NSF Reauthorization Bill Approved
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On Monday, November 18, the Chronicle for Higher Education reported that a
new authorization bill for the NSF has been passed by both houses of
Congress and that President Bush is expected to sign. According to the
Chronicle article, the bill would authorize appropriations committees to
allocate approximately $5.5 billion for NSF in 2003, rising to about $9.8
billion in the 2007 fiscal year, "as long as the White House's Office of
Management and Budget certified that the agency had made progress toward
improving its management." The funding level for NSF in 2002 was about
$4.8 billion.
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The new bill is an authorization bill, not an appropriations bill.  It
sets some broad policy guidelines for the NSF and suggests budget levels
for the next several years.  However, annual appropriation bills will be
required before NSF receives additional funds.  Because Congress did not
complete the appropriation process for the 2003 fiscal year (which began
on October 1, 2002), the NSF and many other federal agencies are now
operating under continuing budget resolutions. Completing the
appropriations process for 2003 is likely to be an early priority for the
new Congress because congressional review of the fiscal year 2004 budget
must also begin in the spring of 2003.