Keeping an Eye on Washington

Sizing Up Sinkholes:
Science and Technology to Mitigate Karst Hazards
The Congressional Hazards Caucus and Hazards Caucus Alliance are holding a congressional briefing on Monday, 7 May at 2 pm (Capitol Visitors Center, SVC201).

Adapting Wildfire Management to 21st Century Conditions
Attend this FREE Critical-Issues webinar from the American Geosciences Institute on 16 May, 1-2pm EDT (cosponsored by GSA).

CNSF Exhibition and Reception
GSA will showcase NSF-funded geoscience research at the 24th Annual Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) Exhibition and Reception on May 9.

At Long Last, FY 2018 Spending Bills Provide Increases for Science
The Administration’s budget request at the start of the FY 2018 spending cycle signaled that a difficult year was ahead for the scientific community. Following the the Bipartisan Budget Act in late February, the final spending bill was signed into law on March 23, and  provides increases for science across the board.

Research and Technology Subcommittee Tackles the Issue of Sexual Harassment
On 27 February 2018, four witnesses appeared before the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Technology during a hearing entitled A Review of Sexual Harassment and Misconduct in Science. During the opening statements, Chairwoman Barbara Comstock (R-VA) and Ranking Member Dan Lipinski (D-IL) explained that the hearing was being held to explore how misconduct, specifically sexual harassment, is affecting the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in STEM fields, and how different stakeholders are responding to the problem.

FY 2018 Spending Closer to Finish Line, FY 2019 Process Begins
On 9 February, a budget deal that raises spending caps for Fiscal Year 2018 and 2019, provides $89 billion in emergency spending, and continues funding the government through 22 March, was signed into law. Just a few days later on 12 February, the Administration released its Fiscal Year 2019 budget request.

NASA Reauthorization Bill Advances
The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee approved the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 5503) on 17 April. GSA and six other organizations sent a letter to Rep. Perlmutter, thanking him for his "leadership supporting NASA Earth Science research, in particular by offering amendment #28 to restore Earth Science funding" to the bill.

Scientific Community Pushes for FY18 Funding
GSA signed a 16 Feb. letter of the Energy Sciences Coalition (ESC) to thank "Congress for its efforts in reaching a bipartisan, two-year budget agreement that includes lifting the harmful sequestration-level budget cap for non-defense discretionary spending... ESC again urges Congress to prioritize investment in the U.S.Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science in the fiscal year (FY) 2018 appropriations omnibus bill." The Coalition for National Science Funding letter, which GSA signed, added its support for the deal and called for investment in the National Science Foundation.

Testimony in Support of Science in the FY19 Budget
GSA submitted testimony in support of NSF, NASA and the USGS. GSA also signed testimony in support of NSF by the Coalition for National Science Funding and an ad hoc coalition, NASA by the Coalition for Aerospace and Science, and DOE's Office of Science and ARPA-E by the Energy Sciences Coalition.