National Science Foundation Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1981
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Science and Technology.
National Science Foundation Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1981 - Authorizes appropriations for the National Science Foundation for fiscal year 1981. Makes funds authorized for 1981 available for: (1) mathematical and physical sciences; (2) astronomical, atmospheric, earth and ocean sciences; (3) United States Antarctic Program; (4) biological, behavioral, and social sciences; (5) Ocean Drilling Programs; (6) Science Education Programs; (7) engineering and applied science; (8) scientific, technological, and international affairs; (9) Cross-Directorate Programs; and (10) program development and management. Establishes minimum amounts to be spent for specified programs, including Earthquake Hazards Mitigation, the Small Business Innovation Program, Research and Development in Appropriate Technology, Science Facility Improvement Programs, Science Education Programs relating to Appropriate Technology, and for salaries of faculty members at institutions of higher education with limited programs in science and engineering. Establishes spending ceilings for specified programs, including the Ocean Margin Drilling Project and United States/Union of Soviet Socialist Republics cooperative research. Requires the Foundation to prepare and submit to Congress a report on the Ocean Margin Drilling Project. Requires the National Academy of Sciences to study and report on marine earth sciences research. Limits the amount which may be used for official consultation or representation at the discretion of the Director of the National Science Foundation and for the expenses of the National Science Foundation incurred outside the United States. Permits the transfer of funds from one category to another as specified. Requires the foundation to consolidate all Directors. Requires the Director of the Foundation, with the Secretary of Education, to develop and transmit to Congress a proposed joint science education program plan. Eliminates the Civil Service Commission clearance of personnel with access to specified information or property requirement. Makes individuals who make outstanding contributions in the behavioral or social sciences eligible to receive a National Medal of Science. Directs the President to develop and report to Congress a comprehensive national policy respecting women and minorities in science and technology. Requires the Director to require that all Foundation grants contain a brief statement of the purpose of the research being undertaken.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on April 2, 1980. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on April 2, 1980: Referred to House Committee on Science and Technology.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
GEORGE BROWN (D-CA) introduced it on April 2, 1980, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Republican.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on April 2, 1980, 16962 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16962 days ago, on April 2, 1980.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers