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.
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.
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.
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.
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