Ellen Smith, assistant vice president, represents and informs the Univesity on issues such as financial aid, Medicare and Medicaid, research funds and tax policies as they pertain to higher education.

Where to Find It

The Federal Relations Web is accessible on the Administration and Index pages of ColumbiaWeb.


VOL. 23, NO. 7	OCTOBER 24, 1997

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

NSF and NASA Receive Funding

By Ellen Smith

ongress returned to Washington after the Columbus Day recess to continue work on appropriations bills. Final adjournment for this session is expected in early November. Although the new fiscal year (FY'98) has started, there are still some agencies without allocations. Their funding has been covered by a so-called continuing resolution.

Congress recently passed the appropriations bill which funds the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. NSF fared well with an overall 5 percent increase (slightly higher for research only), thus getting a budget above the President's request. NASA also was funded above the President's requested level.

Funding for NIH, student aid and the Department of Commerce (including NOAA) has not been appropriated yet, as there is still controversy over provisions unrelated to research. It is expected that at least one more stopgap funding bill will need to be passed before a final bill is completed.

Student aid funding—which covers the next academic year—is expected to increase mainly in two areas: Pell grants and work study.

Congressman Vern Ehlers (R.-Mich.) plans a luncheon this week to launch his review of federal research funding. Senators Joseph Lieberman (D.-Conn.) and Phil Gramm (R.-Tex.) plan to introduce their "double in ten bill" this week and host a press conference urging support for the doubling of all non-defense research funding in ten years.

During the campaign season, it is important for members of the Columbia community to remember that, as a tax-exempt organization, the University may not participate in or intervene in any political campaign. Although employees may freely participate in political activities on their own time, the University has a long-standing policy prohibiting the use of Columbia facilities for such activities.

To ensure that proper procedures are followed, individuals or organizations seeking to sponsor political programs (either partisan or nonpartisan) on campus should discuss their plans in advance with the General Counsel's office, and, if appropriate, the Student Affairs office.