FASEB Washington Update - December 29, 2010

CONTINUING RESOLUTION FUNDS GOVERNMENT THROUGH MARCH 2011

On December 21 st by a vote of 79 – 16 , the Senate passed HR 3082, a “continuing resolution” (CR) to Keep federal agencies operating until March 4, 2011.The House approved the bill 193 – 165 last night. HR 3082 continues funding for nearly all federal agencies at fiscal year 2010 levels, although exceptions were made for certain programs that would otherwise expire or be seriously interrupted. A summary of the CR is available on the Senate Appropriations Committee website. The CR does no... Read More..

SBIR SET-ASIDE INCREASE BLOCKED

Over the final days of the 111 th Congress FASEB worked with the Association of American Universities (AAU), the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU), and others in the research community to prevent Congress from passing a bill that would have reauthorized the Small Business Innovation Research ( SBIR ) and Small Business Technology Transfer ( STTR ) programs. These programs fund research conducted by small businesses by “setting aside” a portion of the budgets of 11 fede... Read More..

AMERICA COMPETES ACT REAUTHORIZATION PASSES; BILL AWAITS PRESIDENT’S SIGNATURE

Also on December 21 st , the House passed 228 – 130 the compromise version of HR 5116, the America COMPETES Act Reauthorization of 2010 . 16 Republicans voted for the bill and no Democrats voted against it. As we reported in the last Washington Update , the Senate passed the bill on December 17 th . Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chairman John Rockefeller (WV) and ranking member Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX) issued press statements applauding the Senate’s action. A shor... Read More..

2011 SENATE SCHEDULE FEATURES LONGER JANUARY BREAK

On December 20 th , Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) released a revised 2011 legislative schedule. After convening on January 5 th , the Senate will then observe a two-week recess. An earlier version of the calendar indicated that the Senate would break for only one week (January 17 -January 21). The revised schedule is as follows: January 5 House and Senate Convene January 10 – January 21 Senate Recess (Martin Luther King Day) January ... Read More..

FASEB's Washington Update is brought to you bi-monthly by the FASEB Office of Public Affairs. We welcome your questions and comments – please contact Jennifer Zeitzer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 301-634-7650. For more information about how to get involved in research advocacy, visit: http://capwiz.com/faseb/home/