PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Conference Agreement Reached on Agricultural Research Funding

The House–Senate conference agreement for the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004, which includes funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has allotted $165 million for competitive research grants sponsored by the National Research Initiative (NRI). The conference agreement was enacted into Public Law 108-199 on January 23.

The NRI funding level approved in the conference agreement is lower than the $180 million Senate recommendation and $1 million, or less than one percent, lower than fiscal year 2003 funding for the NRI. NRI funding in the conference agreement is about $16 million higher than the House recommendation of $149.2 million. Prior to the conference, House staff indicated that the NRI might receive less funding compared with fiscal year 2003, when the NRI received an increase sought by ASPB of $45.6 million, or 38 percent (a two-year doubling rate of increase).

Fiscal year 2004 funding for the Agricul-tural Research Service (ARS) is appropriated at $1,088,892,000 in the conference agreement. This is an increase of $52,113,000, or 5 percent, over fiscal year 2003 funding for ARS.

In advance of the conference, ASPB staff contacted all ASPB members in Wisconsin and Utah—states of the chair and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture—asking them to urge their Senators to support the higher Senate recommendations for the NRI and ARS in conference. ASPB also contacted members in the districts of the chair and ranking member of the House Appropria-tions Subcommittee on Agriculture, requesting that they urge their member of Congress to accept the higher Senate recommendations for the NRI and ARS.