GOVERNMENT Legislation Air. (H.R. 1066, S. 455). Establish national program to reduce health threats posed by indoor air contaminants
Money, energy bills top priorities
Budeet. (H.R. 4990). Cuts fiscal 1992 federal spending $7.2 pillion, including $2 million from NSF research grants
T
(H.R. 5006, S. 2628). Request slight drop, to $38.6 billion in Department of Defense^ fiscal 1993 RDT&E funding (H.R. 4364, S. 2558). Provide $45 billion during fiscal years 1993 through 1995 for NASA's R&D programs
he House and Senate are concentrating on moving a few key pieces of legislation in the few weeks remaining before Congress recesses for the Democratic and Republican conventions and its annual August vacation. Topping the priority list are the 13 appropriations bills needed to keep the government running. This is the year the spending caps agreed to in the 1990 budget agreement really start to pinch. Appropriations Committee members are finding that not only do they not have any money to fund new programs, they don't even have enough to provide a cost-of-living increase for the old ones, including those for research and development. And the unexpected vote by the full House to cut off funding for the Superconducting Super Collider has supporters of other big science projects worried. So far, the space station has survived a subcommittee markup, albeit with its funding cut from $2 billion to $1.7 billion, and it probably will be backed by the full Appropriations Committee. The big question is what will happen on the House floor when members who want to show their constituents back home that they are doing something to balance the budget get a crack at the space station. Also on the priority list is legislation laying out a national energy strategy, including a comprehensive R&D program aimed at providing renewable and alternative energy technologies. Because the House included a number of tax provisions in H.R. 776, the energy bill it passed in late May, the Senate Finance Committee insisted on taking a look at it. The committee's energy tax provisions, including tax incentives for conservation and use of renewable energy sources, are close to those in the House bill. However, the committee added provisions increasing taxes on ozone-depleting chemicals and taxing coal production to pay for retired miners' health care benefits. The Senate will take another vote on the energy bill later this summer. And legislation reauthorizing the Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA) has been reported for floor action by the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works. The bill, S. 976, would, among other things, require the Environmental Protection Agency to add 25 chemicals to the list of chemicals for which emissions must be reported for the Toxics Release Inventory and to expand reporting requirements to cover facilities in at least 11 new industrial groups. The House Committee on Energy & Commerce was expected to complete markup of its RCRA reauthorization bill last week. Still, with so little time left on the legislative calendar, there are doubts that Congress will enact RCRA reauthorization this year. If it doesn't, it will at least have a head start for next year. Janice Long 26 JULY 6,1992 C&EN
Energy. (H.R. 776, S. 2166). Aim to reduce national energy use, dependence on foreign oil through research conservation, more use of coal, natural gas
Environment. (H.R. 67, S. 533). Establish a Department of the Environment, Bureau of Environmental Statistics Ethics. (H.R. 2507). Requires NIH to regulate financial conflicts of interest, define scientific misconduct, provide protection for whistleblowers who disclose it, place cap on indirect costs Food safety. (H.R. 2342, 3742, S. 1074). Define negligible risk, ban sale of foods with pesticide residues that pose a higher than negligible risk, require EPA to consider botn risks and benefits in cancellation proceeding
Liability. (H.R. 2700, 2937, 3030, S. 640). Provide for uniform national product liability law OSHA. (H.R. 3160, S. 1622). Require establishment of employer-employee safety and health committees, set higner fines tor violations Patents. (H.R. 4978, S. 2605). Harmonize U.S. patent law with that of other nations, including patent grants based on first-to-file rather than first-to-invent (H.R. 1417, S. 654,1291). Allow patents to be issued for processes employed to produce biotechnology products Waste. (H.R. 2194, S. 596). Require federal facilities to comply with federal, state environmental laws, regulations (H.R. 2880, 3865, S. 976). Amend Resource Conservation & Recovery Act to require industrial generators of hazardous waste to file toxic use and source reduction plans, encourage waste reduction and recycling Water. (S. 1081). Expands EPA's authority to ban use of toxic pollutants, requires it to update permit guidelines for specific industries at least every seven years
House committee
House floor
Education & Labor. Subœmmittee on Health & Safety concluded hearing 7/31/91. Science, Space & Technology. Sent back to Environment Subœmmittee for further consideration 8/1/91
Senate committee
Senate floor
Environment & Public Works. Reported, amended 10/3/91 (S. Kept 102-170)
Amended, passed 11/6/91
Amended, passed 5/6/92
Appropriations. Reported, amended 4/29/92 (H. Kept. 102-505)
Passed 5/7/92
Appropriations. Reported, amended 4/30/92 (S. Rept. 102-274)
Armed Services. Reported, amended 5/19/92 (H. Rept. 102-527) Science, Space & Technology. Reported, amended 4/22/92 (H. Rept. 102-500)
Amended, passed 6/5/92 Amended, passed 5/5/92
Armed Services. Began hearings 1/31/92
Energy & Commerce. Reported, amended 3/31/91 Science, Space & Technology. Public Works & Transportation. Foreign Affairs. Reported, amended 5/4/92. Government Operations. Ways & Means. Judiciary. Interior & insular Affairs. Reported, amended 5/5/92. (H. Rept 102472, Pts. I-VIII)
Amended, passed 5/27/92
Energy & Natural Resources. Reported 6/5/91 (S. Rept. 102-72). Finance. Reported, amended 6/19/92
Amended, passed 2/19/92
Environment & Public Works. Reported, amended 6/13/91 (S. Rept. 102-82)
Amended, passed 10/1/91
Labor & Human Resources. Reported, amended 3/13/92 (S. Rept. 102-263)
Amended, passed 4/2/92
Energy & Commerce. Reported, amended 7/9/91 (H. Rept. 102-136)
Amended, passed 7/25/91
Energy & Commerce. Subcommittee on Health & the Environment held hearings 6/19/91. Agriculture. Subcommittee on Department Operations, Research & Foreign Agriculture approved for full committee action 5/19/92
Labor & Human Resources. Subcommittee on Labor continued hearings 6/9/92
Judiciary. Subcommittee on Intellectual Property & Judicial Administration concluded joint hearings 4/30/92 Judiciary. Subcommittee on Intellectual Property & Judicial Administration held hearings 11/21/91
Judiciary. Subcommittee on Patents, Copyrights & Trademarks concluded joint hearings 4/30/92
Public Works & Transportation. Subcommittee on Water Resources plans markup
Agreement reached 5/20/92 (H. Rept. 102-530)
Signed June 4,1992 (P.L. 102-298)
Agreement reached 5/18/92 (H. Rept. 102-525)
Vetoed 6/23/92
Labor & Human Resources. Concluded markup 11/14/91
Education & Labor. Ordered reported, amended 5/28/92
Energy & Commerce. Began markup 6/18/92. Science, Space & Technology. Subcommittee on Environment held hearings 5/14/92
Outcome
Commerce, Science & Transportation. Ordered reported, amended 6/16/92
Commerce, Science & Transportation. Reported 11/14/91 (S. Rept. 102-215)
Energy & Commerce. Reported 6/13/91 (H. Rept. 102-111)
Conference action
Vote scheduled for 9/8/92
Judiciary. Reported, amended 3/11/92 (S. Rept. 102-260) Passed 6/24/91
Environment & Public Works. Reported 5/30/91 (S. Rept. 102-67) Environment & Public Works. Reported, amended 6/19/92 (S. Rept. 102-301)
Amended, passed 10/24/91
Conferees appointed 2/4/92
Environment & Public Works. Subcommittee on Environmental Protection plans markup JULY 6,1992 C&EN 27
