UPDATE
The Kennedy-Collins SMART Amendment was indeed introduced yesterday. Here are the details:
S.AMDT.1401 (Amends: S.1042)
Sponsor: Sen Kennedy, Edward M. [MA] (submitted 7/21/2005)
COSPONSORS(7), ALPHABETICAL
Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [NY] - 7/21/2005
Sen Collins, Susan M. [ME] - 7/21/2005
Sen Dole, Elizabeth [NC] - 7/21/2005
Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. [CT] - 7/21/2005
Sen Mikulski, Barbara A. [MD] - 7/21/2005
Sen Roberts, Pat [KS] - 7/21/2005
Sen Santorum, Rick [PA] - 7/21/2005
I know we aren't finished with this process, but I wanted to thank you for your efforts thus far. With your help, this amendment has attracted a distinguished, bipartisan group of Senators that are concerned about the health of defense basic research and workforce.
Many of you answered the call put out by AAU, NASULGC, and CNSR; your calls, emails, and messages painfully typed out with your thumbs are greatly appreciated.
If you have not yet contacted your Senators, please do so, and ask them to COSPONSOR or SUPPORT SA1401.
According to the Floor Managers last night, they are going to try and clear as many amendments as possible today and Monday. Those requiring debate and roll call votes will be considered and discussed, but their votes will be delayed and taken up on Tuesday.
We will keep you informed as to the progress of this amendment.
SA 1401. Mr. KENNEDY (for himself, Ms. COLLINS, Mrs. CLINTON, Mr. ROBERTS, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. SANTORUM, Mr. LIEBERMAN, and Mrs. DOLE) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 1042, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2006 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe personnel strengths for such fiscal year for the Armed Forces, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle B of title II, add the following:
SEC. 213. DEFENSE BASIC RESEARCH PROGRAMS.
(a) ARMY PROGRAMS.--(1) The amount authorized to be appropriated by section 201(1) for research, development, test, and evaluation for the Army is hereby increased by $10,000,000.
(2) Of the amount authorized to be appropriated by section 201(1) for research, development, test, and evaluation for the Army, as increased by paragraph (1), $10,000,000 shall be available for Program Element 0601103A for University Research Initiatives.
(b) NAVY PROGRAMS.--(1) The amount authorized to be appropriated by section 201(2) for research, development, test, and evaluation for the Navy is hereby increased by $10,000,000.
(2) Of the amount authorized to be appropriated by section 201(2) for research, development, test, and evaluation for the Navy, as increased by paragraph (1), $10,000,000 shall be available for Program Element 0601103N for University Research Initiatives.
(c) AIR FORCE PROGRAMS.--(1) The amount authorized to be appropriated by section 201(3) for research, development, test, and evaluation for the Air Force is hereby increased by $10,000,000.
(2) Of the amount authorized to be appropriated by section 201(3) for research, development, test, and evaluation for the Air Force, as increased by paragraph (1), $10,000,000 shall be available for Program Element 0601103F for University Research Initiatives.
(d) DEFENSE-WIDE ACTIVITIES.--(1) The amount authorized to be appropriated by section 201(4) for research, development, test, and evaluation for Defense-wide activities is hereby increased by $20,000,000.
(2) Of the amount authorized to be appropriated by section 201(4) for research, development, test, and evaluation for Defense-wide activities, as increased by paragraph (1)--
(A) $10,000,000 shall be available for Program Element 0601120D8Z for the SMART National Defense Education Program; and
(B) $10,000,000 shall be available for Program Element 0601101E for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for fundamental research in computer science and cybersecurity.
(e) OFFSET.--The amount authorized to be appropriated by section 301(5) for operation and maintenance for Defense-wide activities is hereby reduced by $50,000,000, with the amount of the reduction to be allocated to amounts available for information technology initiatives.
(f) SENSE OF SENATE.--It is the sense of the Senate that it should be a goal of the Department of Defense to allocate to basic research programs each fiscal year an amount equal to 15 percent of the funds available to the Department of Defense for science and technology in such fiscal year.
CALL FOR ACTION
Senators Collins and Kennedy are sponsoring an amendment to the Senate FY06 Defense Authorization Bill. We would request that you contact your Senators and ask them to COSPONSOR or SUPPORT the Amendment when it reaches the floor.
WHAT THE AMENDMENT DOES
The Kennedy-Collins SMART amendment's goal is to ensure that our national defense forces remain globally competitive by building the corps of civilian scientists and engineers at the Department of Defense and increasing funding for research and development efforts that help create new science to ensure our military remains the best in the world. The amendment doubles funding ($10 million) for the existing Department of Defense SMART Scholars program and increases funding for basic research by $40 million.
Specifically, the Amendment:
* Increases the Army University Research Initiatives (URI) account by $10 million
* Increases the Navy University Research Initiatives (URI) account by $10 million
* Increases the Air Force University Research Initiatives (URI) account by $10 million
* Increases the DARPA account by $10 million and specifies that money should be spent on fundamental research in computer science and cybersecurity
* Increases the SMART National Defense Education Program by $10 million
* The Amendment also includes a Sense of the Senate that the Department of Defense set a goal to invest 15% of its science and technology budget in basic research programs. We are currently hovering around 11-12%
WHAT IS THE OFFSET (Because you know people will ask)
Fully Offset by a Reduction in Defense-Wide Operations and Maintenance Fund for Information Technology. Reduces Defense-wide operations and maintenance fund executed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The Defense-wide administrative fund does not cover operations and maintenance of Army, Navy, or Air Force programs. The fund finances the Secretary's business management budget, which the Committee-reported bill increases by over $2 billion, despite a Government Accountability Office finding that the agency's approach to business and financial management transformation is a "high-risk" area.
As has been now widely reported, the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee has postponed its markup. Mark-up and floor action on the bill is now expected after the August recess.
The FY06 authorization bill is still expected to be completed in the Senate before the August recess, and could be taken up for consideration on the floor as soon as this Thursday.
Many of our member institutions and societies recently submitted comments to proposed regulations from the Department of Commerce regarding export controls. Don’t put down your pencils just yet, because the Department of Defense wants to hear from you too.
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/05-13305.htm
Please bring this notice to the attention of the appropriate people within your institutions and associations. Take the time to understand how this proposed clause could impact the ability of your scientists and engineers to perform research for the Department of Defense.
More after the jump...
Many of our member institutions and societies recently submitted comments to proposed regulations from the Department of Commerce regarding export controls. Don’t put down your pencils just yet, because the Department of Defense wants to hear from you too.
In today’s Federal Register, on pages 39976-39978, the DoD listed a proposed rule and requested comments.
The entire FR notice can be found at the following website:
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/05-13305.htm
SUMMARY: DoD is proposing to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to address requirements for preventing unauthorized disclosure of export-controlled information and technology under DoD contracts.
DATES: Comments on the proposed rule should be submitted in writing to the address shown below on or before September 12, 2005, to be considered in the formation of the final rule.
Included in the proposed clause is the following:
(d) The Contractor shall maintain an effective export compliance
program. The program must include adequate controls over physical,
visual, and electronic access to export-controlled information and
technology to ensure that access by foreign firms and individuals is
restricted as required by applicable Federal laws, Executive orders,
and regulations.
(1) The access control plan shall include unique badging
requirements for foreign nationals and foreign persons and
segregated work areas for export-controlled information and
technology.
(2) The Contractor shall not allow access by foreign nationals
or foreign persons to export-controlled information and technology
without obtaining an export license, other authorization, or
exemption.
Please bring this notice to the attention of the appropriate people within your institutions and associations. Take the time to understand how this proposed clause could impact the ability of your scientists and engineers to perform research for the Department of Defense.