A
weekly review of the latest
legislative & regulatory news from
Washington.
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THIS WEEK...
Sensenbrenner, Conyers Introduce Bipartisan Standards Bill
House Judiciary Committee
Chairman F. James
Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and
Judiciary Ranking Democrat John Conyers (D-MI) recently introduced H.R.
4849, the Standards Development Organization Advancement Act of 2002. The
bill would extend provisions of the National Cooperative Research and Production Act to protect standards
development organizations (SDOs) from treble damages in antitrust suits.
The bill's introduction marks the culmination of more than a year
of work by ASME and several other
SDOs to bring the peril of treble damages to the attention of Congress.
Under current law, an organization found guilty of violating the
anti-trust laws could have to pay three-times (treble) the actual damages
suffered by the victim. This legislation would limit SDOs' liability to
actual damages, provided that the SDOs have met certain disclosure
requirements.
In a press release announcing the bill's
introduction, Sensenbrenner said, "This legislation will enhance U.S.
competitiveness in world markets while providing open communication with
the Justice Department so they can vigorously enforce our antitrust laws."
Conyers added that, "This narrow legislation will encourage the
development of standards which protect the public safety and welfare. I am happy to join with
Chairman Sensenbrenner and other
members in this important bipartisan initiative."
The press
release also noted that "to the extent that such standards are adopted by
the government as regulatory or procurement requirements, and thereby given the force of law, it
greatly increases the exposure of SDOs to allegations that their standards
are potentially in violation of the antitrust laws because compliance with
them becomes a market necessity."
A June hearing is expected,
followed by consideration by the full Judiciary Committee. To view the
bill, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/;
for further information, contact Francis Dietz at dietzf@asme.org.
House-Senate Conference on Energy Bill (H.R. 4) could begin in
June
The leadership of the House of
Representatives is expected to announce conferees for the comprehensive
energy bill (H.R. 4) in June, after lawmakers return from Memorial Day
recess. The Senate has already named its conferees, totaling 17 members.
In the meantime, Congressional staffers have plenty of time to
mull over side-by-side comparisons of the two energy bills. The combined
bill, totaling roughly 1500 pages, includes the provisions from the
House-passed bill (H.R. 4) and
the Senate-passed bill (S. 517).
Once conferees are named, Senate
and House members can move on to
"organizing meetings," according to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
spokesman Bill Wicker. Even before House conferees have been named, a
fight is brewing over which body will chair the conference. According to
Senate Energy and Natural
Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), the tradition is for
alternating Chairmanships on energy bills. Because the House chaired the
last energy bill conference several years ago, Bingaman believes it is the
Senate's turn this time around.
It is expected that the big
difference in the size of the tax package in the two bills, as well as
differing provisions on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,
electricity industry reform, renewable energy, climate change, and ethanol , will make progress toward
agreement slow and difficult.
The Alliance to Save Energy, an environmental group, has developed
a side-by-side comparison of the two bills. To obtain a copy, go to http://www.ase.org/policy/energybillcomp.pdf.
For further information, contact Francis Dietz at dietzf@asme.org.
House Committee Passes Pipeline Safety Bill
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee last week
approved H.R. 3609, legislation designed to improve the safety of the
nation's vast network of gas and
hazardous liquid pipelines. The measure would require the Department of
Transportation to issue, within 18 months of the bill's enactment, a rule
mandating a baseline inspection of all gas pipelines in high risk areas.
The baseline inspection would have to occur within 10 years of the rule,
with re-inspections occurring at least every seven years after the initial
inspection. The bill also would streamline the permitting process for
pipeline operators making repairs to their lines, among other provisions.
An agreement reached among Transportation Chairman Don Young
(R-AK) and Ranking Democrat James
Oberstar (D-MN), and Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Billy
Tauzin (R-LA) and Ranking
Democrat John Dingell (D-MI) resulted in removal of a reference to ASME's
latest pipeline integrity standard. Oberstar and Dingell had opposed inclusion of
the reference because they did not believe that the ASME standard's
inspection frequency recommendation was stringent enough. The bill now
goes to the House Energy and
Commerce Committee, which is expected to consider it in June.
The
Senate passed its version of pipeline safety legislation, S. 235, twice
last year, before including it as a provision in recently passed
comprehensive energy legislation. The House energy bill did not include a
pipeline safety provision.
To view the bill, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/. For further
information, contact Francis Dietz at dietzf@asme.org.
Committee Chairmen Boehlert and Boehner Call for More Funding for
Math and Science Partnerships
The Chairmen of the House Science Committee and the House Education and the Workforce Committee have joined
forces, urging increased funding for two mathematics and science partnership programs. Citing
proficiency in math and science as essential to our future
economic competitiveness, Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) and Rep. John A. Boehner (R-OH) pushed
for the funding increases in letters to members of the House
Appropriations Committee.
The House approved Chairman Boehlert's
legislation, the "National Mathematics and Science Partnerships Act" (H.R. 1858), in July
2001. The bill would authorize partnerships to develop and test new models for K-12 math and science education reform. In a letter
to Rep. James T. Walsh (R-NY), Chairman of the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on VA, HUD and
Independent Agencies, Boehlert and Boehner urged the Subcommittee to
"provide the President's request of $200 million" for the program.
In a second letter, they called on Appropriations Subcommittee on
Labor, HHS and Education Chairman
Ralph Regula (R-OH) to "significantly increase funding for the Mathematics
and Science Partnerships Program authorized under
Title II of the 'No Child Left Behind Act of 2001,' " (H.R.1) sponsored by
Chairman Boehner. Among other initiatives, the program focuses on the
development of rigorous mathematics and science curricula and brings teachers together with
scientists, mathematicians and
engineers to improve their teaching skills.
For further
information, contact Patti Burgio at burgiop@asme.org.
House Science Committee
Passes Bill to Double NSF Budget
The House
Science Committee has passed
H.R.4664, legislation authorizing a 15 percent increase in the budget for
the National Science Foundation
(NSF) in each of the next three years. The bill, entitled "Investing in
America's Future Act of 2002," has strong bipartisan support in the House
of Representatives. The legislation would authorize an increase in NSF's
budget from $4.8 billion in FY 2002 to $7.3 billion in FY 2005. The bill
would put NSF on track to double its budget in five years. ASME member
Ioannis Miaoulis, Dean of Engineering at Tufts University testified before
the Science Committee in support
of the bill.
A companion bill has not yet been introduced in the
Senate. However, in a hearing earlier this month, Senator Ron Wyden
(D-OR), Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space, stated his support for
doubling the NSF budget in five years. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich
(R-GA) testified that the NSF budget should be increased to $15 billion,
more than triple its current funding level. John Podesta, former Chief of
Staff to President Clinton, testified in support of doubling the NSF
budget.
For further information, contact Patti Burgio at burgiop@asme.org.
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Melissa R. Murray Government
Relations ASME International 1828 L Street, NW, Suite 906 Washington, DC
20036 Phone: 202.785.7380 Fax: 202.429.9417 Email: mailto:murraym@asme.org
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