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  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter- 5.1.2015

    May 1, 2015 3:15 pm by Federal Relations

    There was a lot of contention on Capitol Hill this week, between partisan debates surrounding appropriations bills in the House and Senate consideration of an Iran nuclear agreement oversight bill. On a more bipartisan note, the 21st Century Cures initiative took a big step forward. 
     

    LEGISLATIVE OUTLOOK
     

    21st Century Cures Bill Calls for Boosting NIH Funding
     

    With this week marking the one-year anniversary of the 21st Century Cures initiative, the House Energy & Commerce Committee released a legislative discussion draft. The draft language is the culmination of more than two-dozen roundtables, eight hearings, and several white papers. Led by Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), the 21st Century Cures initiative seeks to accelerate the pathway of discovery, development, and delivery of new cures and treatments.

    The draft bill brings welcome news for the research community in that it calls for increasing funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), authorizing an additional $10 billion over five years in mandatory funding, beginning in FY 2016. APLU and AAU have issued supportive statements (APLU; AAU).

    The health subcommittee held a hearing Thursday to discuss the draft. The Committee's goal is to have the bill signed by the president before the end of the year.
     

    Politics Complicate Appropriations
     

    Last week, the House Appropriations Committee approved Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 302(b) allocations, which are the discretionary spending caps set for each of the twelve appropriations subcommittees. With 302(b)s determined, the Appropriations Committee quickly cleared two appropriations bills—Energy and Water and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs—which hit the House floor this week. 

    The White House issued veto threats on both bills, expressing concerns with policy riders and how the funding bills adhered to sequestration-level spending limits. The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science received a total of $5.1 billion, a small increase of $29 million (0.6 percent) above the FY 2015 enacted level. Within DOE, ARPA-E funding was kept flat at the FY2015 level of $280 million. Final votes fell largely along party lines (Energy & Water: 240-177, Mil Con-VA: 255-163). 
     

    Differences Reconciled, GOP-Backed Budget Advances
     

    House and Senate Republican budget leaders filed a conference agreement on their FY2016 budget resolutions, which both chambers had approved in March. The final agreement balances the budget within ten years, cutting more than $5 trillion in spending overall. It provides increases funding for defense and sets up an expedited process for voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

    The House passed the resolution Thursday, with every Democrat voting in opposition. The measure is expected to be considered on the Senate floor next week. The president will likely soon issue a veto threat. 
     

    DC VISITORS
     

    IGPA Honors Rep. John Lewis with Paul Douglas Award
     

     
     

    UI's Institute for Government & Public Affairs (IGPA) andSen. Dick Durbin hosted a ceremony for the 2015 Paul H. Douglas Ethics in Government Award, which is presented annually to individuals who have exemplified high standards of ethics and public service. This year's award honored Rep. John Lewis, a nationally recognized leader of the Civil Rights Movement, who has served as Congressman of the 5th district of Georgia since 1987.  

    IGPA Director Chris Mooney, UI President Robert Easter, and Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) Christophe Pierre made remarks. In his remarks, President Easter introduced the crowd to UI President-designate Tim Killeen, who will present at next year's ceremony. More than 120 guests attended the event, including members of the Paul Douglas family, Congressional staff, and local alumni. Two Members of Congress—lllinois Rep. Peter Roskam and Sen. Chris Coons—came by to congratulate Rep. Lewis. 

    Congratulations to IGPA on coordinating an incredibly successful event.
     

    VPAA Pierre Advocates for HEA Priorities
     

    With committee consideration of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) right around the corner, VPAA Pierre met with majority and minority staff from the Senate education committee and offices of Senators Mark Kirk and Dick Durbin. He pressed for several UI priorities, including restoring year-round Pell eligibility, mandating the use of prior-prior year income tax data with the FAFSA, and elimination of direct loan origination fees.
     

    President-Designate Killeen Continues DC Introductory Tour
     

    Dr. Timothy Killeen spent some extra time in DC for introductory meetings. He stopped by the American Council on Education (ACE) to see President Molly Corbett Broad. They discussed upcoming issues impacting universities, including reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act, reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) and regulatory reform. 

    Dr. Killeen also visited the Hill to meet another member of the Illinois Congressional delegation. He introduced himself to Rep. Tammy Duckworth and the two discussed possible opportunities to collaborate.
     

    NCSA Touts NSF-Funded Projects to Congress, Agencies
     

     
    From left to right: NCSA's Bill Kramer, NSF Director France Crdova, NCSA's John Melchi  
     

    Urbana's National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) presented at this year's Coalition for National Science Foundation (CNSF) exhibition. NCSA's presentation was one of 37 displays featuring NSF-supported research and education projects. The display showcased the Blue Waters supercomputer, the NCSA-led XSEDE project, and NCSA's big data projects.

    The event was widely attended by members of Congress and their staff, congressional committee staff, and NSF leadership. NCSA had a chance to speak with a number of key officials, including NSF Director France Córdova, Rep. Randy Hultgren, Rep. Chaka Fattah, Rep. Jerry McNerney,Rep. Paul Tonko, and the office of Sen. Mark Kirk and Rep. Dan Lipinski.
     

    Urbana Professor Participates in Robotics Hill Briefing
     

    Mani Golparvar-Fard from Urbana's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering presented at a Capitol Hill briefing on robotics in infrastructure. The briefing was hosted by the Congressional Robotics Caucus, which is led by Representatives Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Rob Woodall (R-GA). It explored how robotics technologies can enable tools to transform the way we repair and sustain our nation's energy, water, and transportation infrastructure.
     

    Thank you,

    Melissa Haas | Acting Director | OGR Federal Relations
     

        

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