NIH appropriations up by $2 billion for 1999

[Phil Tompkins <philtomp@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm sure using up a lot of cyber soapbox space today, but someone
earlier asked about the NIH fiscal 1999 appropriations in Congress,
I had been trying to find out myself, and news articles are finally
starting to appear.  Here's what I saw so far, and if anyone has
further info, I'd be grateful.

The remaining 8 appropriations bills to fund federal government
operations for fiscal 1999, which Congress had been so very late to
address, and which include appropriations for NIH, were rolled into
one huge omnibus bill which Congressional leaders and the White
House agreed to today.  This is the biggest Congressional bill ever,
and the goal is to have it passed by Congress on Tuesday.

According to an article at www.washingtonpost.com, the National
Institutes of Health will receive a $2 billion increase for fiscal
1999.  "Research has been a popular cause on Capitol Hill, even
among conservative Republicans generally opposed to big government
spending," the Post article said.

This takes the NIH appropriations from $13.6 billion in 1998 to
$15.6 billion in 1999, a 14.7 percent increase.  A 14 percent
increase every year will double the NIH funding in 5 years, a goal
which some members of Congress have advocated. Researchers, get your
grant proposals ready.

I could not find any details about Udall more recent than the
original separate House and Senate Labor/Health & Human Services
/Education bills plus the accompanying committee reports as they have
existed at the Library of Congress web site 
ever since they were approved by their respective appropriations
committees.

Unless someone makes contact with Congress, it will be several days
before the big bill is made available on the web where we can learn
of any possible changes in the Udall provisions.  I suppose there
could be further amendments before Tuesday, but this being such a
monstrous bill and Congress being so anxious to adjourn, I would
guess that there will be no Udall changes -- but, hey, who am I to
say?

Phil Tompkins
Hoboken NJ
age 60/dx 1990