PAA Public Affairs

by Anne Harrison-Clark


There are four FY98 Appropriations Bills of interest to PAA. As decided by the PAA Board, the Public Affairs office concentrates on four main accounts, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Census Bureau, and USAID. Of these four, only the appropriations for the NSF is completed, and is described below. The other three accounts are covered temporarily by a Continuing Resolution and will be funded at FY97 levels until midnight on November 7. Since the information relayed in this report changes daily, the following information is accurate as of the day it is written. This is the first appropriations cycle in which President Clinton has the power of the line-item veto. His use of this tool has raised the ire of many of the same members of Congress who supported the line-item veto last year. In order to scrutinize spending for specific projects, Clinton is holding all appropriations bills for the maximum 10 days before he signs them into law.

NIH

The Conference began on the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Bill on September 26, 1997, with no report as of publication date. The delay is due to a number of issues over which the Senate and House disagree. These issues include the National Voluntary Student Tests, the Teamsters Election, and funding to give local schools complete control over most federal and state programs. Aggregate spending levels in the two bills are similar. Both versions include approximately $279 billion overall and $80 billion in discretionary spending. Thanks to Chairman John Porter (R-IL), and other supporters of NIH, House funding for FY98 reflects a 6% increase over FY97, and $424 million more than Clinton requested. Additionally, because of strong Senatorial leadership, especially from Senator Arlen Spector (R-PA), the Senate provided a 7.5% or $952 million increase for NIH, $615 million more than Administration requests. In conference, the House and Senate agreed to a 7.1% increase in funding for the NIH, which amounts to $13.6 billion. The debate on student funding is not expected to affect NIH, other than to delay the Conference Report.

NSF

The VA, HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations Bill emerged from Conference on September 30 and was adopted by the House on October 8 and by voice vote in the Senate on October 9. Although not yet signed by the President, the bill would provide $4.8 billion more than the $85.9 billion provided in FY97 and $255 million less than the President's request of $91 billion. NSF fared well, receiving $3.429 billion for FY98, $159 million more than FY97 and $62 million more than White House requests. NSF research received $2.546 billion while education activities received $632 million.

The Census Bureau

Although a date has not yet been set, the House-Senate Conference over the appropriation for Commerce, Justice, State and the Judiciary is expected to be particularly difficult. The biggest obstacles to a smooth Conference are the language to split the 9th Judicial Circuit Court and Census 2000. In the current draft of the bill, the House will not allow the use of sampling for Census 2000, while the Senate version will allow the Bureau to plan for sampling, as long as no irreversible plans are made. The two sides will reconcile the different versions during the conference, which has been postponed indefinitely. The disagreement over Census 2000 is an issue capable of delaying the entire appropriations process. The bill may be vetoed by Clinton if the House position on Census 2000 prevails in Conference.

During the period since January 1997, PAA President Karen Oppenheim Mason joined with Association of Population Centers President Peter Donaldson in sending several letters to the Hill expressing support for the highest possible quality census and concern that continued controversy over sampling would endanger this endeavor. Because three National Academy of Science panels had endorsed the use of sampling to complete the census enumeration in areas of known undercount, and in the absence of a clear statement endorsing sampling, PAA has been noted by one member of Congress as "disagreeing with the use of sampling." In fact, PAA and APC endorsed sampling as a method of achieving a high-quality census, while noting that there is not 100% agreement on this issue.

USAID

The controversy about international population programs and research assistance is holding up this appropriation. The House passed its version of the FY98 Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill on September 4, and aims to provide $12.3 billion for foreign programs, including USAID. As it currently stands, this bill appropriates $86,730 less than FY97 and $4.6 billion less than the White House requested. It also includes reinstatement of the Mexico City policy. The Senate passed its version of the Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill before the summer recess. This bill reverses a long term decline in foreign assistance. The legislation includes $13.2 billion in foreign aid, an increase of $933 million over FY97. It also includes a one-time $3.5 billion appropriation for the International Monetary Fund that the House failed to approve. The IMF assistance brings the total Senate package for FY98 to $16.8 billion.