The main agencies of interest to the geoscience community in the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill are the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

• Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Process
• Summary Table: FY 2014 - FY 2015 Temporary CR Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Process
• Summary Table: FY 2012 - FY 2015 President's Request Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies
• Appropriations Homepage

Appropriations Update: Congress Passes Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Omnibus Spending Bill 

After passing a 2-day extension of the existing continuing resolution (CR), which provided funding through December 11, Congress passed the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015 on Saturday, December 13. This bill will fund most of the federal government through September 30, 2016.

Dubbed the “CRomnibus”, the bill provides yearlong funding for 11 out of the 12 appropriations bills. The 12th bill, which funds the Department of Homeland Security, is only funded through February 27, 2015. 

Appropriations Update: Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies

The House passed their version of the fiscal year (FY) 2015 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies appropriations bill on May 30, 2014. The Senate introduced their version of the bill on June 5, 2014, however they have yet to vote on it. 

This September, Congress passed a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) funding the federal government at fiscal year (FY) 2014 levels through December 11, 2014. The stop-gap spending measure ensures that federally funded agencies will have enough money to operate through the first couple months of FY 2015, which began October 1.

The bill will continue to provide top-level funding of $1.012 trillion for the federal government. The House approved its version of the CR (H.J. Res 124) on September 17, and the Senate approved the House bill on September 18. President Obama signed the bill on September 19.

Congress will take up the issue of funding the federal government for the remainder of FY 2015 again after the November elections.

* Fiscal Year 2014 Estimate (Source: Fiscal Year 2015 President's Request and Directorate for Geosciences FY 2015 Budget Request)
^ Fiscal Year 2014 Base Program Amount (Source: NOAA FY 2014 Budget Estimates)

Sources: FY 2015 Omnibus Spending Bill (Division B), President's FY 2015 Budget Request, FY 2015 Senate Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Report, FY 2015 House Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Report, FY 2014 Omnibus Spending Bill, Division B, NIST FY 2014 Appropriations Summary, NSF FY 2015 President's Request, NASA FY 2015 President's Request, NASA FY 2015 Budget Request for Science, NASA FY 2014 President's Request, NASA FY 2013 Operating Plan, NOAA FY 2014 Blue Book, NOAA FY 2013 Operating Plan, OSTP FY 2014 Budget Submission, OSTP FY 2013 Budget Submission, UCAR FY 2014 Atmospheric Sciences Overview, Directorate for Geosciences FY 2015 Budget Request, Department of Commerce FY 2015 Budget Justification

* Fiscal Year 2014 Estimate (Source: Fiscal Year 2015 President's Request and Directorate for Geosciences FY 2015 Budget Request)
^ Fiscal Year 2014 Base Program Amount (Source: NOAA FY 2014 Budget Estimates)

Sources: President's FY 2015 Budget Request, FY 2015 Senate Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Report, FY 2015 House Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Report, FY 2014 Omnibus Spending Bill, Division B, NIST FY 2014 Appropriations Summary, NSF FY 2015 President's Request, NASA FY 2015 President's Request, NASA FY 2015 Budget Request for Science, NASA FY 2014 President's Request, NASA FY 2013 Operating Plan, NOAA FY 2014 Blue Book, NOAA FY 2013 Operating Plan, OSTP FY 2014 Budget Submission, OSTP FY 2013 Budget Submission, UCAR FY 2014 Atmospheric Sciences Overview, Directorate for Geosciences FY 2015 Budget Request, Department of Commerce FY 2015 Budget Justification

* Total NIST discretionary spending (Source: NIST FY 2014 Appropriations Summary)
** Second numbers include supplmental funding (Source: NOAA FY 2013 Operating Plan)
*** FY 2014 Base Program Amount (Source: NOAA FY 2014 Budget Estimates)
^ FY 2013 Actual and FY 2014 Estimate (Sources: Fiscal Year 2015 President's Request and Directorate for Geosciences FY 2015 Budget Request)

Sources: President's FY 2015 Budget Request, FY 2014 Omnibus Spending Bill, Division B, NIST FY 2014 Appropriations Summary, NSF FY 2015 President's Request, NASA FY 2015 President's Request, NASA FY 2015 Budget Request for Science, NASA FY 2014 President's Request, NASA FY 2013 Operating Plan, NOAA FY 2014 Blue Book, NOAA FY 2013 Operating Plan, OSTP FY 2014 Budget Submission, OSTP FY 2013 Budget Submission, UCAR FY 2014 Atmospheric Sciences Overview, Directorate for Geosciences FY 2015 Budget Request, Department of Commerce FY 2015 Budget Justification
 

Please send any comments or requests for information to the AGI Geoscience Policy at govt@agiweb.org.

Prepared by Abigail Seadler , AGI Geoscience Policy Staff

Last updated October 16, 2014