Highlights of 2015 Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Act

Highlights of 2015 Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Act

2014 enacted:                         $51.6 billion               

2015 President’s request:       $51.0 billion

2015 Committee mark:          $51.2 billion

The Chairman’s mark provides:

·         $5.3 billion for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is $10.5 million less than the FY2014 level and $163.6 million less than the request.

o   $943.2 million for the National Weather Service operations, research, and facilities, which is $10.4 million less than the FY2014 level and $16.3 million more than the President’s request.

o   Oceanic and Atmospheric Research sustains a significant cut.  In particular, climate research is cut $37.5 million (24%) below FY2014 and $69.3 million (37%) below the President’s request.

·         $1.1 billion for the Census Bureau, which is $161.5 million more than the FY2014 level and $104.9 million less than the President’s request.

·         $3.46 billion for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which is equal to CBO’s projection of PTO’s FY2015 fee revenue collections.

·         $855.8 million for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which is $5.8 million more than the FY2014 level and $44.2 million less than the President’s request.

·         $8.47 billion for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is $124.6 million more than the FY2014 level and $120.6 million more than the President’s request.

·         $2.05 billion for the Drug Enforcement Administration, which is $35.3 million more than both the FY2014 level and the President’s request.

·         $1.2 billion for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, which is $21 million more than the FY2014 level and $1 million less than the President’s request.

·         $6.87 billion for Federal Prison System operations, which is $96 million more than the FY2014 level and $61 million more than the President’s request.

·         $1.67 billion for the Office of Justice Programs, which is $27.4 million more than the FY2014 level and $114 million more than the President’s request.

o   $376 million for the Byrne-JAG program, which is equal to the FY2014 level and the President’s request.

o   $425.5 million for Violence Against Women Prevention and Prosecution Programs, which is $8.5 million more than the FY2014 level and $3 million more than the President’s request.

·         $96.5 million for the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), $118 million less than the FY2014 level and $178 million less than the President’s request.

·         $17.9 billion for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which is $249.5 million more than the FY2014 level and $435.4 million more than the President’s request.

·         $7.4 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF), which is $232.3 million more than the FY2014 level and $149.2 million more than the President’s request.

Policy riders related to firearms:

·         The bill continues existing one-year firearm-related riders and proposes to make permanent the riders on Curios and Relics imports and Exports to Canada.

·         The bill includes a General Provision prohibiting funding to implement the Arms Trade Treaty, absent ratification of the treaty by the U.S. Senate. 

·         The bill includes a General Provision prohibiting ATF from requiring Federally-licensed firearms dealers to report on the multiple sales of certain semi-automatic rifles.