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The America COMPETES Act and the FY2009
Budget
Deborah D. Stine
Specialist in Science and Technology Policy
March 13, 2009
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
RL34396
CRS Report for Congress
P
repared for Members and Committees of Congress
c11173008

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The America COMPETES Act and the FY2009 Budget

Summary
The America COMPETES Act (P.L. 110-69) became law on August 9, 2007. The act responds to
concerns that the United States may not be able to compete economically with other nations in the
future due to insufficient investment today in science and technology research and science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce development. The
America COMPETES Act is intended to increase the nation’s investment in science and
engineering research, and in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
education from kindergarten to graduate school and postdoctoral education. It is designed to focus
on two perceived concerns believed to influence future U.S. competitiveness: inadequate research
and development funding to generate sufficient technological progress, and inadequate numbers
of American students proficient in science and mathematics or interested in science and
engineering careers relative to international competitors.
The act authorizes increases in funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF), National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) laboratories, and the Department of Energy (DOE)
Office of Science over FY2008-FY2010. If maintained, the increases would double the budgets
of those agencies over seven years. Within DOE, the act would establish the Advanced Research
Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), designed to support transformational energy technology
research projects with the goal of enhancing the economic and energy security of the United
States. A new program, Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes, would establish
multidisciplinary institutes at DOE National Laboratories to apply fundamental science and
engineering discoveries to technological innovations.
Among the act’s education activities, many of which are focused on high-need school districts,
are programs to recruit new K-12 STEM teachers, enhance existing STEM teacher skills, and
provide more STEM education opportunities for students. The new Department of Education
(ED) Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow and existing NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship
program provide opportunities, through institutional grants, for students pursuing STEM degrees
and STEM professionals to gain teaching skills and teacher certification, and for current STEM
teachers to enhance their content and teaching skills. The act also authorizes a new program at
NSF that would provide grants to institutions of higher education to create or improve
professional science master’s degree (PSM) programs that emphasize practical training and
preparation for the workforce in high-need fields.
The America COMPETES Act is an authorization act, so new programs established by the act
will not be initiated, and increases in the authorization of appropriation level of existing programs
may not occur, unless funded through subsequent appropriations. An issue for Congress was
whether to fund America COMPETES Act programs at authorized funding levels. The 111th
Congress passed the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L. 111-8) and the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act (P.L. 111-5) to supplement FY2009 funds. While some America
COMPETES Act programs were funded at authorized levels, others were not. The following
activities were funded at authorized levels: NIST Scientific & Technical Research and Services;
NIST Construction & Maintenance; DOE Office of Science; NSF and its Research & Related
Activities; Major Research Instrumentation; Major Research Equipment and Facilities
Construction; and its Professional Science Master’s; Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship; and
Graduate Research Fellowship programs. Other programs were funded either below authorized
levels or not funded. The acts provide funding to establish DOE’s ARPA-E and NSF’s PSM
program.
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Contents
Overview of the America COMPETES Act ................................................................................. 1
Agency Programs and the America COMPETES Act................................................................... 1
National Institute of Standards and Technology ..................................................................... 2
Department of Energy ...........................................................................................................3
Department of Education....................................................................................................... 5
National Science Foundation................................................................................................. 6
Congressional Activities.............................................................................................................. 7
Budget Resolution................................................................................................................. 7
Committee on Appropriations................................................................................................ 8
Continuing Resolution .......................................................................................................... 9
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act .......................................................................... 10
Extension of Continuing Resolution .................................................................................... 10
FY2009 Appropriation ........................................................................................................ 10
Programs Funded at Authorized Levels ............................................................................... 25
Programs Presumably Not Funded ...................................................................................... 25
Obama Administration Implementation of Programs Funded by FY2009 Appropriation ............ 26

Tables
Table 1. America COMPETES Act Programs Appropriations Status .......................................... 12
Table 2. America COMPETES Act Programs With Appropriated FY2009 Funds Equal or
Above Authorized Levels ....................................................................................................... 25

Contacts
Author Contact Information ...................................................................................................... 28

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The America COMPETES Act and the FY2009 Budget

ongress passed the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence
in Technology, Education, and Science Act (P.L. 110-69), known as the America
C COMPETES Act, in August 2007. In response to concerns about U.S. competitiveness,
the act invest in science and engineering research, and science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) education today so that the United States can enhance its potential to be
more competitive with other nations in the future.
When the act passed Congress, much of the FY2008 appropriations debate had already taken
place. As a consequence, FY2008 appropriations largely failed to address the new priorities
enacted in the America COMPETES Act. The FY2009 budget cycle is the first time Congress
debated funding for America COMPETES Act programs from the beginning of the appropriations
process.
The purpose of this report is to compare the President’s FY2009 budget request to the FY2009
authorized levels provided by the America COMPETES Act, and discuss Congressional budget
and appropriation activities. For more general information on the America COMPETES Act, see
CRS Report RL34328, America COMPETES Act: Programs, Funding, and Selected Issues, by
Deborah D. Stine.
Overview of the America COMPETES Act
The America COMPETES Act was a response to concerns that the United States may not be able
to compete economically with other nations in the future. The act mainly addresses concerns
about insufficient investment in science and engineering research; STEM education; and STEM
workforce development.
The America COMPETES Act authorizes an increase in federal science and engineering research
funding and support for kindergarten through postdoctoral education. The act authorizes funding
increases for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) laboratories, and the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science through
FY2010. The act also authorizes the establishment of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-
Energy (ARPA-E)1 and Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes at DOE. The act
also established new STEM education programs at DOE and the Department of Education (ED),
and enhances the authorization level for NSF STEM education programs.
The America COMPETES Act is an authorization act. New programs established by the act will
not be initiated unless funded through subsequent appropriations. Similarly, increases in the
authorization level of existing programs may or may not translate into increased funding.
Agency Programs and the America COMPETES Act
The following section discusses some of the America COMPETES Act programs in relation to the
President’s FY2009 budget submission.2 The FY2009 request information is based on the Bush

1 For more information on ARPA-E, see CRS Report RL34497, Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-
E): Background, Status, and Selected Issues for Congress, by Deborah D. Stine.
2 For information on the Bush Administration’s FY2009 budget, see CRS Report RL34448, Federal Research and
(continued...)
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Administration FY2009 Congressional Budget Request documents from the DOE3 and the NSF.4
The ED FY2009 request information is based on the its Budget Summary.5 The NIST FY2009
request information is from the Fiscal Year 2009 Budget of the U.S. Government and a series of
amendments to that budget submitted by President Bush on June 6, 2008.6
National Institute of Standards and Technology
The mission of NIST, a laboratory of the Department of Commerce, is to increase the
competitiveness of U.S. companies by supporting industrial development of precompetitive,
generic technologies, diffusing government-developed technological advances, and providing
measurement, calibration, and quality assurance techniques.7
The America COMPETES Act authorizes funding for NIST’s Scientific and Technical Research
and Services (STRS) and Industrial Technology Services (ITS) programs. The ITS includes the
existing Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and a new Technology Innovation
Program (TIP), which replaced a program with similar goals, the repealed Advanced Technology
Program (ATP).8
The act authorizes $541.9 million for STRS in FY2009; the Bush Administration’s FY2009
budget proposed $535.0 million.9 The act authorizes $131.5 million for TIP in FY2009, but the
Bush Administration’s FY2009 budget proposed eliminating TIP, so its proposed budget was
zero. For MEP, the act authorizes $122.0 million in FY2009, while the President’s FY2009
budget proposed $2.0 million to end federal support for the program.

(...continued)
Development Funding: FY2009, coordinated by John F. Sargent Jr.
3 The DOE budget request is available at http://www.cfo.doe.gov/budget/09budget/Start.htm. Relevant detailed budget
justification addressing science is available in volume 4 at http://www.cfo.doe.gov/budget/09budget/Content/Volumes/
Volume4.pdf. The detailed budget justification addressing the nuclear energy educational programs that are part of the
act is available in volume 3, p. 621 at http://www.cfo.doe.gov/budget/09budget/Content/Volumes/Volume3a.pdf.
4 The NSF budget request is available at http://www.nsf.gov/about/budget/fy2009/toc.jsp.
5 The ED Budget Summary is available at http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget09/summary/index.html.
The relevant sections are on elementary and secondary education at http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/
budget09/summary/edlite-section2a.html, higher education programs at http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/
budget09/summary/edlite-section2e.html, and programs proposed for elimination at http://www.ed.gov/about/
overview/budget/budget09/summary/edlite-section3.html.
6 See the NIST budget information in the Appendix on p. 228 at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2009/pdf/
appendix/com.pdf.
7 For more information on NIST, see CRS Report 95-30, The National Institute of Standards and Technology: An
Appropriations Overview, by Wendy H. Schacht.
8 For additional information on ATP and TIP, see CRS Report 95-36, The Advanced Technology Program and CRS
Report RS22815, The Technology Innovation Program, both by Wendy H. Schacht. The report describes the
similarities and differences between the two programs.
9 This includes almost $9 million for the Baldridge National Quality Award Program. According to NIST, “The
Baldrige Award is given by the President of the United States to businesses—manufacturing and service, small and
large—and to education, health care and nonprofit organizations that apply and are judged to be outstanding in seven
areas: leadership; strategic planning; customer and market focus; measurement, analysis, and knowledge management;
human resource focus; process management; and results.” For more information, see http://www.nist.gov/
public_affairs/factsheet/baldfaqs.htm.
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Department of Energy
The mission of DOE is to “advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United
States; to promote scientific and technological innovation in support of that mission; and to
ensure the environmental cleanup of the national nuclear weapons complex.”10 The DOE is the
largest federal government supporter of basic physical sciences research. This research is
conducted at its national laboratories as well as through its support of investigator-initiated, merit-
reviewed, competitively selected awards, conducted primarily at universities.11
The America COMPETES Act authorizes the establishment of the ARPA-E and the Discovery
Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes within DOE. Based on the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency (DARPA) model, ARPA-E is designed to support transformational
energy technology research projects with the goal of enhancing the nation’s economic and energy
security.12 Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes would be multidisciplinary
research institutes located at DOE national laboratories that would apply fundamental science and
engineering discoveries to technological innovations. Up to three institutes may be created each
fiscal year. The DOE FY2009 budget request did not propose funding for either ARPA-E or the
Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes.
Rather than create ARPA-E or the Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes, the
Bush Administration Secretary of Energy issued a policy on technology transfer,13 and proposed
establishing 25-30 multi-investigator Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs)14 at universities
or other nonprofit organizations. As a result of the technology transfer policy, DOE now
reportedly pools funds from the Office of Science and other programs to fund six collaborations
that integrate basic and applied research. Funding for these collaborations are reportedly based on
congressional language that required DOE to set aside 0.9% of its applied energy research and
development budget for technology transfer.15 The goal of EFRCs would be to focus on

10 Department of Energy, “About DOE,” at http://www.energy.gov/about/index.htm.
11 Department of Energy, “Science and Technology,” at http://www.energy.gov/sciencetech/index.htm.
12 For more information on ARPA-E, see CRS Report RL34497, Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-
E): Background, Status, and Selected Issues for Congress, by Deborah D. Stine.
13 See the press release at http://www.doe.gov/print/5977.htm and the policy statement at http://www.doe.gov/media/
Policy_Statement_on_Technology_Transfer.pdf. The technology transfer policy states “This Policy Statement builds
upon the stimulus provided by the technology transfer provisions contained in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and other
recent legislative actions such as the ‘America COMPETES Act’ that seek to improve the transfer of energy
technologies from the Department’s Facilities to products and applications that address public and private needs.”
14 A footnote to Attachment 4 of Dr. Marburger’s testimony to the House Committee on Science and Technology
Policy states that “[T]otal Budget funding for DoE research center partnerships similar to those in Section 5008 [the
Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes]—Energy Frontier Research Centers, Bioenergy Research
Centers, and SciDAC Institutes [Science Discovery Through Advanced Computing]—is $183 million.” Testimony of
Dr. John Marburger, III, Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy, House Committee on Science and
Technology, Funding for the America COMPETES Act in the FY2009 Administration Budget Request, hearing, 110th
Congress, 2nd session, February 14, 2008, at http://democrats.science.house.gov/Media/File/Commdocs/hearings/2008/
Full/14feb/Marburger_Testimony.pdf. In additional e-mail correspondence on October 14, 2008, between CRS, OMB,
and OSTP, OMB contends that the three organizations specified above respond to the authorization of the Discovery
Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes in the act.
15 This may be a reference to the following provision in the Title X, Section 1001 of the Energy Policy Act (P.L. 109-
58): “TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION FUND.—The Secretary shall establish an Energy Technology
Commercialization Fund, using 0.9 percent of the amount made available to the Department for applied energy
research, development, demonstration, and commercial application for each fiscal year, to be used to provide matching
funds with private partners to promote promising energy technologies for commercial purposes.”
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transformative research.16 The requested FY2009 EFRC budget was approximately $100.0
million, with initial five-year awards of $2.0-5.0 million annually per center. In contrast, each of
the three Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes is authorized at $10.0 million
annually for a maximum of three years.
The act also authorizes the establishment of several new STEM education programs at the K-12
and post-secondary level within DOE. These activities include K-12 student and teacher
programs such as specialty high schools for science and mathematics pilot program, experiential
based learning opportunities (e.g., summer internships) for middle and high school students, and
summer institutes for teachers. Post-secondary programs include a nuclear science talent
expansion program and a hydrocarbon systems science talent expansion program to enhance
existing and create new educational programs in nuclear science and hydrocarbon systems. In
addition, the act establishes a new position within DOE to direct STEM education programs
across the department, and a Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Fund, that is to
include not less than 0.3% of DOE’s research, development, and commercial application funding.
Although the relevant sections in the FY2009 DOE budget submission note the authorization of
the America COMPETES Act, DOE did not make clear what specific educational programs
within the act to which the request was responding.17 For example, the FY2009 request for the
Office of Nuclear Energy referenced the America COMPETES Act and stated it would designate
20% of its research funds for university research activities as a way to increase support for U.S.
nuclear science and engineering education, but it did not cite the act’s nuclear science talent
expansion program.
In the section entitled “Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists” in the Office of
Science budget justification, DOE noted the America COMPETES Act and mentioned many
DOE STEM educational programs, but it did not identify any of them as either new America
COMPETES Act initiatives or specify if some of the existing programs have been modified to
accommodate the act. In addition, the DOE Office of Science did not mention the Early Career
Awards for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Researchers program.
In congressional testimony, however, the Bush Administration identified two DOE STEM
education programs and the early career researcher program in the act as included in the FY2009
budget request.18 The Bush Administration OMB contended that the following DOE programs
correspond to programs authorized by the America COMPETES Act:
• Summer Institutes (§5003) to the pre-existing DOE Academies Creating Teacher
Scientists program (DOE ACTS);

16 For more details, see the FY2009 DOE Budget submission section entitled “FY 2009 Budget Request to Congress
Errata sheet” at http://www.er.doe.gov/obp/FY_09_Budget/Errata%20Sheet.pdf, and the DOE Energy Frontier
Research Centers webpage at http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/EFRC.html.
17 Relevant DOE detailed budget justification addressing science is available on pp. 453-472 of volume 4 at
http://www.cfo.doe.gov/budget/09budget/Content/Volumes/Volume4.
pdf and the nuclear energy educational programs on pp. 621-626 of volume 3 at http://www.cfo.doe.gov/budget/
09budget/Content/Volumes/Volume3a.pdf.
18 Attachment 4 in Testimony of Dr. John Marburger, III, Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy, House
Committee on Science and Technology, Funding for the America COMPETES Act in the FY2009 Administration
Budget Request, hearing, 110th Congress, 2nd session, February 14, 2008 at http://democrats.science.house.gov/Media/
File/Commdocs/hearings/2008/Full/14feb/Marburger_Testimony.pdf.
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• Early Career Awards for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Researchers
(§5006) to pre-existing High Energy Physics Outstanding Junior Investigator,
Nuclear Physics Outstanding Junior Investigator, Fusion Energy Sciences Plasma
Physics Junior Faculty Development; Advanced Scientific Computing Research
Early Career Principle Investigator; and the Office of Science Early Career
Scientist and Engineer Award programs; and
• Protecting America’s Competitive Edge (PACE) Graduate Fellowship Program
(§5009) to pre-existing Computer Science Graduate Fellowships; Graduate
Research Environmental Fellowships; American Meteorological
Society/Industry/Government Graduate Fellowships; Spallation Neutron Source
Instrumentation Fellowships, and the Fusion Energy Sciences Graduate
Fellowships.19
The DOE Summer Institutes authorization in the act was $20 million in FY2009. Based on the
information provided in DOE’s budget request for the programs identified above, funding for
these institutes was requested for $6 million in FY2009. The Early Career Awards program is
authorized for $25 million in FY2009; the testimony states that FY2009 funding of $10 million
was requested for the programs specified above. For the PACE fellowships, DOE requested $19
million, above the act authorization level of $12 million in FY2009, based on the programs listed
above and the DOE budget request.20
Some of the COMPETES Act programs have additional requirements that may be beyond that of
existing programs. For example, the America COMPETES Act’s DOE summer institutes
programs has prioritization criteria focused on teachers from a wide range of school districts,
high-need school districts, and underrepresented groups; coordination and consultation
requirements with DOE and NSF; and mentoring program, evaluation, and accountability plan
requirements, which may or may not be an element of the existing DOE ACTS program. The
FY2009 budget request did not mention either establishing a DOE STEM Education fund or
appointing a DOE STEM education program director.
Department of Education
The ED’s mission is to “promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness
by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.”21 Among its activities, ED
establishes policies on and distributes and monitors federal financial aid for education.22
The America COMPETES Act authorizes the establishment of several new STEM education
programs, including Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow, the Advanced Placement and

19 Email communication between CRS and the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Science and
Technology Policy received on October 14, 2008. According to OMB, the reason that the information above is not
included in DOE’s FY2009 budget request is that DOE did not reorganize its budget structure to match the America
COMPETES Act categories.
20 Ibid.
21 U.S. Department of Education, “About ED,” at http://www.ed.gov/about/landing.jhtml?src=gu.
22 For more information on STEM Education activities, see CRS Report 98-871, Science, Engineering, and
Mathematics Education: Status and Issues, by Christine M. Matthews and CRS Report RL33434, Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education: Background, Federal Policy, and Legislative Action, by Jeffrey J.
Kuenzi.
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International Baccalaureate Program, Math Now, and the Advancing America Through Foreign
Language Partnership Program.
Congress appropriated FY2008 funding for the Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow program,
which supports the development and implementation of higher education programs including a
STEM baccalaureate degree with concurrent teacher certification, a part-time master’s degrees in
STEM or critical foreign languages for current teachers, and programs for professional scientists
and engineers to pursue master’s degrees that enable teacher certification. The FY2009 ED
budget summary proposed to eliminate this program, indicating that these “activities can be
funded under other Federal programs.”23
The FY2009 ED budget summary indicated that the America COMPETES Act’s Advanced
Placement and International Baccalaureate Program would provide a new vision for the existing
ED Advanced Placement Incentive Program (API) authorized under Title I, Part G, of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). This new direction included increasing access
to classes and tests for low-income students, preparation of teachers in high-need schools, and
non-federal organizations contributing funds to the program. The America COMPETES Act
authorizes $75.0 million for the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Program in
FY2009. The President’s FY2009 budget requested $70.0 million. Of this, approximately $22.0
million would have supported previously existing API activities, while approximately $47.0
million would have supported America COMPETES Act activities.
The ED FY2009 budget summary proposes funding Math Now at its full authorization level, $95
million. The Advancing America Through Foreign Language Partnership Program funds
partnerships between higher education institutions and school districts to enhance postsecondary
level language learning.24 For this program, the act authorizes $28.0 million in FY2008 and such
sums as may be necessary for FY2009. The President’s FY2009 budget requested $24.0 million
to support 24 new awards in languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Indic, Iranian, and Turkic. This
program supports the President’s National Security Language Initiative.
No funding was mentioned in the ED budget summary for the following America COMPETES
Act authorized programs: the Summer Term Education Program, the P-16 Alignment of
Secondary School Graduate Requirements with the Demands of 21st Century Postsecondary
Endeavors and Support for P-16 Education Data Systems, or the Mathematics and Science
Partnership Bonus Grants. As noted previously, this may or may not mean that the programs will
be funded, as some are below the organizational level specified in the budget documents.
National Science Foundation
The NSF supports science and engineering in general and funds basic research across many
disciplines by supporting investigator-initiated, merit-reviewed, competitively selected awards,

23 ED FY2009 Budget Summary, section on programs proposed for elimination at http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/
budget/budget09/summary/edlite-section3.html.
24 The title for this program in the America COMPETES Act is the Foreign Language Partnership Program. The report
uses the title for this program from the ED FY2009 congressional budget justification to help distinguish it from other
ED foreign language programs such as the existing Foreign Language Assistance program.
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state-of-the-art tools, and instrumentation and facilities, primarily at U.S. colleges and
universities.25
The America COMPETES Act authorizes $5,742.0 million for NSF’s research and related
activities (R&RA) account. The President’s FY2009 budget requested funding of $5,594.0
million. In some cases, such as the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) and Faculty Early
Career Development (CAREER) programs, the requested levels are close to those authorized in
the act. Funding for other R&RA programs was requested at amounts below that authorized,
including the Experimental Programs to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), which the
President’s budget requested funding at $113.5 million rather than the authorized level of $133.2
million, and the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT), for which the
request was$38.8 million rather than authorized level of $52.5 million.
In the Education and Human Resources (EHR) directorate, the America COMPETES Act
authorization is $995.0 million, while the President’s FY2009 budget requested $790.0 million.
Programs with Bush Administration requested funding well below that authorized include the
Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program26 (at $11.6 million compared with an authorization of
$115.0 million) and the Mathematics and Science Education Partnership27 (at $51.0 million
compared with an authorization of $111.0 million). In contrast, the Graduate Research Fellowship
(GRF) program was proposed for $116.7 million, more than the authorization of $107.2 million.
The Bush Administration did not request funding for the two new NSF programs authorized in
the America COMPETES Act: the Professional Science Master’s Degree Program and the
Laboratory Science Pilot Program.
Congressional Activities
Table 1 summarizes FY2009 appropriations for America COMPETES Act programs for which
the act provided an authorization of appropriation.28
Budget Resolution
The initial response of the 110th Congress to the Bush Administration’s FY2009 budget request
was to develop a budget resolution that sets the budget spending amounts for each functional

25 For more information on NSF, see CRS Report 95-307, U.S. National Science Foundation: An Overview, by
Christine M. Matthews.
26 The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program encourages science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
majors and professionals to become K-12 mathematics and science teachers by providing funds to institutions of higher
education to support scholarships, stipends, and programs for students who commit to teaching in high-need K-12
school districts.
27 The Math and Science Partnership program provides grants to teams composed of institutions of higher education,
local K-12 school systems, and their supporting partners to develop and implement pioneering ways of advancing
mathematics and science education for students.
28 Not all the programs addressed by the America COMPETES Act had an enumerated authorization of appropriation
level. Further, not all of the authorized programs will necessarily be at a sufficient programmatic level to have a line
item within their agency’s budget in the Bush Administration’s request, the appropriations bills, or the agency budgets.
Therefore, a lack of an enumerated appropriation does not necessarily mean that a given program is not funded.
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category of the budget.29 The budget resolution does not allocate funds among specific programs
or accounts. Major program assumptions underlying the functional amounts, however, are often
discussed in the reports accompanying the resolution. These program assumptions and budget
functions are not binding.30
In June 2008, the House and Senate of the 110th Congress approved the Conference Report on
S.Con.Res. 70, The Concurrent Budget Resolution for 2009. Section 522 of the report provided a
sense of the 110th Congress on the Innovation Agenda and the America COMPETES Act, stating
“the Congress should provide sufficient funding so that our Nation may continue to be the world
leader in education, innovation and economic growth.” The resolution “supports the efforts
authorized in the America COMPETES Act, providing substantially increased funding above the
President’s requested level for 2009, and increased amounts after 2009 in Function 250 (General
Science, Space and Technology) and other functions.” The resolution also states that “additional
increases for scientific research and education are included in Function 270 (Energy), Function
300 (Environment and Natural Resources), Function 500 (Education, Employment, Training and
Social Services), and Function 550 (Health), all of which receive more funding than the
President’s budget provides.”
The budget resolution also included agreeing to an allocation to the House Committee on
Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Appropriations. These committees then subdivided
the amounts they received from the House and Senate Budget committees among the
appropriations committees’ 12 subcommittees.31 The committee’s jurisdictions32 for the federal
agencies that have programs authorized by the America COMPETES Act programs are divided
among at least three Appropriations subcommittees:
• Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS): NSF, NIST, NASA,
and OSTP;
• Energy and Water Development (Energy-Water): DOE;
• Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-
HHS-Education): ED.
Committee on Appropriations
During the 110th Congress, the House Appropriations Committee reported the CJS and Energy-
Water bills to the House, but did not report the Labor-HHS-Education bill. The Senate
Appropriations Committee reported all of these bills to the Senate. The following are highlights
of House and Senate Committee on Appropriations actions during the 110th Congress FY2009
appropriations process:

29 CRS Report 97-684, The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction, by Sandy Streeter.
30 CRS Report 98-721, Introduction to the Federal Budget Process, by Robert Keith. This process is set forth in the
Congressional Budget Act, Titles I-IX of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-
344; July 12, 1974; 88 Stat. 297-339), as amended and codified at 2 U.S.C. 621-692.
31 These allocations for FY2009 are available at http://www.cbo.gov/budget/approps/approps.pdf. For additional
information on the appropriations process, see CRS Report 97-684, The Congressional Appropriations Process: An
Introduction, by Sandy Streeter.
32 It is important to note that the House and Senate Parliamentarians are the sole definitive authorities on questions
relating to the jurisdiction of congressional committees and should be consulted for a formal opinion on any specific
jurisdictional question.
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The America COMPETES Act and the FY2009 Budget

National Institute of Standards and Technology
• Both the Senate and House Appropriation Committees included funding for TIP
and MEP proposed for elimination by the Bush Administration. Reported funding
for TIP is approximately half that authorized ($65 million reported; $131.5
million authorized), while MEP is close to that that authorized ($122 million
reported in House; $110 million reported in Senate; $122 million authorized).
• While STRS is authorized at $541.9 million, the Senate committee approved
$489.5 million and the House committee $500.7 million.
Department of Energy
• The DOE Office of Science authorized level is $5.2 billion. The House
committee approved $4.9 billion, and the Senate committee $4.6 billion.
• The House committee recommended $15 million for ARPA-E, while the Senate
committee did not include any funding.
Department of Education
• The Senate committee reported $2 million for the Teachers for a Competitive
Tomorrow program, while the House subcommittee did not provide any funding.
The authorized level is $125 million.
• The Senate committee approved $43.5 million for the new Advanced Placement
and International Baccalaureate (AP/IB) program authorized by the America
COMPETES Act, while the House subcommittee did not provide any funding
stating that the “2 to 1 match from non-Federal sources would preclude low-
income schools from participating.”
• Both the Senate and House committee recommend Congress not fund two new
programs authorized by the act: Math Now and the Advancing America Through
Foreign Language Partnership Program.
National Science Foundation
• Both the Senate and House committees recommended funding for NSF at the
level requested by the Bush Administration, $6.9 billion. The authorized level is
$7.3 billion.
• The Senate committee reported $55 million for the Robert Noyce Teacher
Scholarship program, and the House committee $50 million.
Continuing Resolution
For FY2009, the 110th Congress then funded federal government programs related to the America
COMPETES Act from October 1, 2008 until March 6, 2009 through an interim continuing
resolution (P.L. 110-329) that became law on September 30, 2008.33 The resolution funded these
programs at the FY2008 level, but did not include funding from the Supplemental Appropriations

33 For more information, see CRS Report RL34700, Interim Continuing Resolutions (CRs): Potential Impacts on
Agency Operations, by Clinton T. Brass.
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Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-252) in determining the level of funding during this time for the America
COMPETES Act programs.34
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
The 111th Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (P.L. 111-5), signed
into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009, which supplements FY2009 funds (if any are
provided). These funds are available for obligation until September 30, 2010. The act includes
funding for NIST’s research and construction activities, NSF, ARPA-E, and DOE’s Office of
Science.
At NIST, funding is specified for its Scientific and Technical Research and Services ($220
million) and Construction of Research Facilities ($360 million) activities; no funding is provided
for the MEP or TIP programs. DOE’s Office of Science is funded at $1,600 million. The $400
million of funding provided for ARPA-E is the first it has received, and would establish the
agency within DOE.
At NSF, funding is provided for its Research and Related Directorate ($2,500 million); Education
and Human Resources Directorate ($100 million); and the Major Research Equipment and
Facilities Construction ($400 million) activity. Congress specified the following funding for these
America COMPETES Act programs: Major Research Instrumentation ($300 million), Robert
Noyce Scholarship Program ($60 million), Math and Science Partnerships ($25 million), and the
Professional Science Master’s Programs ($15 million). This is the first funding provided for the
Professional Science Master’s program and would establish that activity within NSF.
Extension of Continuing Resolution
An extension of the continuing resolution discussed in the earlier section was signed into law on
March 6, 2009 (P.L. 111-6). This bill amended the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2009
(Division A of P.L. 110-329) to extend until March 11, 2009.
FY2009 Appropriation
Funding for all of FY2009 for America COMPETES Act programs is included in the Omnibus
Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L. 111-8). The House passed the measure February 25, 2009, by a
vote of 245-178. It was passed by the Senate without amendment on March 10, 2009, following a
cloture vote of 62-35. President Obama signed the bill on March 11, 2009. As discussed in the
earlier section, these funds, are supplemented by those provided in the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (P.L. 111-5).

34 For additional details, see Office of Management and Budget, Apportionment of the Continuing Resolution(s) for
Fiscal Year 2009, OMB Bulletin No. 08-02, September 30, 2008 at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/bulletins/fy2008/
b08-02.pdf.
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The following are highlights of the Omnibus Act:
National Institute of Standards and Technology
• The act provides STRS funding of $472.0 million – less than that recommended
by either the Senate ($489.5 million) or House ($500.7 million) Committee on
Appropriations.
• Construction and maintenance are funded at $172.0 million – above that
recommended by the Senate ($149.0) and House ($129.0) committees.
• Funding for TIP ($65.0) and MEP ($110.0) are the same as that recommended by
the Senate Committee on Appropriations. The House Appropriations committee
level is similar for TIP, and slightly higher ($122.0) for MEP.
Department of Energy
• The act provides the DOE Office of Science $4.7 billion. This is about midway
between that proposed by the House ($4.9) and Senate ($4.6) Committee on
Appropriations.
• ARPA-E receives funding of $15 million, the same as recommended by the
House Committee. The Senate Committee did not include any funding.
Department of Education
• The act provides $2 million for a new Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow
program, similar to that recommended by the Senate committee. The House
committee did not provide any funding.
• No funding is provided for a new Advanced Placement and International
Baccalaureate (AP/IB) program. The Senate Committee on Appropriations
recommended $43.5 million. The House Committee on Appropriations
recommended not funding the program.
National Science Foundation
• NSF funding ($6.5 billion) is less that that recommended by both the Senate and
House committees ($6.9 billion).
• Funding for the Experimental Programs to Stimulate Competitive Research
(EPSCoR) is $133.0 million. This is the same as that reported by the House
Committee on Appropriations, and slightly above that recommended by the
Senate Committee ($125.0 million).
• The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program would receive funding of $55.0
million, the same as that reported by the Senate committee, and slightly above
that reported by the House committee ($50 million).

Table 1 summarizes congressional activities on these congressional activities for each of
the America COMPETES Act programs.
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Table 1. America COMPETES Act Programs Appropriations Status
(in millions of dollars)

FY2008
FY2009
FY2010
Appropriation
(Consolidated
Appropriations
Programs with
Act, 2008 (P.L.
Specific
110-161);
Omnibus
American
Authorized
Supplemental
Authorization
Appropriations
Recovery and
Authorization
Budgets in the
Appropriations
(America
Request
House
Senate
Act, 2009 (P.L.
Reinvestment Act
(America
America
Act, 2008 (P.L.
COMPETES
(President’s
Appropriation Appropriation
111-8) (as
(P.L. 111-5) (as
COMPETES
COMPETES Act
110-252))
Act)
Budget)
(as reported*) (as reported*)
reported*)
reported*)
Act)
Department of Commerce
National Institute

of Standards and
Technology
(Sec. 3001)
—Scientific &
$440.5 $541.9
$535.0a
* $500.7
* $489.5
$472.0
$220.0
$584.8
Technical Research
and Services (STRS)
(Sec. 3001)
—Construction &
160.5
86.4
99.0
* 129.0
* 149.0
172.0
360.0
49.7
Maintenance
(Sec. 3001)
—Technology
65.2b
131.5
0.0
* 65.2
* 65.0
65.0
Not Included
140.5
Innovation Program
(TIP) (Sec.
3001/3012)
—Manufacturing
89.6 122.0 2.0c
* 122.0
* 110.0
110.0
Not Included
131.8
Extension
Partnership (MEP)
(Sec. 3001/3003)
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FY2008
FY2009
FY2010
Appropriation
(Consolidated
Appropriations
Programs with
Act, 2008 (P.L.
Specific
110-161);
Omnibus
American
Authorized
Supplemental
Authorization
Appropriations
Recovery and
Authorization
Budgets in the
Appropriations
(America
Request
House
Senate
Act, 2009 (P.L.
Reinvestment Act
(America
America
Act, 2008 (P.L.
COMPETES
(President’s
Appropriation Appropriation
111-8) (as
(P.L. 111-5) (as
COMPETES
COMPETES Act
110-252))
Act)
Budget)
(as reported*) (as reported*)
reported*)
reported*)
Act)
Major Research
220.7
262.0
147.5
* 147.5
* 152.0
152.0
400.0
280.0
Equipment and
Facilities
Construction
(Sec.7002)
Agency
281.8
309.76
305.1
* 305.1
* 300.6
294.0
Not Included
329.45
Operations and
Award
Management
(Sec.7002)
National Science
3.97
4.19
4.0
* 4.0
* 4.0
4.0
Not Included
4.34
Board (Sec.7002)
Inspector
11.4
12.75
13.1
* 13.1
* 13.1
12.0
2.0
13.21
General (Sec.7002)
Laboratory
Not Included
Such sums as
Not Included
Not Included
Not Included
Not Included
Not Included
Such sums as
Science Pilot
may be
may be
Program (Sec.

necessary

necessary
7026) [NEW]
Sources: America COMPETES Act (P.L. 110-69); Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L. 111-8) and explanatory statement; American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009 (P.L. 111-5); H.Conf.Rept. 111-16 and joint explanatory statement. For FY2008, information is from the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-161) and
joint explanatory statement; Congressional Record, December 17, 2007; Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-252); H.Rept. 110-240; S.Rept. 110-124; H.Rept.
110-231; and S.Rept. 110-107. The FY2009 request information is based on FY2009 Congressional Budget Request documents from the Department of Energy and the
National Science Foundation. The Department of Education FY2009 information is based on its Budget Summary. The NIST FY2009 request information is from the Fiscal
Year 2009 Budget of the U.S. Government. Senate Committee on Appropriations FY2009 information is from S. 3182; S.Rept. 110-397; S. 3258; S.Rept. 110-416; S. 3230;
S.Rept. 110-410. House Committee on Appropriations FY2009 information is from H.R. 7322; H.Rept. 110-919; H.R. 7324; H.Rept. 110-921. The House Appropriations
Committee did not report an FY2009 L-HHS-ED bill. On June 19, 2008, the House L-HHS-ED Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its draft bill and approved it for
consideration by the full committee. The information in Table 1 is based on the subcommittee activities. For more information, see CRS Report RL34577, Labor, Health
and Human Services, and Education: FY2009 Appropriations, coordinated by Pamela W. Smith.
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Notes: Section numbers refer to the America COMPETES Act. “[NEW]” means a program that was not authorized prior to the America COMPETES Act. “Not Included”
means that these programs were not specifically identified in the budget request, bill, act, or report. * = as reported. All other appropriations are numbers from bill
language.
a. The Bush Administration’s budget request for STRS included almost $8 million for the Baldrige National Quality Award Program. The Senate appropriation for the
TIP/ATP program does not include the $30.8 million directed away from the ATP appropriation for use by other non-NIST related programs.
b. The following statement is in the Consolidated Appropriations Act joint explanatory statement: “Of the amounts provided to ITS [Industrial Technology Services],
$65,200,000 is for the Technology Innovation Program as authorized by P.L. 110-69 [the America COMPETES Act]. TIP is structured to fund high-risk, high reward
research focused on broad national needs such as advanced automotive batteries, aquaculture, novel lightweight materials, and other emerging technologies. The
funding provided for TIP will address mortgage obligations relating to projects created under the Advanced Technology Program (ATP). The amended bill also includes
language to al ow the TIP immediate access to an additional $5,000,000 from deobligations and prior-year recoveries from ATP.”
c. The Administration’s original FY2009 budget proposed $4.0 million in funding for MEP. On June 6, 2008, the President submitted a series of amendments to his budget
that reduced this proposal by $2.0 million. For more information, see CRS Report RL34448, Federal Research and Development Funding: FY2009, by John F. Sargent Jr. et
al.
d. According to an email communication between CRS and the Bush Administration OMB and OSTP received on October 14, 2008, OMB contends that the following
DOE programs correspond to programs authorized by the America COMPETES Act: DOE Summer Institutes (§5003) to the pre-existing DOE Academies Creating
Teacher Scientists program (DOE ACTS); DOE Early Career Awards (§5006) to pre-existing High Energy Physics Outstanding Junior Investigator, Nuclear Physics
Outstanding Junior Investigator, Fusion Energy Sciences Plasma Physics Junior Faculty Development; Advanced Scientific Computing Research Early Career Principle
Investigator; and the Office of Science Early Career Scientist and Engineer Award programs; Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes (§5008) with pre-
existing Bioenergy Research Centers, SciDAC Institutes, and the proposed Energy Frontier Research Centers; and the Protecting America’s Competitive Edge (PACE)
Fel owship program (§5009) to pre-existing Computer Science Graduate Fel owships; Graduate Research Environmental Fel owships; American Meteorological
Society/Industry/Government Graduate Fel owships; Spal ation Neutron Source Instrumentation Fel owships, and the Fusion Energy Sciences Graduate Fellowships.
Note that the information above is not included in DOE’s FY2009 budget request as, according to OMB, DOE did not reorganize its budget structure to match the
America COMPETES Act categories. The FY2009 budget request information provided in the table for these activities is from Attachment 4 in Testimony of Dr. John
Marburger, III, Director, President’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, House Committee on Science and Technology, Funding for the America COMPETES Act
in the FY2009 Administration Budget Request, hearing, 110th Congress, 2nd session, February 14, 2008, at [http://democrats.science.house.gov/Media/File/Commdocs/
hearings/2008/Full/14feb/Marburger_Testimony.pdf]. It is unknown the degree to which the Obama Administration agrees with the views of the Bush Administration
on this issue.
e. The committee recommends this action as part of its congressionally directed science projects stating $3 million should be appropriated for the Center for Advanced
Energy Studies at Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Fal s “to conduct a pilot program to demonstrate the Nuclear Science Talent Expansion Program.”
f.
The America COMPETES Act amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-58), Section 971(b), for FY2010. The FY2009 authorization number provided here is
from the Energy Policy Act.
g. The Secretary of Energy can decide to establish up to three institutes per fiscal year. Each institute could receive $10 million per year for three fiscal years.
h. The House subcommittee recommended not funding the COMPETES Act program stating that the “2 to 1 match from non-Federal sources would preclude low-
income schools from participating.”
i.
The House and Senate Committees on Appropriations each reported they did not wish to appropriate funds for this program.
j.
The title for this program in the America COMPETES Act is the Foreign Language Partnership Program. The table uses the title for this program from the ED FY2009
congressional budget justification to help distinguish it from other ED foreign language programs such as the existing Foreign Language Assistance program.
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k. H.R. 1 states that part of the funding provided to States for Institutions of Higher Education as part of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (Title XIV) should be used for
“IMPROVING COLLECTION AND USE OF DATA.—The State will establish a longitudinal data system that includes the elements described in section 6401(e)(2)(D)
of the America COMPETES Act (20 U.S.C. 9871).” In addition, the State “will take steps to improve State academic content standards and student academic
achievement standards consistent with 6401(e)(1)(A)(i ) of the America COMPETES Act.” No specific appropriation is noted for either purpose. Section 6401 of the
America COMPETES Act addresses the “Alignment of secondary school graduate requirements with the demands of 21st century postsecondary endeavors and
support for P-16 education systems.” With that Section, subsection (e)(2)(D) provides required elements of a statewide P-16 education data system such as
demographic information, yearly test records, teacher identification information, and student-level transcripts and college readiness test scores. Section (e)(1)(A)(ii)
discusses the use of grant funds for “identifying and making changes that need to be made to the State’s secondary school graduation requirements, academic content
standards, academic achievement standards, and assessments preceding graduation from secondary school in order to align requirements, standards, and assessments
with the knowledge and skills necessary for success in academic credit-bearing coursework in postsecondary education, in the 21st century workforce, and in the
Armed Forces without the need for remediation.”
l.
The following statement is in the Consolidated Appropriations Act joint explanatory statement: ”The Appropriations Committees strongly support increases for the
math and physical sciences, computer sciences, and engineering directorates in fiscal year 2008 for research and related activities (R&RA). However, the Committees
also believe the Foundation should maintain comparable growth in fiscal year 2008, to the extent possible, for the biological sciences and social, behavioral and
economic sciences directorates. Each of the science disciplines is valuable in maintaining U.S. competitiveness. The Committees urge NSF to provide each directorate
with funding levels that are consistent with the goals of the America COMPETES Act and look forward to the Foundation’s operating plan in addressing these
concerns.”
m. Although included in the FY2008 supplemental appropriation, the act specifies a section in the America COMPETES Act authorizing funding for the FY2009 EPSCoR
program.
n. Two directorates of the National Science Foundation manage the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program—the Education and
Human Resources Directorate (EHR) and the Research and Related Activities (R&RA) directorate. The America COMPETES Act and the NSF budget request both
identify the allocations for each directorate.
o. The House subcommittee recommends $20 million and the Senate committee recommends $45 million of the appropriated funding for the Noyce program be used
for the “National Science Foundation Teaching Fel owships and Master Teaching Fel owships” portion of the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program. A
description of this program is provided in the America COMPETES Act Section 7030, which amends the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 (P.L.
107-368), providing a new Section 10A.
p. The America COMPETES Act provides the authorization amount within R&RA; however, the explanatory language for H.R. 1 places the program within EHR.
q. The explanatory statement indicates that “The increase provided in the bill for the Noyce Program is for the purpose of expanding participation in the grants program
established in section10 and section 10A of the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 1862n-1) as amended by the America COMPETES
Act.”

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The America COMPETES Act and the FY2009 Budget

Programs Funded at Authorized Levels
A review of Table 1 finds that the combined funding provided by the Omnibus Appropriation Act
(Omnibus) and the American Investment and Recovery Act (ARRA) led to funding of several
America COMPETES Act programs at the authorized level (see Table 2). Other programs were
either funded below authorized levels, or not funded.
Table 2. America COMPETES Act Programs With Appropriated FY2009 Funds
Equal or Above Authorized Levels
Program Authorization
Appropriation

NIST Scientific & Technical Research and Services
$541.9
$692.0
NIST Construction & Maintenance
86.4
532.0
DOE Office of Science
5,200.0
6,322.6
NSF 7,326.0
9,492.4
NSF Research & Related Activities
5,742.3
7,683.1
NSF Major Research Instrumentation
123.1
200.0
NSF Professional Science Master’s Degree Program
12.0
15.0
NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program
115.0
115.0
NSF Graduate Research Fel owship Program
107.2
107.0
NSF Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction
262.0
552.0
Source: Congressional Research Service
Notes: For more details, see Table 1. The FY2009 appropriation is a total of that provided by the Omnibus
Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L. 111-8) and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (P.L. 111-5), which
supplements that funding.
In the case of ARPA-E, the FY2008 authorization was $300.0 million and the FY2009
authorization is for “such sum as are necessary.” The FY2009 appropriation is $415.0 million.
One issue for the future is whether or not these funding levels will be maintained at the
authorization level when there may or may not be a supplemental for those funds as was the case
in FY2009. If not, this may pose challenges for institutions and individuals sponsored by some
programs, particularly those related to research or education.
Programs Presumably Not Funded
As mentioned earlier, a lack of an enumerated appropriation does not necessarily mean that a
given program is not funded. At DOE, in particular, the budget proposed in the Bush
Administration did not align with that in the America COMPETES Act making it challenging to
determine the status of these programs. If the Obama Administration does align its existing
programs with the America COMPETES Act, the situation regarding these activities may be
clearer. However, at this time, there is insufficient evidence that the following new America
COMPETES Act programs are funded:

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DOE
• Pilot Program of Grants to Specialty Schools for Science and Mathematics
• Experiential Based Learning Opportunities
• Summer Institutes
• National Energy Education Development
• Nuclear Science Talent Expansion Program
• Hydrocarbon Systems Science Talent Expansion Program
• Early Career Awards for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Researchers
• Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes
• Protecting America’s Competitive Edge Graduate Fellowship Program
• Distinguished Scientist Program
ED
• Advanced Placement & International Baccalaureate Program
• Math Now
• Summer Term Education Program
• Math Skills for Secondary Skill Students
• Advancing America Through Foreign Language Partnership Program
• Mathematics and Science Partnership Bonus Grants
NSF
• Laboratory Science Pilot Program
Obama Administration Implementation of
Programs Funded by FY2009 Appropriation
This section discusses several aspects of the implementation of programs funded by the FY2009
appropriations by federal agencies that members of Congress might wish to monitor. The primary
challenge federal agency funds face regarding FY2009 funding is the speed with which they will
be able to obligate those funds. This is particularly true for funds provided through the ARRA.
At DOE, the Acting Director of the Office of Science (SC) indicates that the following actions
will be taken with ARRA funds:
• Facility Construction –Funds accelerate completion of a number of ongoing
construction projects for major scientific user facilities, major items of equipment for
those facilities, and laboratory infrastructure. General Plant Projects (GPP) update
laboratory infrastructure and establish new laboratory research space, renovate existing
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laboratory space, demolish inadequate facilities, and improve utility systems across SC
labs.
• Facility Operations/Infrastructure –Funds increase operations, experimental support, and
infrastructure improvements at scientific user facilities across SC.
• Research –Funds support selected research programs across SC and are chosen to
minimize out-year mortgages. Energy Frontier Research Centers are included.
• Computing –Funds support advanced networking; mid-range distributed computing; and
computation partnerships in areas important to DOE energy missions.
• Fellowships –A program to support graduate students and early career scientists was
proposed by SC and is under discussion within DOE.35
Within the Office of Science is the Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists office.
Although this office is funded at the level requested by the Bush Administration, neither the
ARRA nor the explanatory statement specify any funding for specific America COMPETES Act
activities within this program. At this point, the degree to which the Obama Administration will
agree with the Bush Administration regarding how these funds are implemented for specific
America COMPETES Act authorized STEM education programs at DOE is unknown.
Also at DOE, ARPA-E faces a unique challenge, as this new organization received its first
funding prior to the appointment of a director, or hiring of any staff. Special steps may need to be
taken to assure these funds are spent appropriately, and to achieve the desired outcomes. Possible
policy options to respond to this concern are discussed further in CRS Report RL34497,
Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E): Background, Status, and Selected Issues
for Congress, by Deborah D. Stine.
News report indicate that NSF plans to make the bulk of the new awards from its existing pool of
applicants.36 NIST indicated that it is drafting a spending plan.37 At ED, states must take actions
to improve the collection and use of data in order to receive additional funding from ARRA
funds.38
The Obama Administration has set up a website, http://www.recovery.gov. The agencies whose
America COMPETES Act activities that received ARRA funds have launched subsidiary
websites. These websites are:

35 Patricia Dehmer, Deputy Director for Science Programs & Acting Director, Office of Science, DOE, “News from the
Office of Science: High Energy Physics Advisory Panel,” February 24, 2009, at http://www.science.doe.gov/hep/files/
pdfs/HEPAP_PDehmer_022409.pdf.
36 Jeffrey Mervis, “Amid the Gloom, Researchers Prepare for a Boom in Funding,” Science 323 (5919):1274 -1275,
March 6 2009.
37 NIST, “Qs and As on Recovery Act Funding to NIST,” webpage at http://www.nist.gov/recovery/
recov_qs_and_as.html.
38 Department of Education, “Education Department to Distribute $44 Billion in Stimulus Funds in 30 to 45 Days, $49
Billon More to Be Available within 6 months,” press release, March 7, 2009, at http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/
2009/03/03072009.html.
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• NIST: http://www.nist.gov/recovery/
• DOE: http://www.energy.gov/recovery/science_technology.htm
• NSF: http://www.nsf.gov/recovery/

Author Contact Information

Deborah D. Stine

Specialist in Science and Technology Policy
dstine@crs.loc.gov, 7-8431

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