Biophysical Society Newsletter - February 2016

4

BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

2016

FEBRUARY

Public Affairs Congress Approves FY 2016 Spending Bill After three extensions and two months of negotiations behind closed

doors, Congress reached an agreement on the FY 2016 federal budget, which it approved on December 18. The $1.5 billion omnibus bill increases funding for science at several federal agencies. The chart below provides funding details for agencies and programs relevant to the biophysics community. Here are a few additional notes about the budget: • The $2 billion increase at National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the largest one-year increase to the NIH budget since 2003. • Within the National Science Foundation (NSF) budget, the “Research and Related Activities” line received a $100 million increase over FY 2015. The “Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction” line decreased $45 million from FY 2015. • The language that appeared in a House appropriations bill for NSF earlier in the year and that would have decimated the Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBE) and the Geosciences Directorates was removed. Instead, included language states that SBE should be funded at no more than the FY 2015 level. The bill funds the government through September 30, 2016.

Federal Funding for Science Agencies (in millions)

Difference between FY 15 and FY 16

Change between FY 15 and FY 16

FY 2015 Enacted Level

FY 2016 Enacted Level

Agency

National Institutes of Health National Science Foundation Department of Energy Office of Science NIST Science and Tech Laboratories Department of Defense Basic Research Veteran's Affairs Medical and Pros- thetic Research NASA Science

$30,073

$32,100

$2,000

6.6%

$7,344

$7,460

$120

1.6%

$5,067

$5,350

$279

5.6%

$5,245

$5,589

$344

6.6%

$676

$690

$755

2.1%

$2,278

$2,309

$31.5

1.4%

$588.9

$631

7.1%

$42.1