NNI Reauthorization in Senate
The NNI Reauthorization bill is officially in the Senate, and housed in the Committee on Science Commerce and Transportation.
NNI Reauthorization in Senate
The NNI Reauthorization bill is officially in the Senate, and housed in the Committee on Science Commerce and Transportation.
NNI Reauthorization--Here we go again
Earlier today, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed its version of the National Nanotechnology Initiative reauthorization amendments, H.R. 554. The passage was by "voice vote," meaning there is no record of who may have voted for or against the reauthorization. This is the next step towards complete reauthorization of the NNI.
According to the House Science and Technology Committee: "H.R. 554 requires that the NNI agencies develop a plan for the environmental and safety research component of the program that includes explicit near-term and long-term goals, specifies the funding required to reach those goals, identifies the role of each participating agency and includes a roadmap for implementation.
... H.R. 554 also includes provisions aimed at capturing the economic benefits of nanotechnology. In 2007, $60 billion in nano-enabled products were sold; and it is predicted that the number will rise to $2.6 trillion by 2014. To encourage commercialization in the U.S.—and the corresponding economic benefit—the bill strengthens public-private partnerships by encouraging the creation of industry liaison groups to foster technology transfer and to help guide the NNI research agenda. The bill also promotes the use of nanotechnology research facilities to assist companies in the development of prototypes."
Recall that we've been down this road once before. In the 110th House also passed the identical reauthorization language, H.R. 5490, only to have it expire at the end of the Senate's term last year. Hopefully the Senate takes up its version of the bill more quickly this time, and completes the reauthorization process. The companion bill has not been introduced in the Senate as yet.
NNI Reauthorization Reintroduced
Yesterday, Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN), Chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology introduced H.R. 554, the National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of 2009. This is a bill identical to the 110th Congress's H.R. 5490, which passed the House by a 407 to 6 vote, but stalled in the Senate. According to the Committee's press release the NNI Amendments Act of 2009 will "require[ ] the agencies participating in the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) to develop a plan for the environmental and safety research, and a roadmap for implementing it, which includes explicit near-term and long-term goals and the funding required, by goal and by agency. The bill also seeks to leverage private sector investments in nanotechnology and facilitate technology transfer by strengthening public/private partnerships."
You'll recall that we did several posts concerning the 2008 version of the bill and the importance of reauthorizing the NNI. While each federal agency will continue to pursue its own agenda for nanotechnology research and regulation, it s important to have an umbrella organization that is aware of all of the different efforts in order to make connections and avoid duplication when possible. Hopefully Congress can see its way to reauthorizing the NNI before the bill expires, again. Stay tuned for hearing announcements and bill markups.
UPDATE: NNI Bill in Senate
The saga of the status of the NNI Reauthorization Bill in the Senate, S. 3274, continues. Remember we provided information previously about the status of reauthorization and the dangers involved in letting the legislation lapse.
The NanoBusiness Alliance is reporting that the markup for the bill is now scheduled for September, but no further information is given. Keep an eye out for movement (hopefully) next month on NNI reauthorization legislation.
NNI Reauthorization Stalling in Senate
Today's lesson is: never count your chickens before they hatch. You'll remember a few months back, the House overwhelmingly passed legislation reauthorizing the National Nanotechnology Initiative, and slightly modifying some of the work they do. At the time, I surmised (to myself) that passage through the Senate was likely to be quick. Perhaps not.
It turns out, the NNI re-authorization bill on the Senate side, S.3274, is getting bogged down and is in danger of not passing before the end of the term later this year. This bill has been slow to be introduced (as in yesterday), and the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee may not get to consider it until next week at the earliest.
Some environmentalists are seeing this as an opportunity to try and get the 10% funding increase for EHS research back into the bill, but attempting such an effort may endanger its passage by the full Senate, which is needed to keep the NNI going. If the full Senate doesn't pass the bill before the end of the session, the whole process will have to be restarted and approved by both chambers. Given that a markup hasn't happened yet, passage by the end of this Congress is already looking to be tight on the calendar. We'll have to keep an eye on the progress to see what happens between now and the end of the year.
UPDATE: NNI Reauthorization Passed by House
We previously discussed the pending National Nanotechnology Initiative re-authorization here, and we're back today to let you know that the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the bill.
On June 5, the House, by a 407-6 vote, passed H.R. 5490: National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of 2008. The bill now heads to the Senate for its consideration and vote
As reported earlier in the Committee Stage, "H.R. 5940, does not substantially alter NNI, but makes adjustments to some of the priorities of the program and strengthens one of the core components – environmental and safety research." There was 40 minutes of debate on the House floor, upon which the motion was called for and passed by a wide margin.
My only question is: Why did the 6 Congressmen and women who voted against it, vote against it? Unfortunately the Congressional Record for this debate is not yet available. If you're curious who those people are, the roll-call vote is here.
NNI Reauthorization
The Risk Policy Report is reporting that Congressional re-authorization for the National Nanotechnology Initiative, the cross-agency program designed to study nanotechnology issues, is underway. The current funding is set to expire at the end of the 2008 fiscal year.
Reports indicate that as part of the re-authorization legislation, Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) included an amendment to the Senate bill setting aside $40 million per year for environmental health and safety research. Aside from this fiscal directive, there are expectations that Congress will mandate the reauthorized NNI to perform more research into risks associated with nanotechnology.
MEH: Re-authorization of the NNI is crucial for the advancement of our understanding of nanotechnology. Through the NNI many federal agencies can share information and research, which will serve to close the ever-present data gap that surrounds nanotechnology. At the same time, an increased call for EHS funding is not inappropriate, and it is through directed funding that specific goals can be met. While the NNI has been criticized of late, its role in the development and regulation of nanotechnology is an important one as we try and both learn about this new technology and, at the same time, begin to formulate efficient and effective regulations.
