House Science Committee Introduces NSF Reauthorization Legislation
Posted April 09, 2021
By Lewis-Burke Associates LLC
Congress is looking to strengthen the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support U.S. leadership in science and technology, as seen by the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee’s introduction of the bipartisan National Science Foundation for the Future Act on March 26. This bill; introduced by Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK), and other Committee leadership; would authorize increased funding for NSF research, support STEM Education at all levels, expand efforts for broadening participation in science, and create a new Directorate for Science and Engineering Solutions (SES) to address societal grand challenges to be funded initially at $1 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2022. These social grand challenges include focus areas such as climate change and environmental sustainability, global competitiveness, cybersecurity, national security, STEM education and workforce, and social and economic inequality.
The bill would increase funding for NSF by $2 billion in FY 2022 and up to $13.3 billion by FY 2026. It would also authorize $1 billion for the new SES Directorate in FY 2022, and up to $5 billion in FY 2026. The bill also includes requirements around research accessibility, accountability, and security. There are also several provisions related to specific areas of research, including:
- climate change
- violence
- social, behavioral, and economic sciences
- food-energy-water nexus
- sustainable chemistry research and education
- risk and resilience
- support for biological research collections
The NSF for the Future Act differs in scale to the Endless Frontiers Act, introduced by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Todd Young (R-IN), which instead will propose an additional $100 billion over a five-year period to NSF.
Sources and Information:
- Further analysis of the bill can be found here.