoring and reporting, research on avoidance and bycatch reduction
techniques, the formation of take reduction teams, and implementation
and enforcement of conservation measures for marine mammals.
NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE
Oil Spill Response and Restoration--$29.2 Million (Fiscal Year 2010
Enacted--$10.8 Million)
NOAA's office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) is the lead
trustee for the public's coastal natural resources and the scientific
leader for oil spill response, assessment, and restoration. OR&R's
mission is to respond to, protect and restore habitats, communities and
economies injured by oil spills, hazardous waste sites, and vessel
groundings. Renewed interest in oil drilling in the ocean threatens
marine life and ocean ecosystems. Starting in fiscal year 2004 OR&R saw
a steady decrease in its funding levels calling into question its
ability to respond to two major events simultaneously. Increased
funding levels are essential if OR&R is to return to its historic
funding levels and for OR&R to complete its designated mandates.
Integrated Ocean Acidification Initiative--$15.0 Million (New Program
in Fiscal Year 2011)
Our oceans absorb approximately 30 percent of anthropogenic carbon
dioxide emissions, amounting to more than 460 billion tons since the
Industrial Revolution. Once the carbon dioxide is absorbed, it reacts
with seawater to form carbonic acid. Among other things, the increased
acidity prevents marine organism, such as pterepods, mussels, oysters,
lobsters, and corals, from forming their calcified shells or skeletons.
The acidity of our oceans' surface water has already increased by
approximately 30 percent, and while the chemistry of this process is
well understood, the breadth of the impact that it will have on marine
ecosystems remains unknown. In 2009, Congress passed the Federal Ocean
Acidification Research and Monitoring Act which authorized
appropriations for ocean acidification research divided amongst NOAA
and NSF. This money will support new technologies, monitoring systems,
improved modeling, and dedicated research programs.
New Programs in NOAA this year include a new Climate Service and
work on Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning, as well as participation
in the Ocean Policy Task Force, as directed by President Obama. New
funding will be required to fulfill these new directives:
National Climate Service.--Will bring together all the agency's
climate science and products and make them available in one location,
which will allow for improved communication and coordination within the
agency, and will enhance accessibility to decisionmakers and the
general public. The Climate Service will build upon current climate
research, observations, modeling, predictions and assessments, but
aggregate the information in one place.
National Ocean Policy.--An Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force was
established on June 12, 2009 by President Obama. The Task Force was
charged with developing recommendations for a comprehensive national
policy for the protection, maintenance and restoration of our oceans,
coasts and Great Lakes; a structure to coordinate and implement the
policy throughout the Federal Government; and a framework for coastal
and marine spatial planning (CMSP). At the onset of President Obama's
administration, he said, ``We have a stewardship responsibility to
maintain healthy, resilient, and sustainable oceans, coasts, and Great
Lakes resources for the benefit of this and future generations.'' Now,
NOAA must be provided the resources to follow through.
Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning.--Is a tool to implement the
National Ocean Policy throughout U.S. waters and address the ever-
growing demands on our oceans such as renewable energy development,
commercial and recreational fisheries, protecting marine wildlife,
habitat protection, marine shipping, aquaculture, recreation, and many
other activities. An initial investment in MSP will allow the United
States to take a comprehensive approach to managing our coasts and
oceans, rather than relying on sector-by-sector management. MSP will
allow for improved planning with an emphasis on science-based
decisionmaking.
Thank you for your consideration of these recommendations.
Note.--Oceana received no funding from a Federal grant (or subgrant
thereof) or contract (or subcontract thereof) in the current fiscal
year or either of the two previous fiscal years.
______
Prepared Statement of the National Association of State Alcohol and
Drug Abuse Directors, Inc.
Chairwoman Mikulski, Ranking Member Shelby, members of the
subcommittee, thank you for your leadership on issues related to
addiction. I serve as executive director of the National Association of
State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors or NASADAD, which includes our
component groups the National Prevention Network (NPN) and National
Treatment Network (NTN). Our members are responsible and accountable
for planning, managing and improving each State's substance abuse
prevention, treatment and recovery system.
State Substance Abuse Agency-supported Services to Criminal Justice
Populations.--In a NASADAD inquiry of the membership released in
February 2009, State substance abuse directors were asked to estimate
the percentage of cases referred to them from the criminal justice
system. NASADAD found that 13 States estimated between 31 and 40
percent; 12 States estimated between 41 and 50 percent; 10 States
estimated between 51 and 60 percent; and 3 States estimated between 61
and 70 percent of referrals came from the criminal justice system.
The principle source of funding for NASADAD members is SAMHSA's
Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant, which
represents 40 percent of State substance abuse agency expenditures. Yet
funding for the SAPT Block Grant has been stagnant over the past few
years. While we certainly appreciate the increase of $20 million for
the program in fiscal year 2010, it is estimated that an additional
$403.7 million was needed just to maintain services at fiscal year 2004
levels.
As a result, DOJ-supported programs represent an extremely critical
resource for State substance abuse agencies as they provide services to
such a large percentage of criminal justice populations. A critical
component of this work is the promotion of policies that require strong
and direct linkages between Federal programs pertaining to addiction
and State substance abuse agency directors. This direct linkage helps
promote clinically appropriate standards of care; accurate performance
and outcome data; and effective, efficient and coordinated service
delivery.
Fiscal Year 2011 Recommendations.--We respectfully ask for your
support of the following recommendations as you consider fiscal year
2011 appropriations for DOJ programs:
--Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT)--$45 million.--NASADAD
supports $45 million, an increase of $15 million compared to
fiscal year 2010, for the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment
(RSAT) program. RSAT benefits all 50 States by awarding grants
for the establishment of drug treatment programs within State
and local correctional facilities. These grants call for
collaboration between the criminal justice administrators and
State substance abuse agencies to help ensure that evidence-
based practices and qualified personnel are available to assist
offenders address their substance abuse problems. With an
estimated 80 percent of all offenders in the criminal justice
system having some level of substance abuse problem, programs
like RSAT that offer treatment during incarceration, matched
with aftercare services, are vital to any successful reentry
strategy.
--Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL)--$25 million.--NASADAD is
extremely concerned with the administration's proposal to
consolidate all title V programs within the Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) into one funding
stream. This proposal would have the effect of eliminating the
EUDL program which is housed within title V.
The EUDL program is allocated as a block grant to every State and
the District of Columbia in order to help reduce underage drinking and
improve public safety through the enforcement of laws, policies and
sanctions. The EUDL program also includes discretionary grant portfolio
to help local jurisdictions initiate and maintain underage drinking
laws programs. Overall, EUDL encourages collaboration between State
agencies, which is critical when establishing a comprehensive Statewide
underage drinking strategy. In addition to alcohol compliance checks,
States use the funds to help local coalitions, schools and communities
expand their substance abuse prevention efforts and their work with law
enforcement. EUDL is a critical tool that helps law enforcement and the
prevention and treatment field work together to reduce the negative
effects of underage drinking.
The proposal to eliminate EUDL funding arrives during a time when
substance abuse prevention resources are dwindling. In fiscal year
2010, the Department of Education's Safe and Drug Free Schools and
Communities (SDFSC)--State Grants program was eliminated--representing
a loss of approximately $300 million. In fiscal year 2011, the
administration is proposing a $9 million decrease in the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Drug Free
Communities (DFC) grant program. The loss of EUDL funds would represent
another devastating loss for State substance abuse prevention systems.
NASADAD requests level funding, or $25 million, for the EUDL program.
Second Chance Act Programs.--NASADAD is supportive of funding for
Second Chance Act programs. The statute itself notes the importance of
State substance abuse agencies, noting ``successful reentry programs
require close interaction and collaboration with each State's Single
State Authority for Substance Abuse as the program is planned,
implemented and evaluated.'' While NASADAD supports finding for all
Second Chance Act programs, we offer specific recommendations for the
following:
--Adult and Juvenile Offender State and Local Reentry Demonstration
Projects--$50 million.--The Adult and Juvenile Offender State
and Local Reentry Demonstration Projects provide grants to
State and local governments to coordinate reentry efforts and
establish best practices. Allowable uses of the funds include
substance abuse treatment, employment services, housing, mental
health treatment, mentoring, among other things. The
authorization also requires a strong linkage with the State
substance abuse agency. NASADAD believes that the projects are
vital in helping offenders successfully reenter society and
requests $50 million in fiscal year 2011, an increase of $13
million compared to fiscal year 2010.
--State, Tribal and Local Reentry Courts--$15 million.--The State,
Tribal and Local Reentry Courts program authorizes the Attorney
General to make competitive grants to States, local
governments, and Indian tribes that improve drug treatment in
prisons, jails, juvenile facilities; develop and implement
programs for ``long-term substance abusers'' through
assessment, treatment and case management; provide recovery
support services; and establish pharmacological treatment
services as part of drug treatment programs. Each eligible
applicant must certify that the program has been developed in
consultation with the State substance abuse agency. NASADAD
requests $15 million for the reentry courts in fiscal year
2011, representing an increase of $5 million compared to fiscal
year 2010.
--Grants for Family-Based Substance Abuse Treatment--$12.5 million.--
The Second Chance Act authorized grants to States, local
governments and Indian tribes to develop and implement
comprehensive family-based substance abuse treatment programs.
The program must ensure coordination and consultation with the
State substance abuse agency. NASADAD requests $12.5 million
for this program in fiscal year 2011, representing an increase
of $5 million compared to fiscal year 2010.
--Offender Reentry Substance Abuse and Criminal Justice Collaboration
Program--$15 million.--The Second Chance Act authorized
competitive grants to States, local governments, and Indian
tribes for the purpose of improving drug treatment programs in
prisons, jails, juvenile facilities and reducing drug and
alcohol use by ``long-term substance abusers.'' Grants may
support assessments, treatment, case management services,
recovery support, and pharmacological drug treatment services
as part of any drug treatment program. Each eligible applicant
must certify that the program has been developed in
consultation with the State substance abuse agency and certify
the program is clinically appropriate and provides
comprehensive treatment. NASADAD requests $15 million for this
program in fiscal year 2011, for an increase of $2 million
compared to fiscal year 2010.
Drug Courts--$65 million.--DOJ's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
reports that all 50 States and the District of Columbia, several Native
American Tribal courts, two territories and two Federal courts operate
drug courts. Drug courts work to address the high level of drug use and
abuse found within the non-violent offender population by linking them
to substance abuse treatment programs. Reports have shown drug courts
to improve retention rates--a significant factor in recovery--and
reduce recidivism. The Association also encourages strong linkages with
State substance abuse agencies in the planning and implementation of
the Drug Court Program. This partnership will ensure that drug courts
use clinical treatment standards set by the State substance abuse
agency, discourage system fragmentation, promote sustainability and
encourage the use of common client level performance and outcomes data.
NASADAD opposes the administration's fiscal year 2011 proposal to
consolidate the Drug Court and Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and
Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA) programs into a Problem Solving Court
Program. The Association recommends stakeholder dialogue and consensus
before any such changes are proposed. NASADAD recommends implementing
$65 million for the Drug Court Program in fiscal year 2011,
representing an increase of $20 million compared to fiscal year 2010.
Mentally Ill Offender Act Program--$15 million.--The Mentally Ill
Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA) is an authorized
program aimed at preventing the mentally ill and those with co-
occurring mental health and substance use disorders from revolving in
and out of the criminal justice system without appropriate treatment.
Again, the Association remains concerned about the proposal to
consolidate the MIOTCRA program with the Drug Court Program. While one
aspect of the MIOTCRA program focuses on mental health courts, a large
piece of the program seeks to foster collaboration between the criminal
justice, mental health and substance abuse agencies to ensure that
mentally ill offenders receive the appropriate treatment services they
need. We hope that Congress will provide $15 million for the MIOTCRA
program in fiscal year 2011, representing an increase of $3 million
compared to fiscal year 2010.
Byrne/Justice Assistance Grants (JAG)--$1.1 billion.--The Edward
Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program is the primary
provider of Federal funding for criminal justice activities to State
and local jurisdictions. This program supports a broad range of
activities including education, prevention and treatment for substance
use. Specifically, the 2007 application notes that a core purpose area
is drug treatment programming. NASADAD encourages strong linkages with
State substance abuse agencies in the planning and implementation of
Byrne/JAG. NASADAD joins our criminal justice coalition partners in
calling for the authorized funding level of $1.1 billion in fiscal year
2011.
Appreciation DOJ-SAMHSA Partnership.--NASADAD recognizes the work
of DOJ and SAMHSA as they partner on issues pertaining to addiction and
crime. This work has moved forward under the leadership of Ms. Laurie
Robinson, Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs (OJP);
Ms. Pam Hyde, SAMHSA Administrator; Dr. Eric Broderick, SAMHSA's Deputy
Administrator; Dr. H. Westley Clark, Director of the Center for
Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT); and others.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide input. We look forward to
working with the subcommittee on these important issues.
______
Prepared Statement of the Natural Science Collections Alliance
The Natural Science Collections Alliance (NSC Alliance) appreciates
the opportunity to provide testimony about the President's fiscal year
2011 budget request for the National Science Foundation (NSF). We
encourage Congress to appropriate the President's requested $7.424
billion for NSF.
NSC Alliance is a nonprofit association that supports natural
science collections, their human resources, the institutions that house
them, and their research activities for the benefit of science and
society. We are comprised of over 100 institutions who are part of an
international community of museums, botanical gardens, herbariums,
universities and other institutions that house natural science
collections and utilize them in research, exhibitions, academic and
informal science education, and outreach activities.
The NSF drives scientific and general economic innovation and
supports job creation through research grant awards to scientists and
research institutions, supporting the acquisition of research
instruments and investments in research infrastructure, and supporting
the education and training of undergraduate and graduate students.
These and other NSF programs underpin the Nation's research enterprise.
Research funded by NSF generates knowledge and ideas that spur economic
growth, stimulate innovation, and improve our understanding of the
world in which we live.
The President's budget request for fiscal year 2011 would invest
$6.019 billion in the Research and Related Activities (R&RA)
programmatic accounts. Through R&RA, the agency supports innovative
research that advances the frontiers of our natural, physical and
social science disciplines. Included within this request is $767.81
million for the Biological Sciences Directorate (BIO), a 7.5 percent
increase over the fiscal year 2010 enacted.
The President's budget would provide the Geosciences Directorate
(GEO) with $955.3 million in fiscal year 2011, a 7.4 percent increase.
As the primary Federal funder of basic biological research, BIO
serves a vital role in ensuring our Nation's global leadership in the
biological sciences. BIO provides 68 percent of Federal grant support
for fundamental biological research conducted at our Nation's
universities and other nonprofit research centers, such as natural
history museums. The Directorate supports transformative research that
has improved our understanding of complex living systems and is helping
to address major new challenges--mitigating and adapting to climate
change, understanding and conserving biodiversity, and developing new
bio-inspired technologies.
NSF provides essential support for our Nation's natural science
collections. These research centers enable scientists and students to
study the data of life for the history of the planet, conduct modern
biological, geological, cultural, and environmental research, and
provide undergraduate and graduate students with the opportunity to
learn directly from nature.
The President's budget request for NSF includes important funding
for natural science collections. Ten million dollars is allocated to
continue efforts to digitize and network U.S. specimen-based research
collections. This funding is desperately needed to increase access to
the data and specimens in our Nation's scientific collections.
Collections play a central role in many fields of biological research,
including disease ecology and predicting outbreaks of disease,
biodiversity, and climate change. They also provide critical
information about existing gaps in our knowledge of life on Earth.
The importance of scientific collections to our Nation's research
infrastructure was recognized by the Federal Interagency Working Group
on Scientific Collections, which reported that: ``. . . scientific
collections are essential to supporting agency missions and are thus
vital to supporting the global research enterprise.''
The fiscal year 2011 budget request includes important funding to
continue efforts to better understand biodiversity. Funding is included
for cross-disciplinary research to define the impacts of biodiversity
on ecosystem services and human well-being. Additionally, the Science,
Engineering, and Education for Sustainability (SEES) program would
continue to study the scope and role of biodiversity in climate
adaptation and ecosystem sustainability.
Within the R&RA program, GEO provides some support for research and
student training opportunities at natural science collections. GEO
supports cross disciplinary research on the interactions between
Earth's living and non-living systems--research that has important
implications for our understanding of climate change, water and natural
resource management, and biodiversity.
The President's budget provides important funding for the Informal
Science Education program within the Education and Human Resources
division. This program works to advance our understanding of informal
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning. This
program supports projects that create tools and resources for STEM
educators working in science museums and outside of traditional
classrooms. The Informal Science Education program builds professional
capacity for research, development, and practice in the field. The
administration's fiscal year 2011 budget would decrease funding for the
program by $1.6 million from fiscal year 2010 enacted. This program is
too important to the future of our Nation to have its budget cut. We
encourage Congress to restore the proposed cut and to provide important
new funding for the Informal Science Education program.
A sustained Federal investment in NSF is prudent. Public
investments in biological sciences research have been shown to generate
a $2 to $10 return on each dollar invested. The President's budget
request for NSF will help spur economic growth and innovation and
continue to build scientific capacity at a time when our Nation is at
risk of being outpaced by our global competitors. Please support an
investment of $7.424 billion in NSF for fiscal year 2011.
Thank you for your consideration of this request.
______
Prepared Statement of the Marine Fish Conservation Network
On behalf of the nearly 200 environmental organizations, fishing
associations, aquariums, and marine science groups dedicated to
conserving marine fish and achieving sustainable fisheries, the Marine
Fish Conservation Network submits the following testimony for the
record on the fiscal year 2010 budget for National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). For fiscal year 2011, the Network is asking the
subcommittee to increase funding for core fisheries conservation and
management programs $69.2 million above the President's fiscal year
2011 budget request, in the following program areas:
NMFS FISHERIES RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT BUDGET LINES
[In millions of dollars \1\]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fiscal Year
Fiscal Year 2011 Fisal Year
2010 Enacted President's 2011 MFCN
Budget Budget Request
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Expand annual stock assessments................................. 50.9 51.7 61.7
Survey and monitoring........................................... 23.7 24.1 30.0
Fisheries statistics............................................ 21.0 21.4 32.4
Observer program................................................ 41.0 38.8 60.0
Cooperative research............................................ 17.5 7.1 17.1
Reducing bycatch................................................ 3.4 3.4 10.0
Reduce fishery impacts to EFH................................... 0.5 0.5 5.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Numbers rounded to nearest $100,000.
NOAA and NMFS are responsible for the management and conservation
of fisheries resources that are the economic lifeblood of many coastal
communities, but NOAA Fisheries has long been underfunded and needs
additional resources to meet its conservation mandates for
fisheries.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ See, for instance, USCOP (2004), pp. 274-304, and NOAA/NMFS,
Requirements for Improved and Integrated Conservation of Fisheries,
Protected Resources and Habitat, January 2003.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recent budget increases supported by this subcommittee have enabled
NMFS to expand its data collection and stock assessment capabilities,
but significantly more support is needed to address the needs of our
Nation's fisheries. For instance, NOAA's own analysis indicates that
current funding levels for expanded stock assessments provide the
capability to assess less than 60 percent of the 230 major fish stocks
that comprise the Fish Stock Sustainability Index (FSSI).\2\ Without
increased funding for improved data collection and expanded stock
assessments, many fishery annual catch limits (ACLs) will be determined
without assessments or using assessments that are infrequently updated.
In such cases, fishery managers are compelled to set ACLs lower to
account for the higher uncertainty and risk of overfishing. Funding to
improve stock assessments decreases uncertainty and therefore may allow
increased fishing opportunities.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ See President's fiscal year 2010 budget request, Congressional
Submission, Exhibit 13, pp. 215-217.
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Additional resources are also needed to support improved data
collection and management of our recreational fisheries. Despite their
often sizeable economic importance to coastal communities, much less
data is collected from recreational fisheries than commercial
fisheries.\3\ The lack of timely recreational fisheries data has
created situations in which recreational fisheries must be managed
using Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey (MRFSS) data that
are not designed for the purpose of preventing fisheries from exceeding
ACLs. We urge the subcommittee to address this shortcoming and provide
funding for a recreational fishery data collection system that
prioritizes the timely collection and analysis of recreational catch
data.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ USCOP (2004), p. 281.
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Therefore, we request increases in the following NMFS Fisheries
Management and Research programs for activities related to the
collection of baseline data collection supporting the implementation of
the new mandates and requirements of the MSRA aimed at ending
overfishing and achieving sustainable, productive fisheries:
Expand Stock Assessments: +$10 Million Over the President's Request
for a Total of $61.7 Million.--The Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2010
funds this program at NOAA's requested fiscal year 2010 level of $50.9
million. While we welcome and support the increase in funding, it is
not sufficient to achieve the agency's goal of developing stock
assessments for all 230 major stocks in the Fish Stock Sustainability
Index (FSSI). Fishery managers have substantially greater confidence
that catch limits will prevent overfishing when the ACLs are based on
an assessment. The requested funding level we request in fiscal year
2011 is needed to ramp up the capability to provide stock assessments
for all major fisheries. Timely, updated stock assessments will reduce
the scientific uncertainty and may enable fishery managers to set
higher ACLs while still preventing overfishing and rebuilding
overfished stocks.
Survey and Monitoring Projects: +$6 Million Over the President's
Request for a Total of $30 Million.--The enacted fiscal year 2010
budget restores funding for this program to the level sought by NOAA in
the fiscal year 2009 budget request in recognition of the fact that
this activity provides essential baseline data needed for developing
and updating stock assessments. Nevertheless, many regions will
continue to experience chronic underfunding of basic resource surveys
and data collection (both fishery-independent resource surveys and
fishery catch sampling and monitoring) required to support stock
assessment development and scientific recommendations for catch limits.
We request that fiscal year 2011 funding for this program be increased
to at least $30 million in order to support expanded resource surveys
and improved stock assessments in all regions, for both commercial and
recreational fisheries. Additional funding will improve scientific
estimates of stock size and reduce uncertainty, improving the ability
of fishery managers to set ACLs that prevent overfishing while
increasing fishing opportunities.
Fisheries Statistics: +$11 Million Over the President's Request for
a Total of $32.4 Million.--The 2006 amendments to the Magnuson Stevens
Act required NMFS to improve the quality and accuracy of marine
recreational fishery data with a goal of achieving acceptable accuracy
and utility for each fishery within 2 years. The Omnibus Appropriations
Act of 2010 includes $9 million in total funding for the Marine
Recreational Information Program (MRIP), less than one-half of the $20
million per year that is needed to fully implement the MRIP and expand
the National Registry to State and Federal waters. We recommend a
funding level of $32.4 million for fiscal year 2011, reflecting an
increase of $11 million over the President's fiscal year 2011 request
to the MRIP to provide more timely data needed to manage recreational
fishery catch limits and avoid overages that can result in reduced
fishing opportunities in future years.
Fisheries Observers/Training: +$21.2 Million Over the President's
Request for a Total of $60 Million.--The President's fiscal year 2011
budget request would cut observer program funding from $41 million in
fiscal year 2010 to $38.8 million. Current funding levels support at-
sea observer programs in about 40 fisheries nationwide, only 23 of
which were considered by NMFS to have adequate levels of observer
coverage in 2009.\4\ Nearly three-quarters of U.S. fisheries assessed
for observer coverage have very little or no coverage, based on a 2004
national bycatch assessment \5\ and updated information in 2009.\6\
Additional funding for observers will provide improved fisheries catch
and bycatch data that is essential to produce stock assessments, reduce
bycatch, monitor fishery compliance with catch limits, and increase
industry confidence in scientific information used to set catch limits.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ See President's fiscal year 2010 budget request, Congressional
Submission, Exhibit 13, p. 245. The full list of fisheries prioritized
for observer coverage in 2004 can be found in: U.S. Dep. of Commerce/
NOAA/NMFS, Evaluating Bycatch: A National Approach to Standardized
Bycatch Monitoring Programs, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-F/SPO-66,
October 2004. 108 p.
\5\ The full list of fisheries assessed for observer coverage in
2004 can be found in: U.S. Dep. of Commerce/NOAA/NMFS, Evaluating
Bycatch: A National Approach to Standardized Bycatch Monitoring
Programs, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-F/SPO-66, October 2004. 108 p.
\6\ See President's fiscal year 2010 budget request, Congressional
Submission, Exhibit 13, p. 245.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cooperative Research: +$10 Million Over the President's Request for
a Total of $17.1 Million.--The President's fiscal year 2011 budget
proposes to cut $4.56 million from this budget line and transfer
another $6 million to cooperative research under the Catch Shares
budget line. Funding for this budget line supports research in
partnership with fishermen to help improve the quality of fish
assessments and assessment of non-target bycatch mortality, among other
things. In addition to contributing to more assessment information,
cooperative research funds partnerships between key stakeholders and
NMFS, increasing stakeholder confidence in the data and creating a more
transparent process. The amount requested for this budget line is
intended to restore the funding that the President's budget proposes to
remove, in order to provide additional opportunities for cooperative
research in fisheries that are not part of catch share programs.
Bycatch Monitoring and Reduction: +$6.6 Million Over the
President's Request for a Total of $10 Million.--The President's fiscal
year 2011 request $3.4 million maintains stable funding for this
program, but current funding is woefully inadequate to address the
scope of the problem. Greater funding is needed to develop and test
bycatch reduction technologies, to support cooperative research
opportunities with fishermen, and to collect and process reliable
fisheries bycatch information for use in stock assessments and
management decisionmaking. The Network recommends that Congress provide
at least $10 million in fiscal year 2011 for the Bycatch Reduction
Initiative as part of a plan to ramp up program funding toward the $30
million per year level recommended by the U.S. Commission on Ocean
Policy.\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ See USCOP 2004: Table 30.1; Appendix G.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reduce Fishing Impacts on Essential Fish Habitat (EFH): +$4.5
Million Over the President's Request for a Total of $5.0 Million.--The
President's fiscal year 2011 request of $0.53 million would keep this
program on life support, and the low level of funding for this budget
line item speaks to the low priority given to protection of vulnerable
EFH. The Magnuson-Stevens Act of 1996 gave fishery managers a clear
mandate to identify and protect EFH. Healthy fish habitat is an
essential precondition for rebuilding overfished stocks and sustaining
fisheries over the long-term. Program funding should reflect that
importance. The Network recommends that Congress provide no less than
$5 million in fiscal year 2011 for EFH conservation as part of a plan
to ramp up program funding toward the $15 million per year level
recommended by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy.\8\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ USCOP 2004: Table 30.1; Appendix G.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Increased investments in these fisheries programs will improve
efforts to set sustainable catch limits and monitor compliance,
facilitate the rebuilding of fisheries to meet their full economic and
biological potential, and increase fishing industry confidence in the
science being used to make management decisions.
______
Prepared Statement of National Public Radio
Chairwoman Mikulski and Ranking Member Shelby, this statement
asking for an increase in funding for the fiscal year 2011 Public
Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) is submitted on behalf of
the public radio system including NPR and the roughly 800 public radio
stations that serve communities large and small throughout the United
States. While everyone recognizes that these are extraordinarily
challenging times, PTFP has been significantly underfunded for the past
several years. Each year of underfunding brings the consequence of
reduced public radio service. Public broadcasting's request of $44
million for PTFP will begin to address the long list of pressing needs
within the public broadcasting station community. This level of funding
will ensure that public radio stations can improve and expand their
valued public service offerings to local communities nationwide. As the
chairwoman and Senator Shelby well know, PTFP is the only Federal
funding program that assists stations with replacement of equipment
that has been damaged or simply worn out.
NPR and its more than 850 public radio station partners operate as
an independent, nonprofit media organizations nationally acclaimed for
news, information, music and entertainment programming. Today, more
Americans than ever--over 33 million people--are tuning into public
radio programming and listening to NPR and public radio stations on a
weekly basis. Our audience has grown 66 percent in the past 10 years,
bucking a precipitous decline in other media and a general overall
decline in radio listening. Public radio stations independently select
and produce community appropriate programming that best serves their
listening areas.
Since 1962, public radio stations have utilized PTFP grants for
replacement, maintenance and necessary upgrades of audio production and
broadcast transmission equipment. PTFP is a competitive matching grant
program to help public broadcasters, State and local governments, and
Native American tribes construct facilities to bring educational and
cultural programs to the public. Run by the National Telecommunications
and Information Administration (NTIA) under the Department of Commerce,
this program provides financial assistance to stations for capital
projects such as replacing outdated hardware, purchasing new equipment
to expand service to underserved and un-served areas, and converting to
digital technology.
This essential capital grant program is available to public
broadcasters, many of whom are constrained in their ability to finance
capital expenditures. Stations cannot pass their costs on to their
listeners, and most cannot take out loans for such projects, especially
in this challenging economic climate and those in rural areas. The
matching-grant structure of PTFP allows public radio stations to
leverage funding from local government and private entities while
providing the money needed to help defray the high costs of capital
projects.
Fiscal year 2011 brings an important opportunity for public radio
broadcasters. In 2007, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
opened a filing window for non-commercial educational radio stations,
the first such frequency filing opportunity in more than 7 years. The
response from public radio stations has been enormous, with several
hundred applications filed for new frequencies to improve or provide
first service for communities across America. Each of these new
frequencies, once approved by the FCC, will require a station build-
out, adding to the vitally important matching grant financing provided
by PTFP.
The subcommittee should also be made aware that 35 new stations
serving tribal communities are waiting to be built. The tribal
participation in the FCC's 2007 new frequency window indicates that
Native Americans are highly interested in securing terrestrial radio
stations for their communities. Radio still works in Indian Country
where broadband penetration is less than 10 percent, where 911 services
are sparse and where roads remain to be paved. These stations are
anchor institutions, engaging tribal members in the information stream
about health, public safety, education, and electoral processes.
The demand for PTFP funding far exceeds the amount of funds
available. In fiscal year 2009, there were over 220 applications
requesting more than $48 million in funding through PTFP, yet only $20
million was made available. Unfortunately, budget constraints have
limited the amount of funds available for PTFP grants. Annual
appropriations for the program in fiscal year 2004 were cut by 50
percent (from $43.2 million in fiscal year 2003 to $21.8 million).
Funding levels for the past 7 years have remained at that level or
lower. Increasing PTFP this year to its pre-2004 level of $44 million
will help to meet the demand for this small, but important program, to
help them to expand coverage to underserved and un-served areas.
In this era of local public radio stations utilizing digital
technology to expand their public service reach, computer systems rely
on software which needs constant updating and replacement. PTFP funding
will be essential to stations that need to maintain reliable digital
equipment and service that meets the needs of their communities. PTFP
funding is the primary funding source for station equipment and
technology needs.
In fiscal year 2009, PTFP approved 63 radio awards totaling $6.422
million. The largest radio grant went to construct a new public radio
station on 90.5 MHz in Shiprock, New Mexico, that will provide first
and local origination service to 31,883 people and additional service
to 11,166 people on the Navajo Indian Reservation and the Four Corners
area of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah.
Thirty-five radio grants were awarded to extend new public radio
service to over 400,000 people and provide additional service to almost
2 million people. Two of the projects will fund booster stations to
improve service to portions of New York City where coverage is shadowed
by Manhattan skyscrapers. Communities that will receive first or
expanded public radio service are: Bella Vista, Burney and Susanville,
CA; Boulder, Dove Creek, Montrose, Salida and Wiley CO; Milledgeville
and Young Harris, GA; Caldwell, ID; Manhattan, KS; Frederick, MD;
Cloquet, Hinkley, Nett Lake and Redwood Falls, MN; Greenville, MS; Box
Elder (Rocky Boy Indian Reservation), MT; Okracoke, NC; Fort Totten,
ND; Des Moines, Shiprock (Navajo Indian Reservation) and Tucumcari, NM;
Acra, Mt. Beacon and New York City, NY; Bend and Brightwood, OR;
Spearfish/Belle Fourche, SD; Gloucester Point, Gloucester Courthouse
and Lexington, VA; Medical Lake, Mount Vernon and Port Townsend, WA;
and Fort Washakie (Wind River Indian Reservation), WY.
A grant will permit KPBX-FM, Spokane, WA, to distribute additional
program streams for broadcast on five digital repeater stations in
Omak, Oroville, Twisp, and Brewster, WA; and Kellogg, ID. Also, NPR was
awarded a planning grant to determine the feasibility of digital
conversion of radio reading services for the blind and low vision
community.
Maintaining service is also one of PTFP's main priorities. PTFP is
the only source of funds for local public radio stations to replace
equipment damaged or destroyed by disasters such as hurricanes,
tornados, floods, wildfires, earthquakes and ice storms. In fiscal year
2009, the program awarded 26 projects to replace urgently needed
equipment at public radio stations. PTFP priorities when issuing grants
include expansion of public broadcasting to underserved and un-served
areas of the country. For more than 46 years, the program has played a
major role in the development and expansion of public radio throughout
the country. Today, more than 93 percent of the American public can
listen to a public radio station in their community.
On behalf of public radio stations all across America, NPR urges
the subcommittee to approve $44 million for PTFP.
______
Prepared Statement of the American Geological Institute
To the chairwoman and members of the subcommittee: The American
Geological Institute (AGI) supports fundamental Earth science research
sustained by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA). Frontier research on Earth, energy and the
environment has fueled economic growth, mitigated losses and sustained
our quality of life. The subcommittee's leadership in expanding the
Federal investment in basic research is even more critical as our
Nation competes with rapidly developing countries, such as China and
India, for energy, mineral, air and water resources. Our Nation needs
skilled geoscientists to help explore, assess and develop Earth's
resources in a strategic, sustainable and environmentally-sound manner
and to help understand, evaluate and reduce our risks to hazards. AGI
supports a total budget of $7.424 billion for NSF; $919 million for
NIST, $5.554 billion for NOAA, and $1.802 billion for Earth Science at
NASA.
AGI is a nonprofit federation of 46 geoscientific and professional
societies representing more than 120,000 geologists, geophysicists, and
other Earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information
services to geoscientists, serves as a voice for shared interests in
our profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience
education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role
the geosciences play in society's use of resources and interaction with
the environment.
NSF.--AGI applauds the President's request for an overall budget of
$7.424 billion for NSF and the administration's commitment to science.
AGI greatly appreciates Congress's support for science and technology
in recent appropriations and through the America COMPETES Act of 2007
as well as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The
forward-looking investments in NSF are fiscally responsible and will
pay important dividends in future development and innovation that
drives economic growth, especially in critical areas of sustainable and
economic natural resources and reduced risks from natural hazards. The
investments will save jobs, create new jobs, support students and
provide training for a 21st century workforce.
NSF Geosciences Directorate.--The Geosciences Directorate (GEO) is
the principal source of Federal support for academic Earth scientists
and their students who are seeking to understand the processes that
ultimately sustain and transform life on this planet. About 63 percent
of support for university-based geosciences research comes from this
directorate.
The President's request for fiscal year 2011 asks for $281 million
for Atmospheric Sciences, $199 million for Earth Sciences, $378 million
for Ocean Sciences and $98 million for Innovative and Collaborative
Education and Research (ICER) within GEO. Much of the geosciences
research budget is for understanding that which is critical for current
national needs, such as climate change, water and mineral resources,
energy resources, environmental issues and mitigation of natural
hazards. AGI asks the subcommittee to strongly support these essential
investments.
GEO supports infrastructure and operation and maintenance costs for
cutting edge facilities that are essential for basic and applied
research. Ultimately the observations and data provide information and
understanding that is used by researchers and managers in the public,
government and private sector. Among the major facilities, the Academic
Research Fleet would receive $77 million, EarthScope Operation would
receive $26 million, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology
(IRIS) would receive $12.73 million, Ocean Drilling Activities would
receive $46 million, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research
would receive $108 million. AGI strongly supports robust and steady
funding for infrastructure and operation and maintenance of these major
facilities.
Now is the time to boost geosciences research and education to fill
the draining pipeline of skilled geoscientists and geo-engineers
working in the energy and mining industries; the construction industry;
the environmental industry; the academic community; K-12 education; and
in Government, such as the United States Geological Survey as well as
State and local government natural resource and emergency management
agencies.
NSF Support for Earth Science Education.--Congress can improve the
Nation's scientific literacy by supporting the full integration of
Earth science information into mainstream science education at the K-12
and college levels. AGI supports the Math and Science Partnership (MSP)
program, a competitive peer-reviewed grant program that funds only the
highest quality proposals at NSF. The NSF's MSP program focuses on
modeling, testing and identification of high-quality math and science
activities whereas the Department of Education MSP program does not.
The NSF and Department of Education MSP programs are complementary and
are both necessary to continue to reach the common goal of providing
world-class science and mathematics education to elementary and
secondary school students.
Improving geoscience education to levels of recognition similar to
other scientific disciplines is important because:
--Geoscience offers students subject matter that has direct
application to their lives and the world around them, including
energy, minerals, water and environmental stewardship. All
students should be required to take a geoscience course.
--Geoscience exposes students to a range of interrelated scientific
disciplines. It is an excellent vehicle for integrating the
theories and methods of chemistry, physics, biology, and
mathematics. A robust geoscience course would make an excellent
capstone for applying lessons learned from earlier class work.
--Geoscience awareness is a key element in reducing the impact of
natural hazards on citizens--hazards that include earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. Informal
geoscience education that leads to reducing risks and preparing
for natural events should be a life-long goal.
--Geoscience provides the foundation for tomorrow's leaders in
research, education, utilization and policy making for Earth's
resources and our Nation's strategic, economic, sustainable and
environmentally-sound natural resources development. There are
not enough U.S.-trained geoscientists to meet current demand
and the gap is growing. Support for geoscience research and
education is necessary to stay competitive and to wisely manage
our natural resources.
NOAA.--AGI supports the President's request for increased funding
for NOAA for a total budget of $5.554 billion. AGI supports the
requested increases for the National Weather Service for analysis,
modeling and upgrading of observing systems; for the Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research program; and for the National Environment
Satellite, Data and Information Service. All three programs are
critical for understanding and mitigating natural and human-induced
hazards in the Earth system while sustaining our natural resources. AGI
continues to support the implementation of the U.S. Ocean Action Plan
of 2004 and believes the funding requests are consistent with the
recommendations of the plan.
NIST.--We applaud the President's request for an increase in
research and related funding for NIST in fiscal 2011 for a total budget
of $919 million. Basic research at NIST is conducted by Earth
scientists and geotechnical engineers and used by Earth scientists,
geotechnical engineers and many others on a daily basis. The research
conducted and the information gained is essential for understanding
climate change and natural hazards in order to build resilient
communities and stimulate economic growth with reduced impact from
risk.
In particular, we strongly support increases for Measurements and
Standards for the Climate Change Science Program, Disaster Resilient
Structures and Communities and the National Earthquake Hazards
Reduction Program (NEHRP). The climate change research will improve the
accuracy of climate change measurements, may reduce satellite costs and
may help to guide climate change policy. The hazards research will help
to reduce the estimated average of $52 billion in annual losses caused
by floods, fires and earthquakes. NIST is the lead agency for NEHRP,
but has received only a small portion of authorized and essential
funding in the past. AGI strongly supports a doubling of the NIST
budget over 5 to 7 years as authorized in the America COMPETES Act of
2007, so that core research functions at NIST are maintained, while
needed funding for climate change and hazards are provided.
NASA.--AGI supports the vital Earth observing programs within NASA.
AGI strongly supports the requested budget of $1.8002 billion for Earth
Science programs within the Science Mission Directorate at NASA. The
investments are needed to implement the priorities of the National
Academies Earth Science and Applications from Space Decadal Survey.
NASA needs to maintain its current fleet of Earth-observing satellites,
launch the next tier and accelerate development of the subsequent tier
of missions. The observations and understanding about our dynamic Earth
gained from these missions is critical and needed as soon as possible.
In addition some satellites need to be launched at a particular time
and in a particular sequence to meet mission objectives. The requested
increase for fiscal 2011 and proposed increases for future years are
wise and well-planned investments and AGI requests the support of the
subcommittee for this budget outline.
I appreciate this opportunity to provide testimony to the
subcommittee and would be pleased to answer any questions or to provide
additional information for the record.
______
Prepared Statement of SEARCH, The National Consortium for Justice
Information and Statistics
INTRODUCTION
I am Ron Hawley, executive director of SEARCH. Thank you,
chairwomen and members of the subcommittee for the opportunity to speak
to you today and for your past support. The efforts of your outstanding
subcommittee staff are also greatly appreciated. SEARCH has requested a
$500,000 earmark from the Department of Justice, Byrne Discretionary
Grant Program in the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
appropriation bill for the SEARCH Justice Information Sharing Technical
Assistance Program.
SEARCH is a State criminal justice support organization comprised
of Governors' appointees from each State. Each State pays dues
annually. SEARCH's mission is to promote the effective use of
information and identification technology by criminal justice agencies
nationwide.
PAST SEARCH PROGRAMS
SEARCH has a well-earned record for providing on-site technical
assistance and training to State and local criminal justice agencies in
the planning, development, implementation and management of information
sharing activities for over 40 years. This record and our
qualifications were recognized by the U.S. House of Representatives in
Resolution 851 passed on November 17, 2009. Because of these
qualifications, SEARCH has been a key partner with the U.S. Department
of Justice and member of the Global Information Sharing Initiative
(Global) working to develop the tools and resources needed by these
agencies. This participation uniquely positions SEARCH with expert
knowledge of the design, use and implementation of these resources.
For more than 20 years, SEARCH operated the highly regarded
National Technical Assistance and Training Program, the only no-cost
service for small- and medium-sized criminal justice agencies to assist
them in: (1) enhancing and upgrading their information systems; (2)
building integrated information systems that all criminal justice
agencies need; (3) promoting compatibility between local systems and
State, regional and national systems; (4) developing and delivering
high-tech anti-crime training; and (5) providing computer forensic
technical assistance support.
However, in recognition of the rapid advancements in information
sharing technology, SEARCH has updated and improved our program
offerings and proposes to implement a new program, the SEARCH Justice
Information Sharing Technical Assistance Program.
THE SEARCH JUSTICE INFORMATION SHARING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
The SEARCH Justice Information Sharing Technical Assistance Program
would support Congress and the administration's goals in reducing crime
and recidivism. SEARCH proposes to use the funding to provide direct
assistance to State and local criminal justice agencies in the
Sacramento area and throughout California where those activities can
influence and assist in the effective implementation of information
sharing systems by law enforcement, courts, correctional agencies and
other State and local criminal justice agencies throughout the Nation.
The technical assistance will help agencies plan for and implement the
standards, tools and resources developed by the U.S. Department of
Justice in partnership with Global to support standardized information
sharing across the country. The program will contribute to the overall
safety of our communities by making sure decisions made by our law
enforcement, courts, correctional agencies and others are based on
access to timely, secure and accurate information. Through the program,
SEARCH will provide needed expertise to allow these agencies to
leverage scarce resources in these economically challenging times. All
of this will be done with a fundamental focus on safeguarding privacy
and civil liberties.
Over the past several years, the U.S. Department of Justice has
effectively developed numerous standards, templates, policies and tools
to facilitate information sharing. While these tools represent great
strides in facilitating consistent information systems and practices
across agencies nationwide, they are complicated to understand and
implement. Thus, many State and local agencies require expert
assistance to adopt them, and they typically do not have the staff
expertise or funding to support such assistance.
Congress and the administration have focused renewed attention on
solving prevailing problems in the justice arena: youth and gang
violence; jail and prison crowding; successful reentry and second
chance act programs; evidence-based policing; and tracking potential
terrorists, arsonists and bombers, to name a few. While there are many
policy and operational considerations in dealing with these issues, one
that cannot be overlooked is the information sharing that is critical
to the effectiveness of these programs. Without State and local
automated information sharing capabilities, these programs will be
greatly hampered in meeting their goals and objectives. If information
sharing is improved effectively, it often creates opportunities to hire
or deploy more line officers through resource efficiencies.
Because SEARCH works nationally, we will be able to replicate
successful implementation strategies in California and from one State
or locality and disseminate and transfer those strategies to other
States and localities. This unique program not only helps State and
local agencies work more efficiently and effectively through the
deployment of advanced information sharing techniques, but it also
creates a foundation for a national information infrastructure for
interoperable justice systems.
SEARCH TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE EXAMPLES
During the past year, SEARCH has provided on-site and in-house
technical assistance to California agencies that has helped improve
information sharing, reduce administrative costs, enhance operational
efficiencies and better protect data that is shared.
SEARCH is helping Marin County, California, develop a secure
solution for law enforcement and fire safety personnel to share
critical event information instantly and accurately. SEARCH is
examining the network security in a multi-disciplinary public safety
environment to ensure law enforcement has access to criminal justice
information while protecting the information from unauthorized users.
SEARCH is helping the California Department of Justice meet
national standards for information sharing. The Department requested
SEARCH help assure the system--as designed--complied with the National
Information Exchange Model (NIEM) developed by the U.S. Department of
Justice (DOJ) and the Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative.
Compliance with NIEM is a requirement under several DOJ grant programs
and is designed so that systems developed around the country will
adhere to standards that will enable them to share information.
SEARCH is helping Napa County, California, replace several major
justice agency systems with a new system. The goals of the effort are
to improve public safety decisionmaking effectiveness, county
administrative efficiency, and reduce overall costs in implementing new
information sharing systems. SEARCH is assisting Napa with all phases
of its process, including planning, comprehensive definition of needs,
development of technical architecture and adherence to procurement best
practices.
SEARCH develops resources for the rest of the country through the
work it does in California. For example, SEARCH visited Los Angeles
County, California, to do a thorough assessment and case study of its
intelligence sharing processes. In a detailed publication that was
developed as a result of this analysis, other States, large counties
and regional consortia will be able to understand how Los Angeles has
set up its intelligence sharing solution and what lessons learned can
be transferred to their own environment.
INTENDED USE OF FUNDING FOR FISCAL YEAR 2011
For fiscal year 2011, SEARCH is requesting $500,000 for the SEARCH
Justice Information Sharing Technical Assistance Program. This request
reflects continuing high demand for technical assistance from State and
local criminal justice agencies in California and throughout the
Nation.
If SEARCH is provided with the requested funding, SEARCH intends to
utilize the funds to address goals in its information sharing work.
Specifically, SEARCH intends to: (1) support through technical
assistance the adoption of national law enforcement and public safety
information technology standards; (3) contribute to the development of
new and emerging law enforcement and public safety standards; (4)
develop specific information sharing requirements for the re-entry of
prisoners into society following incarceration; and (5) improve
agencies' ability to measure and manage their information sharing
initiatives.
THE PRESIDENT'S FISCAL YEAR 2011 BUDGET AND BYRNE GRANT PROGRAMS
I would also like to take this opportunity to address the
President's fiscal year 2011 budget. The budget provides no funds for
the Byrne Discretionary Grant Program. This approach has been used by
the President in the budget proposals for many years, but fortunately
Congress has recognized the inappropriateness of the approach and
restored it to acceptable levels. Hopefully Congress will again
recognize that the needs met in the past by this funding continue today
and will again restore it to an adequate level.
I would also ask for enhanced funding for the Byrne Competitive
Grant Program. The fiscal year 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Act
established the competitive grant process for programs of national
significance to prevent crime, improve the administration of justice,
and assist victims of crime. The process is administered by the Office
of Justice Programs (OJP) and national program organizations have been
selected according to congressional objectives. However, the total
amount of grant funding provided to all of the competing national
programs has never exceeded $40 million nor been able to fund even one-
half of the worthy proposals received in response to the grant
solicitation. The President's fiscal year 2011 budget provides $30
million for this program. However, we believe that funding in the range
of at least $65 million is the minimum necessary to permit a workable
and effective competitive grant program on a national scale. Otherwise,
the under-funded program greatly reduces its chance for success.
Finally, I want to call your attention to a new program for State
and local law enforcement assistance. This program, ``Justice
Information Sharing and Technology,'' is intended to support critical
information sharing activities of the Department of Justice and its
Global partners. SEARCH is encouraged to see the recognition for this
program need and encourages its funding at the proposed level of $15
million. SEARCH believes the program will be extremely valuable to
justice information sharing nationwide.
CONCLUSION
Congressional support for the SEARCH Justice Information Sharing
Technical Assistance Program is vital. The Federal investment of
$500,000 can be leveraged many times over by contributing to the
ability of State and local criminal justice agencies to provide timely,
accurate and compatible information throughout the Nation. On behalf of
SEARCH, its Governors' appointees, and the thousands of criminal
justice officials who participate in the SEARCH network and who benefit
from SEARCH's efforts, I thank you for your consideration.
______
Prepared Statement of the Animal Welfare Institute
The Animal Welfare Institute welcomes this opportunity to submit
testimony as you consider fiscal year 2011 funding priorities under the
Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.
Our testimony will address activities under the Department of Justice
(DOJ), including the FBI, and the International Whaling Commission, and
requests $720,000 for the National Animal Cruelty and Fighting
Initiative under DOJ's Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) competitive
Byrne Grant program.
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
We wish to commend the DOJ's OJP for awarding, through its Bureau
of Justice Assistance, a grant to the Association of Prosecuting
Attorneys (APA) for its new program of training, technical support, and
other assistance for prosecutors, members of the law enforcement
community, and other involved parties to enhance the prosecution of
animal abuse and animal fighting crimes. This is a very exciting
development and we are proud to support APA in this new effort and to
have been their partner for the first national training conference upon
which the new program is built. We respectfully urge the subcommittee
to provide $720,000 to the BJA's National Animal Cruelty and Fighting
Initiative and to encourage its continued interest in addressing
animal-related crimes.
The connection between animal abuse and other forms of violence has
been firmly established through experience and through scientific
studies. For example, dog fighting is prevalent among gang members.
Also--as evidence of one of the most well-documented relationships--up
to 71 percent of victims entering domestic violence shelters have
reported that their abusers threatened, injured, or killed the family
pet; batterers do this to control, intimidate, and retaliate against
their victims. In 1997, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) released the results of a review of animal
cruelty cases it had prosecuted between 1975 and 1996. Seventy percent
of the individuals involved in those cases had been involved in other
crimes, and animal abusers were five times more likely to commit a
violent offense against other people.
Animal abuse is, however, more than a ``gateway'' behavior. It is
also a crime in its own right. It is a crime everywhere in the United
States, and certain egregious acts are felonies in 46 States and the
District of Columbia. But not all laws are created equal; a felony in
one State may still be a misdemeanor in another. In some States,
cruelty rises to a felony only upon a second or third offense, or only
if the animal dies; if he survives, no matter how severe his injuries,
it is still a misdemeanor.
The key to offering animals the most protection possible, however
weak or strong the statute, lies in vigorous enforcement of the law and
prosecution of violators. While there are many in law enforcement and
the courts who recognize animal abuse for the violent crime that it is
and act accordingly, there are those who do not take it seriously,
treating it as no more urgent than a parking infraction. Others
genuinely want to act decisively but may lack the necessary resources,
support, or expertise. Moreover, enforcement can be complicated by the
laws themselves--weak laws are bad enough, but additional problems may
arise from confusion over jurisdiction or limitations in coverage--or
by pressure to dispose of cases quickly.
This is where the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys' animal
cruelty/animal fighting program comes in. APA recognizes that animal
cruelty and animal fighting crimes not only victimize some of the most
innocent and vulnerable members of society, but they also create a
culture of violence--and a cadre of violent offenders--that affects
children, families in general, and society at large. Therefore,
preventing and prosecuting these crimes will benefit not only the
animals, but the entire community by reducing the overall level of
violence.
In order to support and enhance the effectiveness of prosecutors in
their efforts to achieve this goal, APA, thanks to BJA's support, is
implementing a program to provide the following: training conferences
and webinars; publications; technical assistance; and online resources,
including a library of briefs, motions, search warrants, legal memos,
and state-by-state case law. It has assembled an advisory council
composed of prosecutors, investigators, law enforcement, veterinarians,
psychologists, members of the animal protection and domestic violence
communities, and others, to identify issues, resource needs, and
strategies. It brings these same professionals together to provide its
multidisciplinary training, and also calls on them individually for
topic-specific web-based training and materials.
All of this is directed toward two audiences: those who still need
to be convinced of the importance of preventing and punishing animal-
related crimes, for the sake both of the animals and of the larger
community; and those who are dedicated to bringing strong and effective
cases against animal abusers but may need assistance to do so.
OJP/BJA showed great vision in recognizing that by identifying
precursor crimes, such as animal cruelty and animal fighting, and
ensuring adequate adjudication of such cases, our criminal justice
system can reduce the incidence of family and community violence and
change the path of potential future violent offenders. Its support of
the APA program sends a very strong message to prosecutors and law
enforcement that crimes involving animals are to be taken seriously and
pursued vigorously.
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
BJA's recognition not only of the relationship between animal
cruelty and other forms of violence, but also of the value of
addressing animal cruelty crimes as part of an overall strategy for
creating safer communities, raises the issue of tracking such crimes.
Specifically, for many years the animal protection community has urged
the FBI to include animal cruelty in its Uniform Crime Reporting/
National Incident-Based Reporting System (UCR) program. As noted above,
animal abuse is a crime, and in some cases a felony. It is part of the
cycle of violence in communities, including domestic abuse and gang
activity. Having data about animal-related crimes would enable law
enforcement agencies and researchers to track these offenses; to
understand better the factors associated with animal abuse and the
characteristics of the perpetrators; and to identify when and where
such crimes occur, thus facilitating more effective interventions.
Yet, for purposes of the UCR, statistics related to animal abuse
are recorded under the category of ``other,'' making them inaccessible
for retrieval and analysis. In a report compiled in response to a
Congressional request, even the FBI acknowledged substantial benefits
to be achieved through the inclusion of animal cruelty data in its UCR:
It would ``enrich the NIBRS database'' and ``be advantageous to law
enforcement, social scientists, and others studying the topic to have
comprehensive data about these offenses.'' Most tellingly, the report
noted that ``because felony convictions for cruelty to animals are a
disqualifier for prospective volunteers under the Prosecutorial
Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today Act
of 2003 (PROTECT Act), Public law 108-21, data about these offenses are
vital to law enforcement.''
Despite the recognized value of this information, however, the FBI
has not made any move to capture and report it in a usable form in its
crime database. The FBI's failure in this regard is especially ironic
since it was among the first to identify the link between animal
cruelty and other crimes, identifying it as a behavior common among
serial killers.
A new proposal is being prepared for presentation to the FBI that
is simpler than previous proposals and would meet the dual need of
gaining important information about animal cruelty crimes while
minimizing cost and disruption for the FBI. This proposal would not
involve creating a separate reporting category for animal cruelty
crimes; rather it suggests adding ``animal'' to the victim segment of
the 52 existing data elements. (Currently, the victim segment includes
such victim details as age, gender, race, relationship to offender, and
type of injury.) No new data elements would be created and no segments
of the data elements would be expanded.
We respectfully ask the subcommittee to direct the FBI to give
serious consideration to this proposal and to work with interested
Members of Congress and representatives of the animal protection
community to include animal cruelty crimes in the Nation's crime report
in order to achieve the benefits of such inclusion as outlined above
and recognized by the FBI.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
While we enthusiastically support funding worthwhile programs such
as those of the BJA, we cannot support funding for programs whose
outputs conflict with the interests of the American public. Sadly, that
is the case with the current situation with respect to commercial
whaling, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
seems intent on helping to revive. Indeed, the United States stands on
the brink of dismantling one of the cornerstone measures of American
conservation leadership--the moratorium on commercial whaling--and with
it, sealing the fate of many of the world's whales whom we once thought
we had saved.
Years of bipartisan leadership saw the commercial whaling
moratorium adopted during the Reagan administration, while the Clinton
administration saw the establishment of the Southern Ocean Whale
Sanctuary. Despite these massive initiatives and assurances by the
current administration for sound science, transparency, and that ``the
commercial whaling moratorium is a necessary conservation measure,'' it
now appears that U.S. influence is being used to broker an ad-hoc
``deal'' at the International Whaling Commission (IWC). This so-called
deal would: (1) overturn the intent behind the moratorium, allowing for
a resumption of commercial whaling at a time when whales are still
recovering from years of overexploitation and are facing ever
increasing anthropogenic threats, and (2) legitimize the commercial
whaling undertaken by Japan as a way of flouting the moratorium by
conducting it under the guise of scientific research. Further, the deal
will permit the continuation and potential expansion of the
international trade in whale products and discontinue annual meetings
of the IWC--the very body established to conserve and manage the
world's great whales.
The justification for this remarkable deal is to placate three
nations--Japan, Norway and Iceland--that persist in whaling for
commercial gain despite the rest of the world having agreed decades ago
that the great whales are worth more alive than dead--as key components
of our oceans' ecosystems and as global species enjoyed by millions of
people through whale-watching. Moreover, despite repeated international
efforts, supported by the majority of IWC member nations, asking these
three countries to cease their whaling practices, they have ignored
such requests and have actually expanded their whaling operations.
Not only will the deal undermine decades of conservation gains for
whales, but the process used to produce it also lacked any of the
transparency that the Obama administration purports to promote. Not
only were the negotiations that led to the deal held behind closed
doors, but the U.S. delegation to the IWC, led by Ms. Monica Medina,
NOAA's Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere and
U.S. Commissioner to the IWC, also failed to engage U.S. non-
governmental organizations in a meaningful or substantive dialogue
about U.S. negotiating positions at the meetings. Furthermore, AWI
believes it is entirely disingenuous to claim that the U.S. position on
the deal has yet to be determined, considering that the United States
both initiated the process to develop a deal and was the leading
proponent of finding a compromise that would ostensibly satisfy all.
This deal is not acceptable to AWI or, we suspect, to the vast majority
of American citizens, your constituents, who strongly oppose killing
whales for commercial gain.
Unfortunately, time is short--the principles of the deal were
already presented at an IWC meeting held in early March, and it is now
being finalized for discussion and a vote at the full Commission in
June. We urge the subcommittee to demand that the United States'
position on whales, whaling, the IWC, and most importantly, on the
current ``deal,'' be provided forthwith and that any future funding of
NOAA's IWC program be contingent on its providing complete and
satisfactory answers as well as maintaining the historic U.S.
leadership role in protecting whales and opposing commercial whaling.
______
Prepared Statement of The Council on Undergraduate Research
The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) is an organization
dedicated to the promotion of undergraduate research as a means by
which students of mathematics, technology, the natural, physical and
social sciences, as well the arts and humanities may participate in the
intellectual life of our society. To this end, CUR encourages faculty
and their students to collaborate as partners in their explorations of
uncharted intellectual terrain.
The symbiosis established between the faculty member and the
undergraduate collaborator energizes and informs the faculty member's
teaching and research while simultaneously introducing the student to
the joys of discovery, as well as to lessons in persistence, problem-
solving, and critical thinking. Faculty conducting research with
undergraduates benefit enormously by having undergraduate collaborators
invested in the research enterprise help to advance the faculty
research program. Undergraduate students benefit from the opportunity
both to learn the breadth and depth of their chosen fields of inquiry
as well as to contribute meaningfully to the expansion of knowledge.
Presently, individual and institutional members representing nearly
600 colleges and universities from across the United States support the
educational and research initiatives established by CUR to ensure that
research partnerships between faculty and their students are encouraged
and nurtured. A primary concern for CUR is that these partnerships
facilitate the attainment of professional productivity and intellectual
integrity at the standards of excellence consonant with those
recognized by professional scholarly and research societies.
Research and research infrastructure funding provided by the
National Science Foundation has been critical for the support of
original, significant research that involves undergraduates, not only
personally, but for the entire membership represented by CUR.
Additionally, funding and legislative acknowledgment of the benefits of
undergraduate research can help to reduce or minimize the barriers to
undergraduate research, while promoting innovation in postsecondary
education.
Accordingly, CUR strongly urges the subcommittee to increase
funding for dedicated funding streams that support undergraduate
research at the National Science Foundation and requests that the
subcommittee include the below report language in the fiscal year 2011
Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies bill:
``Undergraduate research programs are flourishing at various types
of institutions of higher education around the country and funding
should be used to expand or improve these programs or help develop new
programs at emerging research institutions. The subcommittee
acknowledges that studies show that participation in undergraduate
academic research programs improves college persistence rates among
students, particularly among minority, low income, and first generation
college students. Reviews of existing undergraduate research programs
have also shown that these programs can boost undergraduate students'
interest in entering STEM fields and other high-demand career paths.''
To provide a clear understanding of the importance of support for
undergraduate research and the value of funding research on the Federal
level, below are examples from CUR members on the impact of
undergraduate programs funded by the National Aeronautics Science
Administration, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the
National Science Foundation.
ROGER S. ROWLETT, PROFESSOR OF CHEMISTRY AT COLGATE UNIVERSITY (NY)
The NSF-MRI (Major Research Instrumentation) program and its
predecessors provided essential research instrumentation at Colgate,
which is a predominantly undergraduate institution, and has allowed
faculty to learn state-of-the-art research techniques. NSF funds have
allowed Colgate to have access to modern high-field NMR and protein and
small-molecule X-ray crystallography. Colgate is the only undergraduate
institution in the Nation to have a dual-beam X-ray diffractometer, and
our students use the NSF-funded equipment in their research routinely.
Undergraduate access to modern research instrumentation is critical
to training the next generation of scientists, and is a powerful
enticement for recruiting a highly motivated and diverse pool of
students into science careers. Over 90 percent of research students who
have conducted research in my laboratory in the last decade have
pursued postgraduate studies or careers in the sciences. The NSF-RUI
(Research in Undergraduate Institutions) program has been a stalwart at
providing the necessary support for individual faculty to conduct high-
quality, publishable research with undergraduates at predominantly
undergraduate institutions.
Historically, the NSF-REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates)
program has also helped establish our well-recognized summer
undergraduate research program. The Department of Chemistry at Colgate
held several consecutive REU grants in the 1990s which allowed Colgate
to offer full-time summer research opportunities to not only our own
students but also students from other institutions, some of which do
not offer research opportunities to their undergraduates. The legacy of
NSF-REU funding at Colgate is a self-sustaining and well-organized
summer research program that supports 80 or more students in the
natural sciences each year.
Support of high-quality research at undergraduate institutions is
critical to the national science enterprise, and is a wise investment.
Not only does research at predominantly undergraduate institutions
result in original discoveries that are published in the scientific
literature, it also sustains excellent teaching by keeping faculty at
these institutions intimately embedded in their scholarly communities
and current in their fields of study. Undergraduates who have research
experiences are more likely to consider post-graduate studies in the
sciences or pursue science careers, if my personal experience is any
guide.
In addition to re-affirming its commitment to undergraduate
research embodied in current programs which have been highly successful
in improving undergraduate research and education, perhaps NSF should
consider establishing new (``starter'') faculty research grant
opportunities.
CHRIS HUGHES, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS, JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY
(VA)
The Physics and Astronomy Division of CUR (CUR-P&A) has recently
worked with all of the major national physics organizations to develop
a statement which says ``We call upon this Nation's physics and
astronomy departments to provide, as an element of best practice, all
undergraduate physics and astronomy majors a significant research
experience.'' Additionally, the American Astronomical Society (AAS),
Society of Physics Students (SPS), American Physical Society Committee
on Education (APS-CoE), and the American Association of Physics
Teachers (AAPT) have adopted this or similar statements in agreement
with CUR-P&A
These statements are a significant signal that the academic
physicists in the United States believe that an undergraduate education
in physics or astronomy is incomplete without the experiential learning
that comes from a research experience. Research is the utmost form of
inquiry in the sciences and data shows that physics and astronomy
majors who participate in research programs see improvement in their
classroom performance and increased retention to graduation. Already,
surveys of the approximately 6,000 graduates in P&A each year show that
around 70 percent participate in some form of undergraduate research.
This is an impressive figure, but it also means that there is an
immediate need for opportunities for around 1,800 students each year.
One of the primary programs for funding undergraduate research has
traditionally been NSF's REU. We would like to see these programs
augmented to support even more students. Another program that will be
critical to meeting this need is the NSF CCLI (Course, Curriculum and
Laboratory Improvement) since this addresses the issue of building the
infrastructure needed to support experiential learning at many
institutions where this is not currently available.
DIANE HUSIC, PROFESSOR OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, MORAVIAN COLLEGE (PA)
In 2004, I had just moved to Moravian College to chair and help
revitalize the biology department. The college didn't have a strong
track record of grant writing, but had hired several new faculty who
were interested in both teaching and scholarship. As I took the new
position, I also had just become a co-PI on an NSF Undergraduate
Research Center pilot grant. The goal of our proposed project was to
develop a consortium of faculty and students at seven institutions to
promote greater interest amongst students in plant science. Living near
the Palmerton Superfund site, we tapped into contacts at the Lehigh Gap
Nature Center and Wildlife Refuge (LGNC) that had purchased 750 acres
of the site and was beginning a restoration project using warm season
native grasses. Our initial visit and subsequent summer research
``field trip'' prompted by the NSF-URC grant has subsequently led to
wonderful partnerships and collaborative research that has transformed
not only a mountainside, but also an academic department. Over the past
few years, we have had 10 students and 2 faculty engaged in research
there, the results of which have been presented at regional and
national meetings. We are in the process of writing an ecological
assessment report to be used by the LGNC, the EPA and other State and
Federal agencies in developing the adaptive management plan for the
site. Our department has taken the lead in organizing a consortium of
researchers at 12 other partner colleges and universities and a number
of State and Federal agencies who are involved in some aspect of the
revitalization of the Lehigh Gap. State and Federal funds are
supporting much of these efforts, and the site recently received
funding from the Audubon/Toyota Together Green program--a project that
brings together the local Audubon chapter and community and college
volunteers.
The Department of Biological Sciences at Moravian College now
routinely brings classes to the refuge/Superfund site for field trips
and class-based research projects. Not only are biology and
environmental studies majors benefitting from this unique outdoor
laboratory, but also students in science courses that are required as
part of the liberal studies curriculum. We have developed a new
Conservation Biology and Ecological Restoration course in partnership
with the Lehigh Gap Nature Center, and students in the premiere
offering of course participated in the experimental design for the
Together Green projects of habitat enhancement and deer exclosure
studies which are now being implemented. Faculty are involved with K-12
teacher workshops in conjunction with the Lehigh Gap Nature Center and,
along with some of the research students, serve as mentors to a youth
naturalists group, the members of which are also involved in authentic
research at the site. These youth were recently recognized by the
National Audubon Society. This exhilarating partnership between citizen
scientists, an academic department, other campuses, State and Federal
agencies and the local community was prompted by a mere $50,000 NSF
grant!
Despite the examples of success stories noted above, there are many
campuses where the teaching and research facilities and other
infrastructure lag sorely behind and can't provide up-to-date inquiry-
based learning opportunities for students, much less support faculty-
student research. Economic difficulties threaten many, if not all, of
our campuses and our collective efforts to enhance undergraduate
scholarship and to be innovative in our research and curriculum. These
threats come at a time when there is unprecedented evidence of the
value of undergraduate scholarship for students in terms of engagement,
learning, and retention. They also come at a time when President Obama
and Congress have expressed deep concerns about the slipping status of
U.S. competitiveness internationally.
Essential to the innovation that will be needed to meet these
challenges is the development of a research-rich curriculum, high-
quality undergraduate research experiences, first-rate faculty scholars
and research mentors, modern outfitted facilities for teaching,
learning and research and funds to support the actual research
projects. Federal support, including grant funding from the National
Science Foundation, is essential to enabling this innovation which can
and does happen at undergraduate institutions and as a result of
collaborative research between faculty and undergraduates.
______
Prepared Statement of The Wildlife Society
The Wildlife Society (TWS) appreciates the opportunity to submit
testimony concerning the fiscal year 2011 budget for the National
Science Foundation (NSF). TWS requests that the subcommittee work to
provide the National Science Foundation (NSF) with the $7.424 billion
requested by the President for fiscal year 2011, allowing NSF to fund
its many important programs, including the Biological Sciences
directorate (BIO) at $767.81 million.
The Wildlife Society was founded in 1937 and is a non-profit
scientific and educational association representing over 9,100
professional wildlife biologists and managers, dedicated to excellence
in wildlife stewardship through science and education. Our mission is
to represent and serve wildlife professionals--the scientists,
technicians, and practitioners actively working to study, manage, and
conserve native and desired non-native wildlife and their habitats
worldwide.
As stated in its mission, NSF exists to promote the progress of
science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and
to secure the national defense. The budget for fiscal year 2010, along
with the much-needed funding provided by the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act, were essential in enabling NSF to carry out its
mission. However, this budget needs to be sustained in coming years if
we are to benefit from the true potential of our Nation's scientific
enterprise. Because of the issues posed to our national safety,
infrastructure, and environment by a changing climate and a high
jobless rate, TWS urges strong support for NSF in fiscal year 2011 to
tackle these issues.
The basic, fundamental research performed with funding from NSF at
our universities and research centers fuels innovation and drives
economies around the Nation. NSF was the second largest provider of
Federal R&D funding in 2008 (the latest year in which data is
available), providing an excess of $3.8 billion across numerous
academic fields. These funds employ the scientists and personnel that
conduct research and maintain equipment, they support graduate student
salaries and undergraduate training opportunities, and they provide
early career scientists with the support that enables them to develop
successful lifelong research programs. In short, NSF provides the
sturdy foundation upon which our Nation's impressive scientific legacy
has been built.
This scientific legacy has not only allowed the United States to
lead the world in scientific, engineering, and medical breakthroughs,
but it also provides us with a means for continuing to lead the world
through the pressing social issues of today. Our world needs science
more than ever to research and develop practices that will enable us to
adapt to climate change, conserve natural resources, and mitigate
environmental degradation. NSF will play a major role in this as the
largest single-agency funder of academic R&D in the environmental and
basic non-medical biological sciences, having spent over $1.057 billion
in these two areas in 2008 alone.
The mission of the BIO directorate is to enable discoveries for the
understanding of life, and its mission is particularly critical to the
wildlife scientists represented by TWS. The basic biological and
environmental science being performed by NSF scientists within the BIO
directorate helps us determine the best strategies for fire prevention,
illuminates effects of nitrogen on wildlife habitats, and helps us
predict how air pollution affects organisms in glacial lakes. This sort
of research provides us with resources for monitoring ecosystems and
adapting to change. For example, a recent NSF-funded modeling study
showed that diverting sediment-rich water from the Mississippi River
through cuts in the levees below New Orleans could generate new land in
the river's delta in the next century, equaling almost one-half the
land that is expected to disappear in the same amount of time due to
sea-level rise, storms, and erosion. Studies such as this will be
invaluable for adapting New Orleans and other large centers of human
population for the inevitable environmental changes of the coming
centuries.
NSF also plays a major role in understanding how human, wildlife,
and environmental health are closely intertwined. An example of this is
a joint NSF and National Institutes of Health program on the ecology of
infectious diseases that supports research into the underlying
ecological and biological mechanisms behind environmental changes and
the emergence of these diseases. Projects funded through programs such
as this allow scientists to study how large-scale environmental
changes, such as habitat destruction, invasive species, and pollution
enable emergence of viral, parasitic and bacterial diseases in humans,
domestic animals, and wildlife. This sort of research not only allows
us to understand how disease is transmitted, but also helps scientists
determine the unintended consequences of development projects and gives
them the capacity to forecast disease outbreaks.
Moreover, NSF adds value to the lives of Americans by playing a
role in conserving of our valuable natural resources, such as iconic
species like the American Bison, and treasured landscapes like the
Sonoran desert. These natural resources are managed and monitored by
legions of natural resource professionals, including wildlife and
fisheries biologists, conservation scientists, foresters, ecologists,
range managers, wildlife veterinarians, and marine biologists, among
others. In 2008, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that there
were approximately 30,000 conservation scientists employed in the
United States; add to this number all of the other professionals who
work on ecological and natural resource issues, and many hundreds of
thousands of individuals are employed in jobs that support our
environment. NSF plays a key role in training these professionals to
safeguard America's environment: during the course of their educational
and research careers, most wildlife and ecological scientists receive
training or mentoring made possible by NSF.
We ask you to keep NSF's vital role in mind as you continue through
the fiscal year 2011 appropriations process, and fully fund NSF with
the $7.424 billion as requested by the President. This will allow NSF
to provide $767.81 million to the BIO directorate to continue to
support the biological and environmental sciences that play an integral
role in our national health, environment, and security.
We thank you for considering the views of wildlife professionals.
______
Prepared Statement of The Florida State University
Summary of Request.--Florida State University is requesting $3.5
million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Air Research Laboratory (ARL) Account to fund the Consortium for the
Study of Mercury in the Atmosphere.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank you and the members of the
subcommittee for this opportunity to present testimony before this
subcommittee. I would like to take a moment to briefly acquaint you
with Florida State University.
Located in Tallahassee, Florida's capitol, FSU is a comprehensive
Research university with a rapidly growing research base. The
University serves as a center for advanced graduate and professional
studies, exemplary research, and top-quality undergraduate programs.
Faculty members at FSU maintain a strong commitment to quality in
teaching, to performance of research and creative activities, and have
a strong commitment to public service. Among the current or former
faculty are numerous recipients of national and international honors
including Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and several members
of the National Academy of Sciences. Our scientists and engineers do
excellent research, have strong interdisciplinary interests, and often
work closely with industrial partners in the commercialization of the
results of their research. Florida State University had over $200
million this past year in sponsored research awards.
Florida State University attracts students from every State in the
Nation and more than 100 foreign countries. The University is committed
to high admission standards that ensure quality in its student body,
which currently includes National Merit and National Achievement
Scholars, Rhodes and Goldwater Scholars, as well as students with
superior creative talent. Since 2005, FSU students have won more than
30 nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships including 3
Rhodes Scholarships, 2 Truman Scholarships, Goldwater, and 18 Fulbright
Fellowships.
At Florida State University, we are very proud of our successes as
well as our emerging reputation as one of the Nation's top public
research universities. Our new President, Dr. Eric Barron, will lead
FSU to new heights during his tenure.
Mr. Chairman, let me summarize our primary interest today. It is
known that the atmosphere dominates mercury transport pathways, yet the
fraction of mercury entering lakes and rivers that is natural vs. man-
made, or global vs. local, is unknown. Most U.S. mercury emissions
occur in the Northeast yet most mercury falls on Florida and the
northern gulf coast. The sources of mercury falling on Florida are
increasingly thought to be global rather than regional. Regional and
global distributions of gaseous elemental mercury are unknown even
though vapor mercury is the largest source of mercury to the
atmosphere. These gaps in scientific knowledge undermine public policy
initiatives to protect human health and natural environments and to
find safe energy solutions to our power and transportation needs.
Because of the critical impacts of mercury emissions on ecosystem and
human health and the reliance of America's electric power grid on coal,
a focused effort on the atmospheric mercury cycle is required to
predict and regulate the dominant man-made sources.
The Southeastern Mercury Consortium, a partnership between NOAA's
Air Resources Lab (ARL), Florida State University, Georgia Tech, the
University of Miami, and the University of Tennessee Space Institute
(UTSI) will study the large-scale sources and fates of atmospheric
mercury. ARL's mercury research group pioneered ground and airborne
measurements and models of atmospheric mercury. FSU's Oceanography and
Isotope Geochemistry Programs in the National High Magnetic Field Lab
excel in ultra-trace element chemistry and isotopes of mercury in
global atmospheric and aquatic environments. GaTech's Schools of Earth
and Atmospheric Sciences and Civil and Environmental Engineering have
extensive regional and global programs in urban photochemistry,
``tailpipe'' and ``smoke stack'' gases, and global mapping of reactive
trace gases and aerosols from research airplanes and satellites. UM's
Rosenstiel School has advanced new technologies to detect atmospheric
mercury speciation. UTSI is pioneering sampling capabilities needed for
next generation atmospheric mercury analyses with their existing
research airplanes. Our efforts to map gaseous elemental mercury and
reactive gaseous mercury in the air over the southeastern United States
will fill the gap between ground-based time series observations in the
coastal zones by adding synoptic flight level measurements. We are
requesting $3.5 million for this initiative.
Additionally, Mr. Chairman, I want to briefly address a
reprogramming request that you have pending from the National
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) related to the
creation of NOAA Climate Service line office. The reorganization is an
extremely important addition to NOAA and our Nation to bring together
the agency's strong climate science and service delivery capabilities.
This approach has been in discussion within the scientific community
for some time, and the time has come for such an important action to be
implemented. I join with many others representing that community in
respectfully requesting this subcommittee approve NOAA's reprogramming
request to create a Climate Service office.
With respect to the National Science Foundation (NSF), the
President's request for fiscal year 2011 has requested $6,018,830 for
the Research and Related Activities appropriations account. Florida
State University strongly supports that request and encourages the
subcommittee to make every effort to find funds to reach that requested
level. The NSF provides over one-third of all Federal funding received
by FSU, the largest amount provided by any Federal agency to FSU. With
NSF's traditional support for peer-reviewed competitive research
projects, their strong support for the scientists and engineers at FSU
is indispensable for our students, faculty, and for our Nation as well.
Yet with all the fine work and programs at NSF, there is a glaring
programmatic gap in the way NSF funds some research instrumentation.
They have programs for smaller instrumentation (<$5 million with MRI)
and for large instruments and facilities (>$100 million with MREFC),
but no program for those instruments in the ``mid-range'' between these
two programs. We encourage the subcommittee to review this programmatic
gap at NSF and consider appropriate actions to redress this issue.
Mr. Chairman, this project and these issues are very important and
I appreciate your consideration.
______
Prepared Statement of the American Society for Microbiology
The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) is pleased to submit
the following testimony on the fiscal year 2011 appropriation for the
National Science Foundation (NSF). The ASM is the largest single life
science organization in the world with approximately 40,000 members.
The ASM mission is to enhance the science of microbiology, to gain a
better understanding of life processes, and to promote the application
of this knowledge for improved health and environmental well being.
The ASM strongly supports the administration's fiscal year 2011
budget proposal for the NSF of $7.4 billion, an 8 percent increase over
the fiscal year 2010 appropriation.
The NSF is the only Federal agency dedicated to the support of
basic research and education across all fields of science and
engineering. Since 1950, the NSF has stimulated advances in multiple
disciplines, through competitive grant awards. Seventy-four percent of
the NSF's annual budget funds academic institutions, in support of
approximately 241,000 scientists, students and teachers in all 50
States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. NSF funding has
supported 187 Nobel laureates, including 21 in the last 5 years alone.
The ASM commends Congress for increasing NSF funding over the past 2
years, helping to reverse the erosion of Federal support for basic and
applied research which declined from 64 percent to 60 percent between
2005 and 2008.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provided
additional funding that has helped NSF build on the Nation's past
investment in research. In fiscal year 2009, the NSF evaluated over
45,000 grant proposals and made roughly 14,700 new awards, of which
about 4,700 were ARRA funded. The ARRA grants are supporting more than
6,700 investigators, including 2,350 who had not previously received
NSF funding.
Increased funding for the NSF in fiscal year 2011 will stimulate
future discoveries by NSF supported researchers at nearly 2,000 U.S.
institutions. The latest NSF report on science and engineering
indicators, indicates that U.S. global R&D competitiveness is at risk.
The United States accounts for about one-third of the $1.1 trillion in
annual global R&D expenditures. However, U.S. growth in R&D funding
averaged 5 to 6 percent annually between 1996 and 2007, while
comparable growth rates in Asia were 10 to 20 percent. In the same
period, U.S. technology export shares fell by about one-third, while
China's share more than tripled. The NSF is critical to increasing
public and private investment in R&D and encouraging technology and
business innovation in the United States.
DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (BIO)
The ASM urges congress to fund BIO with $767 million in fiscal year
2011, a 7.5 percent increase. BIO provides about 68 percent of Federal
funding for nonmedical, academic basic research in the life sciences,
including the environmental biology research needed to answer questions
related to climate change. In addition, BIO researchers work to find
solutions to create national energy independence, as well as the
development of new biologically based materials for diverse
applications and better management of the environment.
Researchers supported by NSF grants regularly make compelling
discoveries that impact human health and well-being. Recent discoveries
supported by the NSF include: (1) the isolation of one of the smallest
known microbes found more than 3 km deep in an ice core and estimated
to be more than 120,000 years old. This organism will help scientists
to understand and study the limits of life and will also provide
important information on the functionality of biomolecules in cold
temperatures. (2) Research involving a representative legume, a group
of plants that collectively feed one-third of the world's population.
This has revealed a crucial control of the symbiosis through which a
certain bacteria fixes nitrogen from the atmosphere in a form useful
for plants. This research may lead to significant improvements in
agricultural production and reduced dependence on fertilizers that
require fossil fuels for production. (3) Researchers have used the
growth responses of a common bacterium in stressful conditions as the
basis for developing mathematical models to illuminate the complex
decisionmaking behavior of humans. The responses of some microbes
provide valuable insights about the kinds of processes that humans use
in a range of activities from politics to economics.
The BIO funding portfolio reflects the ongoing evolution of biology
from once distinct disciplines into multi faceted interdisciplinary
programs comprising diverse institutions, research specialties, and
mission priorities. For example, BIO is a key contributor to the U.S.
Global Change Research Program involving 13 U.S. agencies, and a
partner in the NSF Centers program supporting over 100 centers in 7
interdisciplinary program areas. These large collaborative programs
tackle complex problems requiring significant investments in equipment,
facilities, personnel and other crucial resources.
BIO also leverages multidisciplinary expertise in its own focus
areas, including its Emerging Frontiers (EF) Division, which is
designed as an incubator for 21st century biology. Programs include
``Assembling the Tree of Life'' (ATOL), an effort to assemble
phylogenetic data for all major lineages of life, and ``Ecology of
Infectious Diseases'' (EID), which includes goals to develop better
predictive models of disease transmission. Recently awarded EID grants
include spatial modeling of onchocerciasis in Africa by remote sensing,
epidemiology of leptospirosis in Latin America, the role of environment
and direct transmission in chronic wasting disease, and incidence
gradients in Lyme disease in the eastern United States.
BIO has also developed a major new multidisciplinary initiative,
``Dimensions in Biodiversity'' that is intended to dramatically
transform what we know and how we perceive Earth's living systems.
The ASM supports the administration's funding level of $20 million
for the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) in fiscal year
2011. NEON is an EF initiative and the first observatory of its kind.
Designed to detect and enable forecasting of ecological changes, NEON
will use cutting edge technology to collect data on climate change at
62 sites across the United States. It also will incorporate data from
airborne observations, land use studies, invasive species studies and
on-site experiments. The proposed $20 million for NEON represents the
1st year of a 5 year project, with construction scheduled to begin this
fiscal year and completion expected in fiscal year 2016. The data
collected will be available to all users, serving a diverse
constituency, and will help scientists forecast change at continental
scales over multiple decades.
DIRECTORATES OF GEOSCIENCES, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL
SCIENCES
The ASM urges congress to fund the Geosciences Directorate (GEO)
the Engineering Directorate (ENG), and the Mathematical and Physical
Sciences Directorate (MPS), with the administration's proposed
increases of 7.4 percent, 11 percent, and 4.3 percent, respectively.
The Geosciences Directorate encompasses wide ranging research
activities that study living systems within the changing physical
environment. For example, GEO supports the new Water Sustainability and
Climate initiative that will understand and predict interactions among
water quality and climate change, land use, present day water systems
and services, and ecosystem characteristics. Within GEO, the Division
of Earth Sciences (EAR) supports research that examines the shifting
relationships between living and non living systems. The ongoing
Continental Dynamics Program, for example, is identifying links between
the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere, funding large
projects drawing from multiple disciplines. EAR funded research
recently resulted in a discovery by geomicrobiologists that microbes
living as biofilms in dark, oxygen free caves produce energy through
previously unknown mechanisms that are still being studied. In an
exploration of deep-sea venting systems, other researchers have shown
that rare members of microbial communities can become dominant members;
this result has broad implications for understanding the importance of
microbial biodiversity in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
NSF funding accounts for 39 percent of academic basic research in
all engineering fields and is a significant contributor to the
knowledge base and workforce development essential for U.S. economic
vitality. Through advances in innovative biosensors, biomaterials,
bioimaging, waste and water treatment, food engineering and more, the
Engineering Directorate's Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and
Transport Systems Division (CBET) funds research that affects industry,
including those producing pharmaceuticals, food, and medical devices.
This year, CBET is soliciting new grant proposals for its Biosensing
Program, targeting identification and detection of existing or emerging
pathogenic microorganisms and toxins, as well as smart field deployable
molecular sentinels for monitoring food, water, and air quality.
Support of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate is
critical to all scientific disciplines, as innovation increasingly
depends on state of the art cybertools and computational techniques.
NSF underwrites 65 percent of basic academic research in mathematics,
47 percent in physical sciences and 82 percent in computer sciences.
Efforts in molecular biology, genomics and metagenomics, predictive
infectious disease modeling, high volume drug discovery, and other
fields now require collection and evaluation of massive amounts of
data. MPS supports the development of new and innovative mathematical
and statistical methods to better evaluate DNA sequence data. For
example, MPS recently requested that researchers work to find new and
improved mathematical and statistical methods to better evaluate an
exponential increase in DNA sequence information for biological
threats.
In addition, MPS funding for fiscal year 2011 will boost the
directorate's broad impact programs. Including the Science and
Engineering Beyond Moore's Law (SEBML) initiative to overcome current
limits in communications and computation capability. MPS will also
contribute to a new NSF wide priority investment, Science and
Engineering Education for Sustainable Well Being (SEES), designed to
integrate NSF's existing efforts in climate and energy research with
new education and cyber based activities.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING
The ASM supports increased funding allocated to strengthen the
NSF's own workforce, which is responsible for administering programs of
impressive scope and complexity. For example, NSF staff facilitated
nearly 239,000 proposal reviews in fiscal year 2009, involving almost
46,000 external reviewers.
NSF supports the Nation's goal of advanced training and education
in science and engineering through its extensive system of fellowships,
training grants, and investigator grants that benefit both graduate and
undergraduate students. Training tomorrow's technical workforce is
vital to sustaining and enhancing the Nation's scientific and economic
competitiveness. To promote greater STEM training, NSF's fiscal year
2011 funding opportunities include: Interdisciplinary Training for
Undergraduates in Biological and Mathematical Sciences (a joint BIO/MPS
program); Cyberinfrastructure Training, Education, Advancement, and
Mentoring for Our 21st Century Workforce (CI-TEAM); and a new program,
Comprehensive Broadening Participation of Undergraduates in STEM. The
success of these programs relies on adequate, consistent and long term
funding in fiscal year 2011 and beyond.
CONCLUSION
The National Science Foundation supports multiple research
disciplines and its far-sighted approaches to research at the frontiers
of discovery have pushed the Nation toward ever greater scientific
achievements. The ASM urges Congress to provide an 8 percent increase
for the NSF to ensure that basic and applied research in the United
States is sustained in fiscal year 2011 and beyond.
The ASM appreciates the opportunity to provide written testimony
and would be pleased to assist the subcommittee as it considers the
fiscal year 2011 appropriation for the National Science Foundation.