THE DAILY WHIP: WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015

H.Res. 273 – Rule Providing for Consideration of both H.R. 880 – American Research and Competitiveness Act (Rep. Brady (TX) – Ways and Means) and H.R. 2262 – SPACE Act of 2015 (Rep. McCarthy (CA) – Science, Space, and Technology) (One Hour of Debate). The Rules Committee has recommended one Rule which would provide for consideration of two bills.

For H.R. 880, the Rules Committee has recommended a closed Rule that provides for one hour of general debate, equally divided between the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Ways and Means. The Rule allows one motion to recommit, and waives all points of order against the legislation.

For H.R. 2262, the Rules committee has recommended a structured Rule that provides for one hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. The Rule allows for 6 amendments, debatable for 10 minutes equally divided between the offeror and an opponent. The Rule also makes in order 1 amendment, offered by Rep. Edwards in the nature of a substitute, debatable for 20 minutes, equally divided between the offeror and an opponent. The Rule allows one motion to recommit, with or without instructions, and waives all points of order against the legislation.

Additionally, the Rule allows for Suspension Authority through Thursday, May 21.

The Rules Committee rejected a motion by Mr. Hastings of Florida to consider both H.R. 880 and H.R. 2262 under open Rules. Members are urged to VOTE NO.

H.R. 880 – American Research and Competitiveness Act (Rep. Brady (TX) – Ways and Means) (One Hour of Debate). This bill would make the research and development (R&D) tax credit, which expired with the rest of the most recent tax extenders package at the end of calendar year 2014, permanent. The Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) estimates that this permanent extension will add $181.6 billion to the deficit over 10 years, and Republicans have chosen to bring the bill to the Floor without providing an offset.

This permanent tax cut comes on the heels of several other permanent tax extenders bills that Republicans have brought to the Floor this year without offsets, proposing to add $586 billion to the deficit. The choice made by House Republicans to address these provisions one by one, while adding their cost to the deficit, represents an irresponsible approach that will only make enacting comprehensive tax reform and fixing our broken tax system harder.

Ways & Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan has said that, “The people deserve a government that works for them, not one that buries them in more debt.” Unfortunately, bringing permanent, unpaid-for tax cuts to the Floor does exactly the opposite. The White House agrees and has issued a SAP stating that the President’s senior advisors would recommend that he veto this bill. If House Republicans are serious about fiscal responsibility, they should work with Democrats to make the tough decisions necessary to address our broken tax code through comprehensive tax reform, which would address this and other tax provisions in a way that does not add to deficits and does not limit our ability to invest in domestic discretionary priorities. Members are urged to VOTE NO.

Bill Text for H.R. 880:
PDF Version

Background for H.R. 880:
House Report (HTML Version)
House Report (PDF Version)

H.R. 1806 – America COMPETES Reauthorization Act (Rep. Smith (TX) – Science, Space, and Technology) (One Hour of Debate). This bill, which House Republicans are bringing to the Floor under the guise of a reauthorization of the COMPETES Act, is actually a partisan measure that disinvests in research, innovation, and education and does nothing to strengthen America’s competitiveness.

In 2007, the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science (COMPETES) Act was signed into law, representing a major investment in American research and innovation. The program was fully reauthorized in 2010. It provided significant new growth-oriented research authorizations for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Office of Science at the Department of Energy (DOE), and innovation programs at the Department of Commerce and established important new policy directions. It created the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) at DOE; increased federal STEM education investments; improved the quality of  K-12 STEM teachers; strengthened NSF’s role in bringing graduate education into the 21st century; and created and strengthened innovation and economic development programs at the Department of Commerce.

In contrast, H.R. 1806 keeps overall science funding flat and picks and chooses which programs to fund according to which scientific fields Republicans prefer and those they oppose. The bill provides increases in funding to the natural sciences and engineering at the NSF while lowering the social, behavioral, and economic sciences (SBE), geosciences, fellowships for graduate students, and STEM education. SBE is cut by 55% below FY15 levels. It cuts nearly $50 million in funding for the prestigious National Graduate Research Fellowship Program. It cuts geosciences, which includes climate science, at NSF by 8%, and cuts the Department of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) R&D programs 29%, or $496 million, below FY15 appropriated levels. It also cuts DOE’s ARPA-E program by 50%, or $140 million, below FY15 levels. 

The result of these cuts is a major disinvestment in science and education. Picking certain scientific disciplines to support, at the expense of others which the Republicans ideologically oppose, is not only a disservice to the scientific research community, but also puts our nation’s overall economic security, competitive edge, and well-being at risk. Unlike the original bill in 2007 and the reauthorization in 2010, which both passed with strong bipartisan support, this bill has no chance of being signed into law – the White House has issued a SAP stating that the President’s senior advisors would recommend that he veto this bill. Instead of making ideological attacks on science and education, Republicans ought to work with Democrats on legislation that can be signed into law and will help ensure our nation continues to lead the world in innovation. Members are urged to VOTE NO.

The Rule, which was adopted yesterday, makes in order 11 amendments, each debatable for 10 minutes, equally divided between the offeror and an opponent and 1 amendment in the nature of a substitute, debatable for 20 minutes, equally divided between the offeror and an opponent. The amendments are:

Smith (TX) Manager’s Amendment. Makes technical corrections to the bill.
Foster Amendment. Strikes section 106 of the underlying bill which imposes a new burdensome requirement that NSF grant making conform to “scientific quality standards” and be “aligned to national interests” as defined by the underlying bill.
Jackson-Lee Amendment. Creates state and regional workshops to train K -12 teachers in science and technology project-based learning to provide instruction in initiating robotics and other STEM competition team development programs. Leverages collaboration among higher education, businesses, and local private as well as public education agencies to support STEM efforts at schools located in areas with 1 percent or more above the national unemployment rate.
Esty Amendment. Instructs NSF's Innovation Corps (I-Corps) to support and invest in female entrepreneurs.
Crowley/Serrano/Lujan/Hurd/Curbelo Amendment. Requires the National Science Foundation to establish a STEM grant program for Hispanic-serving institutions as authorized in the America COMPETES Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 1862o-12).
Griffith Amendment. Provides for the Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader to appoint members to congressionally created STEM Education advisory boards.
Kelly (PA) Amendment. Increases the authorized funding for the Commerce Department’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership by $5 million, while decreasing the authorized funding level for the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by $5 million.
Lowenthal Amendment. Strikes additional DOE reporting requirements and restrictions on sound scientific processes to independently verify scientific results from the underlying bill.
Grayson Amendment. Authorizes the Energy Innovation Hubs Program within the Department of Energy.
Bonamici/Smith (WA)/Peters Amendment. Strikes language in the underlying bill that would prohibit the Department of Energy from continuing to partner with the Department of Defense to produce biofuels for the military.
DeSaulnier/Beyer Amendment. Strikes language in the underlying bill that would block the APRA-E program from conducting research on technologies that would reduce energy-related emissions, including the emissions of greenhouse gases.
Eddie Bernice Johnson Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute. Provides for sustained growth and sensible policies across the scientific agencies, in keeping with the goals of the original COMPETES legislation.

Bill Text for H.R. 1806:
PDF Version

Background for H.R. 1806:
House Report (HTML Version)
House Report (PDF Version)

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK
The GOP Leadership has announced the following schedule for Thursday, May 21: The House will meet at 9:00 a.m. for legislative business. The House is expected to consider H.R. 2262 – SPACE Act of 2015 (Rep. McCarthy (CA) – Science, Space, and Technology). The House is also expected to begin consideration of H.R. 1335 – Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act (Rep. Young (AK) – Natural Resources).