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AAES FAST FACTS
February 25, 2002
February 25, 2002
Editor, Tom Price
February 22, 2002
WASHINGTON UPDATE
The United States Congress has voted to pass a bill, which will radically change the way election campaigns are funded.
The House of Representatives voted 240-189 in favor of the legislation after a marathon 16-hour debate, which stretched late into Wednesday night. The bill proposes banning unlimited donations of "soft-money" - funds given to political parties by businesses, unions and non-governmental organizations.
The bill will now go back to the Senate, which our correspondent says appears to be a formality now, and on to President Bush who has hinted he will not veto it - to be signed into law. In addition to limiting the amount of money that can be given to the political parties - at the moment, the only controls are on how much is given directly to election candidates themselves - it also prohibits using this money to buy adverts.
The Director of the White House's Office of Science and Technology, Jack Marburger, recently addressed the Administration's FY 2003 budget for science and technology at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS). His full remarks can be found at .
SOCIETY UPDATES
ASME
ICCFR&D MEETING FOCUSED ON BUSH FY2003 BUDGET
ASME's Inter-Council Committee on Federal R&D (ICCFR&D) met February 13-14, 2002 in Washington to discuss the President's budget request for FY2003. The ICCFR&D provides the mechanical engineering profession with a voice in the federal R&D budget process, and includes task forces that focus on research at the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The speakers on the ICCFR&D program, from such organizations as the Office of Management and Budget, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the House Committee on Science, Senator Joseph Lieberman's (D-CT) office, and the Commission of the Future of the Aerospace Industry, provided varied perspectives of the federal R&D budget. Their presentations can be found at http://www.asme.org/gric.
Task force representatives met with agency officials and with Dr. John Marburger, the President's Science Advisor, to discuss the need for a balanced R&D budget.
The Task Forces are now preparing analyses of their respective agency R&D budgets. These analyses will be used as ASME's contribution to an annual report prepared by the American Association for the Advancement of Science on research and development in the federal budget. In addition, the analyses will be used to prepare written or oral testimony on the agency budgets for Congressional hearings.
For more information, please contact Reese Meisinger at meisingerr@asme.org.
IEEE
On Feb. 7, IEEE-USA wrote to Gov. Tom Ridge, Director of the Office of Homeland Security offering recommendations on the importance of information technology and networking for homeland security missions related to public health and disaster management. See: http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/POLICY/02feb07.html
On Feb. 1, IEEE-USA urged the House of Representatives to support passage of the Cyber Security Research and Development Act (H.R. 3394). The bill subsequently passed by a vote of 400 to 12. IEEE-USA R&D Policy Committee Chair Ron Hira joined with bill sponsors in a Feb. 7th press conference following passage. See IEEE-USA's endorsement of H.R. 3394 at http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/POLICY/02feb01a.html and Ron Hira's remarks at: http://www.ieeeusa.org/releases/2002/020702pr.html.
On Feb. 1 & 7, IEEE's P1583 Standards Committee wrote to sponsors of the Equal Protection Voting Rights Act (S.565) and members of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee to brief them on IEEE's Voting Technology Standards Initiative.
During February IEEE-USA released new position statements on the following topics: Department of Energy University Nuclear Science and Engineering Act http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/POSITIONS/nucleareducation.html.
NSPE
Senators Jim Jeffords (R-I), Bob Smith (R-NH), Bob Graham (D-FL) and Michael Crapo (R-ID) introduced the Water Investment Act of 2002 (S1691) to ensure the environmental and financial sustainability of our nationís water programs. The legislation authorizes $35 billion over five years to modernize the operation of state water pollution revolving funds and the allocation for those funds to ensure that the funds distributed reflect water quality needs. A hearing on the bill is scheduled for later this month. The bill includes flexibility in the use of the funds to permit the states to use negative interest and principal forgiveness as devices to assist poor rural communities and cities. NSPE advocated the inclusion of these provisions in the recommendations made by the Water Infrastructure Network (WIN), of which NSPE is a founding member. WIN seeks federal funding of $57 billion for water infrastructure.
NSPE is urging support of bipartisan legislation designed to increase highway funding in all 50 states, which was introduced by the Transportation Committee leaders in both the House and Senate. The legislation would reinstate a minimum of $4.4 billion to the highway budget for FY03 bringing it back to the level anticipated when TEA-21 was enacted. Each year the highway funding levels authorized in TEA-21 are adjusted. This process, known as Revenue Aligned Budget Authority (RABA) adjustment, seeks to equalize revenues and expenditures from the Highway Trust Fund. The budget request is about $4.5 billion less than anticipated because gas tax receipts guaranteed for use for highway spending will fall below expectations, even though the balance in the trust fund is close to $20 billion.
NSPE presented its Legislative Service Award to Representative Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) for his support of expanded R&D funding, clean and safe water infrastructure investment and math and science education.
The 2002 NSPE Federal Engineer of the Year award winner is Maj. Kenneth W. McDonald, Ph.D., P.E., Deputy Director of Base Operations, 19th Theater Support Command, Korea. To promote licensure among engineers in the armed forces, he personally mentored more than 50 engineers and assisted them in the P.E. application process. He also spearheaded the establishment of a P.E. review course for engineers at Fort Leonard Wood.
NSPE members from Virginia to Hawaii participated in P.E. Day on the Hill activities. In visits to more than 100 congressional offices, they stressed the need for the Senate to pass comprehensive energy policy legislation, increased funding for clean and safe water infrastructure and several. A detailed account of P.E. Day on the Hill will be in the upcoming issue of the Washington Bulletin, which is posted on the NSPE web site at www.nspe.org.
Almost 20 percent fewer federal employees retired in FY01 than government officials had predicted, OPM statistics show. The lower rates suggest that employees are waiting longer and longer to retire, a trend that has developed over the past decade or so. That trend has contributed to the aging of the federal workforce. Today there are more federal workers in their 60s than in their 20s. NSPE strongly supports improving federal pay and encouraging licensure to make federal engineer positions more attractive. James has reacted favorably to NSPE recommendations on federal engineer pay parity and licensure.
NSPE member and former vice president Karen Moran appeared on the NBC Nightly News in a story on a recent advisory issued by the National Infrastructure Protection Center. The advisory addresses terrorist interest in water supplies and the possible use of engineering software.
NSPE cosponsored the First Friday Breakfast with Dr. Get Moy, P.E. He is currently the Director of Utilities & Energy in the Office of Installations & Environment at the Department of Defense (DOD). Moy is the chair of the NSPE US Agency Advisory Group, which will meet next in April, and the former Chief Engineer of NAVFAC.
President Bush outlined a comprehensive health care agenda designed to improve the accessibility, affordability and accountability of the American health care system. Include in the agenda was support for Association Health Plans (AHP) which would allow small employers to pool their resources to provide more affordable health care options for their employees. Representative Ernie Fletcher (R-KY) successfully amended the final House-passed version of the Patients' Bill of Rights to include AHPs and medical savings accounts. NSPE supports AHPs to improve the access for engineers to quality health care.
The administration proposed in its budget a permanent extension of the R&D tax credit, which is currently set to expire June 30, 2004, which NSPE strongly supports.
A new report from the National Academy of Engineering says most Americans know little about the world of technology. Yet from day to day they must make critical decisions that are technology based. Neither the educational system nor the policy-making apparatus in the U.S. has recognized the importance of this more comprehensive view of technological literacy, and the NRC. The report calls on engineering societies to institute fellowship programs to create a cadre of policy experts and journalists with a background in engineering. NSPE has been doing that as part of its Govermnemtn Relation sna Public Information programs. The report, Technically Speaking: Why All Americans Need to Know More About Technology, is available at www.nap.edu. A companion web site is available at www.nae.edu.techlit.
Addressing the U.S. Conference of Mayors President Bush said his budget will include $38 billion for homeland security, double the $19.5 billion the federal government was spending. Of that $38 billion, $3.5 billion would be allotted for aid to state and local emergency responders. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will coordinate money going to 36,000 local jurisdictions. NSPE is a member of The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP) which will be exploring what upgrades are needed to protect transportation, water and other facilities.