[House Report 114-121]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
114th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session } { 114-121
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RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EFFICIENCY ACT
_______
May 19, 2015.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Smith of Texas, from the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 1119]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, to whom
was referred the bill (H.R. 1119) to improve the efficiency of
Federal research and development, and for other purposes,
having considered the same, report favorably thereon with an
amendment and recommend that the bill as amended do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
Committee Statement and Views.................................... 2
Section-by-Section............................................... 4
Explanation of Amendments........................................ 4
Committee Consideration.......................................... 4
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch..................... 4
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the
Committee...................................................... 5
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............ 5
Duplication of Federal Programs.................................. 5
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings.............................. 5
Federal Advisory Committee Act................................... 5
Unfunded Mandate Statement....................................... 5
Earmark Identification........................................... 5
Committee Estimate............................................... 5
Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate... 6
The amendment is as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Research and Development Efficiency
Act''.
SEC. 2. REGULATORY EFFICIENCY.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) high and increasing administrative burdens and costs in
Federal research administration, particularly in the higher
education sector where most federally sponsored research is
performed, are eroding funds available to carry out basic
scientific research;
(2) progress has been made over the last decade in
streamlining the pre-award grant application process through
Grants.gov, the Federal Government's website portal;
(3) post-award administrative costs have grown as Federal
research agencies have continued to impose agency-unique
compliance and reporting requirements on researchers and
research institutions;
(4) facilities and administration costs at research
universities can exceed 50 percent of the total value of
Federal research grants, and it is estimated that nearly 30
percent of the funds invested annually in federally funded
research is consumed by paperwork and other administrative
processes required by Federal agencies; and
(5) it is a matter of critical importance to American
competitiveness that administrative costs of federally funded
research be streamlined so that a higher proportion of taxpayer
dollars flow into direct research activities.
(b) In General.--The Director of the Office of Science and Technology
Policy shall establish a working group under the authority of the
National Science and Technology Council, to include the Office of
Management and Budget. The working group shall be responsible for
reviewing Federal regulations affecting research and research
universities and making recommendations on how to--
(1) harmonize, streamline, and eliminate duplicative Federal
regulations and reporting requirements;
(2) minimize the regulatory burden on United States
institutions of higher education performing federally funded
research while maintaining accountability for Federal tax
dollars; and
(3) identify and update specific regulations to refocus on
performance-based goals rather than on process while still
meeting the desired outcome.
(c) Stakeholder Input.--In carrying out the responsibilities under
subsection (b), the working group shall take into account input and
recommendations from non-Federal stakeholders, including federally
funded and nonfederally funded researchers, institutions of higher
education, scientific disciplinary societies and associations,
nonprofit research institutions, industry, including small businesses,
federally funded research and development centers, and others with a
stake in ensuring effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability in the
performance of scientific research.
(d) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, and annually thereafter for 3 years, the Director shall
report to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House
of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate on what steps have been taken to carry out
the recommendations of the working group established under subsection
(b).
Committee Statement and Views
PURPOSE AND SUMMARY
The purpose of H.R. 1119, the Research and Development
Efficiency Act, sponsored by Representative Barbara Comstock
(R-VA-10), Chairwoman of the Research and Technology
Subcommittee of the House Science, Space, and Technology
Committee, is to improve the efficiency of Federal research and
development.
The bill requires the Director of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy to establish a working group under the
National Science and Technology Council to review federal
regulations that affect research and research universities. The
working group is tasked with making recommendations on how to
harmonize, streamline, and eliminate duplicative Federal
regulations and reporting requirements, and make
recommendations on how to minimize the regulatory burden on
research institutions.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
In 2012, the National Research Council produced a report,
in response to a bipartisan bicameral request, highlighting ten
recommendations for the future of U.S. research universities.
One of the recommendations from that report was to ``reduce or
eliminate regulations that increase administrative costs,
impede research productivity, and deflect creative energy
without substantially improving the research environment.''\1\
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\1\http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2014/nsb1418/nsb1418.pdf.
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The Federal Demonstration Partnership 2012 Faculty Workload
Survey, released in April 2014, found that principal
investigators (PIs) of federally sponsored research projects
spend, on average, 42 percent of their time on associated
administrative tasks. A similar study conducted seven years
prior in 2005 also yielded the identical 42% response.
According to the 2012 survey, the most common administrative
tasks were those ``related to federal project finances,
personnel, and effort reporting.''\2\
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\2\http://sites.nationalacademies.org/cs/groups/pgasite/documents/
webpage/pga_087667.pdf.
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On May 1, 2014, the National Science Board Task Force on
Administrative Burdens publically released a report
highlighting a growing complaint that there has been an
increasing administrative workload placed on federally funded
researchers at U.S. institutions, which they say is interfering
with the conduct of science. The Task Force offered several
recommendations in its report, including to eliminate or modify
ineffective regulations, and to harmonize and streamline
requirements.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
In the 113th Congress, Rep. Larry Bucshon, then-Chairman of
the Research and Technology Subcommittee of the House Science,
Space, and Technology Committee, introduced H.R. 5056, the
Research and Development Efficiency Act, on July 10, 2014. It
passed by voice vote on the House floor on July 14, 2014, and
was referred to the Senate on July 15, 2014.
COMMITTEE VIEWS
For several years, the research community has expressed
concern that time spent on administrative and reporting
requirements for federal research seriously cuts into lab time
and therefore negatively affects the science conducted under
those grants. A June 2014 hearing by the Oversight Subcommittee
and Research and Technology Subcommittee highlighted these
concerns through testimony from witnesses representing the
National Science Board, the Federal Demonstration Partnership
and the National Science Foundation's Office of Inspector
General among others. H.R. 1119 is a step toward addressing
these concerns as it directs the Administration to take steps
to cut through administrative red tape to ensure our nation's
research investments are efficient and effective.
However, the effort to reduce bureaucracy should not be
interpreted to mean that it occurs at the expense of
transparency and accountability. Sufficient administrative and
reporting requirements are necessary so Congress can
effectively exercise its oversight responsibilities relative to
federally funded grants, and federal offices, and so that the
Offices of the Inspectors General have the tools necessary to
perform grant audits.
Section-by-Section
Section 1. Short title
Research and Development Efficiency Act.
Section 2. Regulatory efficiency
This section includes a sense of Congress highlighting the
problems with higher administrative costs for performing
research.
This section requires the Director of OSTP to establish a
working group under the National Science and Technology Council
to review federal regulations affecting research and research
universities. The working group, which will include the Office
of Management and Budget, is tasked with making recommendations
on how to harmonize, streamline, and eliminate duplicative
Federal regulations and reporting requirements, as well as
recommendations on how to minimize the regulatory burden on
institutions of higher education performing federally funded
research. The working group will also identify and update
specific regulations to refocus on performance-based goals
rather than on process, while still meeting the desired
outcome. The working group is instructed to take into account
input and recommendations from non-Federal stakeholders.
The Director of OSTP must report to Congress within a year
of enactment, and annually thereafter for three years, on what
steps have been taken to carry out the recommendations of the
working group.
Explanation of Amendments
An amendment offered by Representative Daniel Lipinski (D-
IL-03), Ranking Member of the Research and Technology
Subcommittee of the House Science, Space, and Technology
Committee, was adopted by voice vote and is incorporated in the
base text of H.R. 1119. The amendment requires the OSTP working
group to make recommendations to identify and update
regulations to refocus on performance-based goals and not
bureaucratic processes. This amendment is in keeping with the
spirit of the legislation to minimize the regulatory burden on
U.S. institutions of higher education so that researchers may
spend more time on scientific work.
Committee Consideration
On March 4, 2015, the Committee met in open session and
ordered reported favorably the bill, H.R. 1119, as amended, by
voice vote, a quorum being present.
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch
Section 102(b)(3) of Public Law 104-1 requires a
description of the application of this bill to the legislative
branch where the bill relates to the terms and conditions of
employment or access to public services and accommodations.
This bill improves the efficiency of Federal research and
development. As such this bill does not relate to employment or
access to public services and accommodations.
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the Committee
In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause
(2)(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of
Representatives, the Committees oversight findings and
recommendations are reflected in the descriptive portions of
this report.
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives
In accordance with clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives, H.R. 1119 requires the
Director of OSTP to establish a working group under the
National Science and Technology Council to review federal
regulations affecting research and research universities.
Duplication of Federal Programs
No provision of H.R. 1119 establishes or reauthorizes a
program of the Federal Government known to be duplicative of
another Federal program, a program that was included in any
report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress
pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program
related to a program identified in the most recent Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance.
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings
The Committee estimates that enacting H.R. 1119 does not
direct the completion of any specific rule makings within the
meaning of 5 U.S.C. 551.
Federal Advisory Committee Act
The Committee finds that the legislation does not establish
or authorize the establishment of an advisory committee within
the definition of 5 U.S.C. App., Section 5(b).
Unfunded Mandate Statement
Section 423 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment
Control Act (as amended by Section 101(a)(2) of the Unfunded
Mandate Reform Act, P.L. 104-4) requires a statement as to
whether the provisions of the reported include unfunded
mandates. In compliance with this requirement the Committee has
received a letter from the Congressional Budget Office included
herein.
Earmark Identification
H.R. 1119 does not include any congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in
clause 9 of rule XXI.
Committee Estimate
Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison by the
Committee of the costs that would be incurred in carrying out
H.R. 1119. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B) of that rule provides
that this requirement does not apply when the Committee has
included in its report a timely submitted cost estimate of the
bill prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act.
Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate
With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) of rule
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section
308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and with respect
to requirements of clause (3)(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives and section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received
the following cost estimate for H.R. 1119 from the Director of
Congressional Budget Office:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, March 12, 2015.
Hon. Lamar Smith,
Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1119, the Research
and Development Efficiency Act.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Marin
Burnett.
Sincerely,
Douglas W. Elmendorf.
Enclosure.
H.R. 1119--Research and Development Efficiency Act
H.R. 1119 would require the Director of the Office of
Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to establish a working
group that would be tasked with making recommendations on how
to streamline federal regulations and reporting requirements
for persons and institutions seeking to perform federally
funded research. The working group would have to seek input and
recommendations from nonfederal stakeholders. Within one year
of enactment, OSTP also would be required to report to the
Congress on what steps have been taken to carry out the
recommendations of the working group.
CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 1119 would have no
significant cost because the activities specified in the bill
are generally consistent with activities already carried out by
OSTP and other agencies that would probably participate in the
proposed working group.
Enacting H.R. 1119 would not affect direct spending or
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
H.R. 1119 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal
governments.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Marin Burnett.
The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.
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