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..

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..

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..