ASCB Testifies on Cloning Rudolf Jaenisch of the Whitehead Institute and  MIT testified for the ASCB this month before  the  Senate  Commerce  Science  and Transportation  Subcommittee  on  Science, Technology and Space.  The hearing consid- ered recent legislation introduced by Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) to prohibit reproduc- tive and therapeutic human cloning. Jaenisch reaffirmed the Society’s oppo- sition to the cloning of a human being, but testified that an indiscriminate ban on hu- man cloning would hinder critical research in embryonic stem cells.  For a complete tran- script  of  the  testimony,  see  www.ascb.org/ pubpol/clone.htm.   n n Budget Plans Pass Both Houses Senate Includes Substantial Increases for NIH and NSF Both the House and Senate have passed a budget for FY 2002. The House bill would fund the NIH at $23.1 billion, a $2.8 billion, 13.8 % increase over FY 2001, largely consistent with the President’s  recommenda- tion.  For the NSF, the House recommended  $4.472  bil- lion,  a  $56.1  million,  1.3% increase over FY 2001. The Senate’s recommen- dation initially tracked the House’s, but when the bill came  to  the  floor,  amend- ments were passed to sig- nificantly  amplify  the  in- creases for both agencies. Both  Houses  must  now negotiate the differences between their bills for a final vote. While the budget resolu- tion is not binding on the Congress, it is important because it determines the bud- gets for each Appropriations Committee. The Senate amendment, offered by Sena- tors Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman and Ranking Member re- spectively of the Senate Labor, Health & Human Services Appropriations Commit- tee, adds $700 million to the health func- tion of the resolution, which includes the NIH. The amendment passed 96 – 4, dem- onstrating  strong  bipartisan  support  for medical research. The additional funding, if included in the final bill, will allow ap- propriators to increase their allotment for the Institutes by as much as $3.4 billion, P  U  B  L  I  C     P  O  L  I  C  Y B R I E F I N G May  2001 CONTINUE                                      9 The Senate’s recommen- dation  initially  tracked the House’s, but when the bill  came  to  the  floor, amendments were passed  to  significantly amplify the increases for both agencies. Above: Rudolf Jaenisch testifies for the ASCB before the Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space. William Kristol is in foreground. Below: Subcommittee members Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Sen. Sam Brownback  (R-KS)  listen  intently  to  Jaenisch’s testimony.