WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee, today announced the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015 provides increased funding to support American jobs and innovation, including funds for trade and economic development programs, and investment in scientific research and exploration.
The legislation has passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate and now heads to the White House to be signed into law by the President.
“U.S. businesses and workers need our support at home and abroad,” said Chairwoman Mikulski. “It is imperative that we make smart investments in American jobs and in our innovation economy. This bill does just that by focusing on investing in technology and exploration, selling more products in more countries, and protecting American patents and profits.”
Programs to support the development, investment, and protection of U.S. jobs and innovation are funded at the following levels:
$99 million for Public Works grants at the Economic Development Administration (EDA) for infrastructure projects to support private sector jobs in distressed communities. The bill also supports strong funding for other EDA programs, including $10 million for the Regional Innovation Program and $12.5 million for Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms. EDA helps communities plan and invest in regional strategies for long-term growth, leveraging billions in private investment and generating thousands of jobs.
$30 million for the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) to promote export and growth opportunities for minority-owned business.
$472 million for the International Trade Administration (ITA) to help U.S. farmers, manufacturers, and service providers sell their products overseas, including strong funding for the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service and other market access activities. US exports support more than 11 million American jobs.
$54 million for the United States Trade Representative (USTR). The United States is currently engaged in negotiations on the multilateral Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership trade agreements (TTIP). TPP countries represent $2 trillion in trade of goods and services each year, while U.S.-Europe trade amounts to nearly $4 trillion annually. TPP, TTIP and other trade negotiations on the agenda for FY15 will bring jobs to the U.S. and increase export opportunities for American companies.
$3.46 billion for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to fully fund all expected fees for the US Patent and Trademark Office, with funding of $3.5 billion to protect inventors so they can reap the profits from their ideas. The top Intellectual Property -intensive industries in the U.S. support at least 40 million jobs and contribute more than $5 trillion to U.S. gross domestic product.
$7.34 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF), which includes $5.93 billion for NSF’s research and research facilities to support more scientists, engineers and technicians today, and $866 million for NSF’s education and training programs to help build our next generation of innovators.
$18 billion for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to preserve a balance among science, aeronautics, technology and human space flight investments. Funding will keep NASA – and the U.S. – in the forefront of innovation, inspiring private companies to build new space transportation and spawning a new satellite servicing industry that can revive, refuel, and rejuvenate defunct communications satellites. In addition, the bill opposes requested funding cuts to the Hubble Space Telescope, and instead fully funds the mission at $98 million so that the Hubble can continue to make amazing discoveries about our universe.
$864 million for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which will catalyze innovations, develop measurements, and provide technical resources to promote the global competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers and aspiring start-ups. $130 million for the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and $15 million including prior year carryover funding for Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech) will help manufacturers accelerate development and adoption of cutting-edge manufacturing technologies for making new, globally competitive products.
$5.44 billion for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which includes $2.04 billion to keep our next generation weather satellites on budget and on schedule, and $1.1 billion in weather service operations and infrastructure to ensure our forecasting offices will be staffed and ready to issue severe weather warnings. This funding will help modernize aviation weather forecasting, improve severe weather forecasts, strengthen tsunami warnings, and maintain radars and other weather technology.
CONTACT:
Matt Jorgenson
Alanna Wellspeak
202-228-1122
