JULY 30, 2021

House Passes Several Appropriations Bills; Senate Infrastructure Debate Opens

Plus, an update on Capitol Hill reopening

With Washington staring longingly at the August recess, this has once again been another busy week, with infrastructure and the appropriations process taking center stage. While much remains up in the air, both issues have begun to take on a more concrete shape.

Here’s What You Might Have Missed
Progress on Senate Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. On Wednesday, 67 Senators voted to open debate on the debate on the infrastructure bill, though it had yet to be written. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expects the body to finish the bill “in a matter of days,” though it remains unclear if the Senate will have to work through the weekend to do so. WSW’s infrastructure report for this week has more details on the latest developments and can be found here.

House Passes Several Approps Bills; Emergency Security Supplemental Gets Wide Bipartisan Support. Yesterday, by a vote of 219-208, the House passed a package that included the following seven FY2022 appropriations bills:

• Agriculture
• Energy and Water
• Financial Services and General Government
• Interior
• Labor, Health and Human Services, Education
• Military Construction
• Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development

The House has also passed the State & Foreign Operations and Legislative Branch Appropriations bills. The only three bills that remain outstanding are Defense; Homeland Security; and Commerce, Justice, and Science. As a reminder, the fiscal year ends on September 30; if the House and Senate cannot strike a deal, it is likely that a Continuing Resolution will be needed, at least for a short time.

In more bipartisan news, both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed an emergency security supplemental appropriations with wide margins. Among other provisions, the $2.1 billion legislation provides $70.7 million for the U.S. Capitol Police and $521 million for unanticipated pay and operations costs for the National Guard deployment at the Capitol and throughout the National Capital Region. The measure also provides funding for additional special immigrant visas (SIVs) for translators and other Afghans who worked with Americans over the past two decades, as well as for additional humanitarian relief to Afghan refugees.

Mask Mandates Return. Beyond the House of Representatives now instituting a mask mandate, several cities and counties are, with many others putting out recommendations. The Centers for Disease Control has indicated that the Delta variant is especially contagious, and preventive steps must be taken.

Here’s What You Should Be Watching
Congressional Meetings Remaining Virtual? While public tours are still on hold and restrictions remain in place limiting access to the U.S. Capitol and the House and Senate office buildings, DC observers have been expecting at least some of those restrictions to be relaxed after Labor Day. However, the rise of the Delta variant and increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the DC metro area in recent weeks means that regular in-person meetings in Washington with Members of Congress or their staff are not likely to resume anytime soon. Your WSW team will continue to provide guidance and logistical support to make sure your interactions with your elected officials are as impactful as possible, whether they’re occurring virtually, in-person back in the Member’s state, or elsewhere.

The Prospects for a Democrats-Only Bill. As we have reported recently, much Congressional support for the bipartisan infrastructure bill is drawn from the notion that both Chambers will pass a more expansive, Democrats-only bill. Majority Leader Schumer claims that he has the 50 votes needed; however, some Senate Democrats have raised concerns that the price tag of $3.5 trillion is too high, while others have said the package needs to be bolder. It is worth watching to see where the final number ends up.

 

JULY 23, 2021

Senate Acts on Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill; How Did We Get Here?

[su_button url=”https://www.deepwaterpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Infrastructure-Update-Week-of-7.26.pdf” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#ff9900″ color=”#000000″ size=”8″]View Full Summary[/su_button]

JULY 23, 2021

The Infrastructure Debate Nears the Finish Line, For Now

Plus, a look at the impacts of the COVID-19 Delta variant on Washington and beyond

With next week being the last Congress is scheduled to be in session before the August recess, much remains unfinished, including infrastructure and police reform, with other issues on the horizon, including combatting the newest round of COVID-19 outbreaks. As Congressional leadership threatens to cut the recess short, elected officials seem to be ratcheting up their pace in an effort to leave town on time.

Here’s What You Might Have Missed
Infrastructure Negotiations Hit the Home Stretch; Democrats Have a “Go At It Alone” Backup Plan. On Wednesday, Senate Republicans unanimously voted to block debate from starting on the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package. This outcome was expected – even Republicans elbow-deep in negotiations opposed voting to open debate on a bill that still isn’t completely drafted with “pay-fors” that have not yet been “scored” by the Congressional Budget Office. It is noteworthy, however, that Schumer kept the entire Democratic Caucus together on the the procedural vote, including two of the key votes for a future reconciliation package – Sens. Manchin (D-WV) and Sinema (D-AZ).

Before Wednesday’s vote, 11 Republican Senators sent a letter to Sen. Schumer to request he delay the vote until Monday, when they think they’ll have enough GOP votes to proceed on the package. After the failed vote, a bipartisan group of 22 Senators who are working on the bill released a statement that “significant” progress is being made. However, a new wrinkle has been added to the fray – funding for public transit, which Democrats claim Republicans want to cut. Ultimately, in the event the bipartisan negotiators can’t strike a deal, Democrats have a backup plan. Axios reported that Democrats involved in drafting the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill would plan to add $600 billion in “hard” infrastructure to the bigger measure – bringing the total package up to $4.1 trillion.

House leadership has also begun making noise, despite Speaker Pelosi’s public deference to Majority Leader Schumer. Yesterday, Speaker Pelosi noted that the House will not consider a bipartisan infrastructure bill until a Democrats-only bill passes the Senate. The “hot infrastructure summer” continues, and the path forward remains murky.

Senate Armed Services Committee Votes to Increase Defense Budget Authorization. Yesterday, the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) voted to bump up the topline figure of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by $25 billion over the President’s request of $715 billion. While there is still a long way to go before the final amount is settled, this vote is an interesting development in the tug-o-war over domestic vs. military spending.

COVID-19 Cases Spike Nationwide. COVID-19 cases are up 55% over the past week, and new cases have increased in 46 states. While this has clearly caused alarm, it has demonstrated the success of the vaccines: 97% of those hospitalized and 99% of those who die from the virus, respectively, were not vaccinated. Meanwhile, the Delta variant seems to be driving increased vaccination numbers, with Americans in Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Missouri – the five states with the highest infection rates – now getting vaccinated on a daily basis a rate that is higher than the national average. This morning, Philadelphia became the most recent city to advise everyone, even those already vaccinated, to wear masks indoors.

Pelosi Rejects McCarthy’s Picks for January 6th Commission. In what Republicans are calling an “unprecedented” move, Speaker Pelosi rejected two of Minority Leader McCarthy’s five picks for the commission to examine the events of January 6. In response, McCarthy pulled all the Republicans off the commission. Pelosi has already appointed one Republican, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), to the commission, and is considering appointing another: Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL).

Here’s What You Should Be Watching
The Impacts of the COVID-19 Delta Variant on Congress. As we discuss above, the Delta variant outbreaks are impacting broader American life. However, there are direct impacts in Washington, too. Politico has reported that Congress’ Attending Physician, Brian Monahan, has not yet called for re-imposing the masking rule in Congress – however, he has circulated a memo underscoring the severity of the Delta variant. “Proxy voting” privileges have also been extended until mid-August, and it seems as if some version of remote hearings will continue for the foreseeable future, possibly indefinitely. We are keeping an eye on how the variant could impact regular business in Washington.

The Impact of Police Reform on the 2022 Midterms. As we have reported recently, police reform negotiations seem to have stalled, though both Senators leading the negotiations – Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tim Scott (R-SC) – insist otherwise. While the question on police reform as a policy matter is important, there are significant political implications as a result of increased crime nationwide as well. A Morning Consult poll from last week found that an eye-popping 94% of registered voters consider violent crime a major or minor issue. As the 2022 cycle starts to heat up, with more and more challengers popping up every day, expect to hear a lot about crime & public safety right up until next November.

JULY 23, 2021

Federal Funding Opportunities

NEW: U.S. Department of Commerce; Economic Development Administration American Rescue Plan Act Build Back Better Regional Challenge Phase 1 concept proposals due October 19, 2021

The American Rescue Plan Act Build Back Better Regional Challenge is designed to assist communities in their efforts to build back better by accelerating the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and building local economies that will be resilient to future economic shocks. This two-phase competition will help regions develop transformational economic development strategies and fund the implementation of those strategies that will create and grow regional growth clusters through planning, infrastructure, innovation and entrepreneurship, workforce development, and access to capital.

NEW: U.S. Department of Commerce; Economic Development Administration American Rescue Plan Act Good Jobs Challenge applications due January 26, 2022

The American Rescue Plan Act Good Jobs Challenge aims to get Americans back to work by building and strengthening systems and partnerships that bring together employers who have hiring needs with other key entities to train workers with in-demand skills that lead to good-paying jobs. Collaborative skills training systems and partnerships will create and implement industry-led training programs, designed to provide skills for and connect unemployed or underemployed workers to existing and emerging job opportunities. Ultimately, these systems are designed to train workers with the skills to secure a quality job that provides good pay, benefits, and growth opportunities. Proposals within the following three phases, as applicable to regional needs, will be funded:

• System Development: Help establish and develop a regional workforce training system comprised of multiple sector partnerships
• Program Design: Develop the skills training curriculum and materials, and secure technical expertise needed to train workers
• Program Implementation: Implement non-construction projects needed to provide workforce training and connect workers with quality jobs, including wrap-around services

U.S. Department of Commerce; Economic Development Administration American Rescue Plan Act Economic Adjustment Assistance applications encouraged before March 31, 2022

The American Rescue Plan Act Economic Development Administration funding opportunity is designed to provide a wide range of financial assistance to communities and regions as they respond to, and recover from, the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, including long-term recovery and resilience to future economic disasters. grants made under this program will help communities across the nation plan, build, innovate, and put people back to work through construction or non-construction projects designed to meet local needs. A wide range of technical, planning, workforce development, entrepreneurship, and public works and infrastructure projects are eligible for funding under this program.

NEW: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Health Resources and Services Administration Health and Public Safety Workforce Resiliency Training Program applications due August 30, 2021

The purpose of this program is to plan, develop, operate or participate in health professions and nursing training activities using evidence-based or evidence-informed strategies, to reduce and address burnout, suicide, mental health conditions and substance use disorders and promote resiliency among health care students, residents, professionals, paraprofessionals, trainees, public safety officers, and employers of such individuals in rural and underserved communities.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; National Institutes of Health Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation Program applications due September 24, 2021

The purpose of the Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) Cohort is to transform culture at National Institutes of Health-funded extramural institutions by building a self-reinforcing community of scientists committed to diversity and inclusive excellence. Implementing and sustaining cultures of inclusive excellence within the program has the potential to be transformational for biomedical research at the awardee institutions and beyond. This community will be built through recruitment of faculty who are competitive for an advertised research tenure-track or equivalent faculty position, have not held a position at this level, and have demonstrated strong commitment to promoting diversity and inclusive excellence.

National Science Foundation Advancing Informal STEM Learning proposals due January 18, 2022

The Advancing Informal STEM Learning program seeks to advance new approaches to and evidence-based understanding of the design and development of STEM learning opportunities for the public in informal environments; provide multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences; advance innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments; and engage the public of all ages in learning STEM in informal environments.

National Science Foundation; Division of Materials Research releases new Topical Materials Research Programs solicitation

Research supported by the Division of Materials Research (DMR) focuses on advancing the fundamental understanding of materials, materials discovery, design, synthesis, characterization, properties, and materials-related phenomena. DMR awards enable understanding of the electronic, atomic, and molecular structures, mechanisms, and processes that govern nanoscale to macroscale morphology and properties; manipulation and control of these properties; discovery of emerging phenomena of matter and materials; and creation of novel design, synthesis, and processing strategies that lead to new materials with unique characteristics. This solicitation applies to seven DMR Topical Materials Research Programs: Biomaterials, Ceramics, Condensed Matter Physics, Electronic and Photonic Materials, Metals and Metallic Nanostructures, Polymers, and Solid State and Materials Chemistry.

JULY 16, 2021

House Appropriations Bills Advance Out of the Full Committee
Plus, an infrastructure & budget update

With the Congressional August recess scheduled for just two weeks away, a sense of urgency has taken over Washington on major agenda items. This week, we saw Committee action on FY22 Appropriations markups, a release in the Senate of a $3.5 trillion budget resolution that would allow President Biden to move major parts of his “human” infrastructure package, ongoing negotiations to lock in the bipartisan deal on “hard” infrastructure, and continued soundings on police reform.

Here’s What You Might Have Missed

FY22 Appropriations Markups Occur & Pass Full Committee; Report Language Released. This week, several of the 12 appropriations subcommittee bills passed the full committee, including:

• Energy & Water (Full report; full bill; full summary)
• Labor, Health & Human Services, & Education (Full report; full bill; full summary)
• Transportation, Housing, & Urban Development (Full report; full bill; full summary)
• Commerce, Justice, & Science (Full report; full bill; full summary)
• Defense (Full report; full bill; full summary)
• Homeland Security (Full report; full bill; full summary)

These early versions of FY22 spending reflect the President’s and Congressional Democrats’ shared priority for an historic leap in domestic spending while keeping defense spending effectively level. As we’ve reported to you before, their objective is to increase the amount of existing spending as well as create new programs to tackle key priorities, including climate change, racial and economic equity, and strengthening US domestic and global competitiveness. The funding levels we are seeing in the House are likely the high water mark, as the Senate will need to negotiate with Republicans who will likely press for less spending overall to blunt some of the President’s social priorities.

Ongoing Infrastructure Negotiations. Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that the Senate will cast a key procedural vote next Wednesday, which will be the first real test of whether the Senator bipartisan deal on hard infrastructure can advance. In this bipartisan infrastructure framework, which totals nearly $1 trillion, the pay-fors continue to remain a challenge, with one of the formerly most popular ways to pay for the bill – enhanced IRS enforcement – seeming to be on the way out. Negotiators are also working on details related to water infrastructure and broadband. While Democrats expressed optimism about meeting the Wednesday deadline, Republicans are skeptical. In the event that these negotiations do not pan out, it is likely that major pieces of the bipartisan package will be absorbed into a Democrats’ “go at it alone” strategy on both infrastructure and the broader budget.

Democrats Strike an Internal Deal Budget Deal. This week, Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee struck a deal to the tune of $3.5 trillion. The proposal won plaudits from across the Democratic spectrum – from Chairman Bernie Sanders to “business-oriented” Democrat Mark Warner. Among other items, provisions will include:

• Extending the child tax credit, earned income tax credit, and separate child and dependent care tax credits.
• Creating 80% clean electricity and 50% economy-wide carbon emissions by 2030.
• Providing more funding for a clean energy standard, clean energy and EV tax incentives, and federal procurement of clean technologies.
• Universal Pre-K, childcare, and community college, as well as increased funding for HBCUs, Pell Grants, and nutrition assistance.

Democrats are also seeking to put provisions such as the PRO Act (a massive priority for organized labor), expansion of Medicare to cover dental, hearing, and vision, and immigration reform into a final bill. As a reminder, this package must secure all 50 Democratic votes, and all the provisions must be related to revenue – so, it is possible that some of the more legislative issues will be stripped from the bill.

Here’s What You Should Be Watching

Police Reform. Once again, police reform negotiators have kicked the can down the road and extended their “drop dead” deadline, as crime in major cities and states across the country surges. Lead Republican negotiator Sen. Tim Scott (SC) indicated to the press that this would be the final extension – and if a deal was not reached before the end of this month, negotiations would effectively end.

What Comes Next on COVID-19? Yesterday, Los Angeles County announced that it was reinstating an indoor mask mandate as a result of the Delta variant. There are noted surges in areas across the country that are considered under-vaccinated. We are following these developments closely and how they will impact return to in-person activities in Congress and federal agencies.

 

JULY 16, 2021

Build Back Better Agenda and 117th Congress developments from July 1-July 16, 2021, relevant to:
BUSINESS OPERATIONS

This edition includes Federal Department and Agency Actions, Biden Administration Actions, and Congressional Actions.

[su_button url=”https://www.deepwaterpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/WSW-Report-BBB-thru-7-16-2021-Business-Operations.pdf” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#ff9900″ color=”#000000″ size=”8″]View Full Summary[/su_button]

JULY 9, 2021

Federal Funding Opportunities

U.S. Department of Commerce; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Program Office letters of intent due August 9, 2021

The Climate Program Office (CPO) addresses economic, health, safety and security related climate challenges by managing competitive research programs through which high-priority climate science, assessments, decision-support research, outreach, education, and capacity-building activities are funded to advance our understanding of the Earth’s climate system, and to foster the application and use of this knowledge to improve our resilience. Through this announcement, CPO is seeking applications for the following eight individual competitions:

• Atmospheric Chemistry, Carbon Cycle and Climate Program: Fire and smoke at the wildland-urban interface
• Joint Competition to Advance Process Understanding and Representation of Precipitation in Models
• Climate Variability and Predictability Program: Observation and Modeling Studies in Support of Tropical Pacific Process Studies, Pre-Field-II
• Multi-program: Improving Climate Understanding and Information for Marine Sanctuary Management Planning
• Earth’s Radiation Budget Program: Atmospheric Aerosols and their Potential Roles in Solar Climate Intervention Methods
• Communication, Education and Engagement Division: Climate-Smart Communities Initiative
• National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) Coping with Drought (CWD): Ecological Drought
• NIDIS CWD: Building Tribal Drought Resilience

Several of these competitions are relevant to four high-priority climate risk areas CPO is focusing on to improve science understanding and/or capabilities that result in user-driven outcomes: Coastal Inundation, Marine Ecosystems, Water Resources, and Extreme Heat.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Agency for Health Care Research and Quality Large Research Projects for Prevention of Healthcare-Associated Infections applications due October 5, 2021

This funding opportunity supports research projects that propose to advance the base of knowledge for detection, prevention, and reduction of Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) in the following broad areas:

• Determination of the clinical efficacy and effectiveness of preventive interventions, including unintended adverse consequences
• Characterization and assessment of relevant epidemiological aspects of HAIs, including but not limited to patient risk factors, clinical presentation, and sources of antibiotic-resistant organisms involved in the development of HAIs

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; National Institutes of Health Helping to End Addictions Long-term Initiative: Novel Targets for Opioid Use Disorders and Opioid Overdose applications due October 19, 2021

This funding announcement is part of the National Institutes of Health’s Helping to End Addictions Long-term (HEAL) initiative to accelerate the development of novel medications to treat all aspects of the opioid addiction cycle, including progression to chronic use, withdrawal symptoms, craving, relapse, and overdose. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to support research projects focusing on the identification of druggable new targets and discovery of optimizable probes for development of safe and efficacious medications to prevent and treat opioid use disorders, opioid overdose, and opioid-polysubstance use comorbidities.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; National Institutes of Health Transformative Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Based Strategies to Identify Determinants of Exceptional Health and Life Span applications due October 28, 2021

This funding opportunity seeks to develop novel transformative artificial intelligence/machine learning strategies and computer automation to integrate, extract, and interpret multi-omic (i.e., genome, epigenome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, microbiome, phenome) data sets from human exceptional longevity cohorts and multiple non-human species that display wide variation in life span and decipher the relationships between DNA, RNA, proteins, metabolites, and other cell variables, as well as links to disease risks and exceptionally healthy aging.

U.S Department of Health and Human Services; National Institutes of Health Growing Great Ideas: Research Education Course in Product Development and Entrepreneurship for Life Science Researchers applications due November 18, 2021

This funding opportunity seeks applications to develop a customized curriculum and implement education programs/short courses in biomedical entrepreneurship, innovation and biomedical product development, specifically targeting scientists working in the field of drug addiction research. The institution proposing the course must be an institution that has an established and well-recognized entrepreneurship teaching program with the demonstrated ability and passion to adapt/develop and deliver the integrated curriculum for the academic life scientists.

U.S. Department of the Interior; Bureau of Reclamation Desalination and Water Purification Research Program applications due September 9, 2021

The Desalination and Water Purification Research (DWPR) Program’s goal is to increase water supplies by reducing the cost, energy consumption, and environmental impacts of treating impaired and otherwise unusable waters. This funding opportunity invites applicants to address any of the following objectives:

• Reduce energy consumption and lower the cost of desalination
• Reduce the environmental impacts of seawater desalination and develop technology and strategies to minimize those impacts
• Improve existing membrane technologies, including reverse osmosis
• Carry out basic and applied research on next generation desalination technologies, including improved energy recovery systems and renewable energy-powered desalination systems that could significantly reduce desalination costs
• Develop and promote innovative desalination technologies, including concentrate management and chloride control
• Study methods for the recovery of byproducts resulting from desalination to offset the costs of treatment and to reduce environmental impacts from those byproducts
• Develop metrics to analyze the costs and benefits of desalination relative to other sources of water (including costs and benefits related to associated infrastructure, energy use, environmental impacts, and diversification of water supplies)
• Assess environmental impacts from desalination intake, concentrate management approaches, and reclaimed water
• Develop improved intake methods at coastal facilities to minimize impingement of larger organisms and entrainment of smaller ones
• Improve pretreatment for membrane desalination
• Improve membrane system performance
• Develop novel approaches or processes to desalinate water in a way that reduces primary energy use
• Develop cost-effective approaches for concentrate management that minimize potential environmental impacts
• Develop a better understanding of the formation of hazardous transformation products during water treatment for reuse and ways to minimize or remove them
• Develop a better understanding of pathogen removal efficiencies and the variability of performance in various unit processes and multibarrier treatment and develop ways to optimize these processes
• Identify better indicators and surrogates to monitor process performance in reuse scenarios and develop online real-time or near real-time analytical monitoring techniques for their measurement

Institute of Museum and Library Services Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program preliminary proposals due September 24, 2021

The Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program supports the development of a diverse workforce of librarians and archivists in order to meet the information needs of their communities by enhancing the training and professional development of library and archives professionals; developing faculty and information leaders; and recruiting, educating, and retaining the next generation of library and archives professionals. The goals for this program are to generate projects of broad impact that:

• Recruit, train, develop, and retain a diverse workforce of library and archives professionals
• Develop faculty, library, and archives leaders by increasing the institutional capacity of libraries, archives, and of graduate programs related to library and information science
• Enhance the training and professional development of the library and archival workforce to meet the needs of their communities

Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grants for Libraries preliminary proposals due September 24, 2021

The National Leadership Grants for Libraries Program supports projects that address critical needs of the library and archives fields and have the potential to advance practice in these professions to strengthen library and archival services for the American public. Successful proposals will generate results such as new models, new tools, research findings, services, practices, and/or alliances that can be widely used, adapted, scaled, or replicated to extend and leverage the benefits of federal investment. The goals for this program are to generate projects of national impact that:

• Build the workforce and institutional capacity for managing the national information infrastructure and serving the information and education needs of the public
• Build the capacity of libraries and archives to lead and contribute to efforts that improve community well-being and strengthen civic engagement
• Improve the ability of libraries and archives to provide broad access to and use of information and collections with emphasis on collaboration to avoid duplication and maximize reach
• Strengthen the ability of libraries to provide services to affected communities in the event of an emergency or disaster
• Strengthen the ability of libraries, archives, and museums to work collaboratively for the benefit of the communities they serve.

National Science Foundation Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace Frontiers letters of intent due September 7, 2021

The Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC) program welcomes proposals that address cybersecurity and privacy, and draw on expertise in one or more of these areas: computing, communication and information sciences; engineering; economics; education; mathematics; statistics; and social and behavioral sciences. This solicitation seeks ambitious and potentially transformative center-scale projects in the area of cybersecurity and privacy that catalyze far-reaching research explorations motivated by deep scientific questions or hard problems and/or by compelling applications and novel technologies that promise significant scientific and/or societal benefits; and stimulate significant research and education outcomes that, through effective knowledge transfer mechanisms, promise scientific, economic and/or other societal benefits.

National Science Foundation Environmental Convergence Opportunities in Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems preliminary proposals due October 1, 2021

This solicitation will support fundamental research activities that confront vexing environmental engineering and sustainability problems by developing foundational knowledge underlying processes and mechanisms such that the design of innovative new materials, processes, and systems is possible. A key objective of the solicitation is to encourage dialogue and tightly integrated collaborations wherein members of the chemical process systems, transport phenomena, and bioengineering research communities engage with environmental engineering and sustainability experts to spark innovation and arrive at unanticipated solutions. Furthermore, training the future workforce to successfully engage in discipline-transcending research will support continued innovation toward surmounting the complex environmental and sustainability challenges facing our global community.

National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education applications due October 14, 2021

With a focus on two-year Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program supports the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive the economy. The program involves partnerships between academic institutions (grades 7-12, IHEs), industry, and economic development agencies to promote improvement in the education of science and engineering technicians at the undergraduate and secondary institution school levels. The ATE program supports curriculum development; professional development of college faculty and secondary school teachers; career pathways; and other activities. The program invites applied research proposals that advance the knowledge base related to technician education. con It is required that projects be faculty driven and that courses and programs are credit bearing, although materials developed may also be used for incumbent worker education.

 

JULY 1, 2021

Appropriations Markups Continue
Plus, an infrastructure update

Though the Senate was in recess, the House was hard at work this week on a range of issues, including marking up key appropriations legislation and passing a significant infrastructure package. As the House hightails it out of town following the infrastructure vote, your WSW team wanted to provide you a quick update of what you may have missed and what should be on your radar.

Here’s What You Might Have Missed
Infrastructure Update. Today, the House passed H.R. 3684, the INVEST in America Act, a $715 billion package which funds surface transportation and water investments over the next five years. The bill passed mostly along party lines: 221-201, with two Republicans, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA) and Rep. Chris Smith (NJ), joining all Democrats. This is despite the inclusion of earmarks, which were expected to generate more bipartisan goodwill. This is the first major piece of legislation to pass either the full House or the full Senate on infrastructure funding this Congress, beyond a water infrastructure bill passed by the Senate earlier this year.

There are several steps in the process to go before such funding could become law, including negotiations with the Senate on related legislation that has passed out of the Environment and Public Works Committee that is similar to the House bill and with the White House on the deal struck with Republicans last week. Further, the House passed the bill today without a way of paying for it, a key issues for passage of any bill.

This week, President Biden also walked back a statement that he expects a bipartisan infrastructure package and a “Democrats-only” bill filled with “human infrastructure” provisions passed through reconciliation to land on his desk simultaneously. This statement threatened to derail the bipartisan framework for an infrastructure deal he announced with a group of Senators last week. Nonetheless, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) signaled that he would likely support a Democrats-only bill. Key details still remain, including the final scope and scale of the bill. House progressives are also threatening the deal in the absence of more funding to combat climate change.

Appropriations Markups Occur. This week, the full Appropriations Committee passed the following bills: Legislative Branch, Financial Services & General Government, State & Foreign Operations, Military Construction, and Agriculture. The Defense and Homeland Security subcommittees also marked up their measures. The Hill provided a good overview of what is in the $706 billion Defense bill, which can be found here.

Police Reform Negotiations on the Edge of Collapse. On Wednesday, the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) put out a statement appraising that “we seem to be poised to undo more than a year’s worth of work toward common sense criminal justice reform.” The statement comes following reports that a familiar issue – qualified immunity – remains an almost insurmountable sticking point.

Here’s What You Should Be Watching
Upcoming Appropriations Markups. Following the 4th of July recess, the following markups will occur:

• July 12: Commerce, Justice, & Science; Energy & Water; Labor & Health and Human Services; Transportation & Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee Markups
• July 13: Defense; Homeland Security Full Committee Markups
• July 15: Commerce, Justice, & Science; Labor & Health and Human Services Full Committee Markups
• July 16: Energy & Water; Transportation & Housing and Urban Development Full Committee Markups

Enhanced Funding for Preventing Future Pandemics. Today, Politico reported that the Biden Administration is considering government incentives to help quickly develop tests and to stockpile key supplies ahead of the next pandemic. What remains to be seen is how aggressively both Congress and the White House work to continue to support the onshoring of important medical supplies, and what ways the Administration seeks implement those incentives.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE FOR WEEK OF JUNE 28, 2021

This edition includes updates on the challenges employers are facing with deciding whether to require employees to be vaccinated, as well as the latest on taxes and infrastructure.

[su_button url=”https://www.deepwaterpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/WSW-Report-BBB-thru-7-1-2021-Business-Operations.pdf” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#ff9900″ color=”#000000″ size=”8″]View Full Summary[/su_button]

JUNE 30, 2021

Federal Funding Opportunities

U.S. Department of Defense; Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; Defense Sciences Office releases Office-wide Broad Agency Announcement

The mission of the Defense Sciences Office (DSO) is to identify and create the next generation of scientific discovery by pursuing high-risk, high-payoff research initiatives across a broad spectrum of science and engineering disciplines and transforming these initiatives into disruptive technologies for U.S. national security. In support of this mission, the DSO Office-wide Broad Agency Announcement invites proposers to submit innovative basic or applied research concepts or studies and analysis proposals that address one or more of the following technical thrust areas:

• Frontiers in Math, Computation and Design
• Limits of Sensing and Sensors
• Complex Social Systems
• Anticipating Surprise

Proposals must investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances. DSO is explicitly not interested in approaches or technologies that primarily result in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice.

U.S. Department of Defense; Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; Tactical Technology Office releases Redefining Possible Broad Agency Announcement

The Tactical Technology Office (TTO) of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is soliciting executive summaries, proposal abstracts, and proposals for applied research, advanced technology development, platform demonstrations, or systems studies that aim to redefine the future of warfighting across four domains: Air, Ground, Maritime, and Space. The mission of TTO is to redefine access and delivery of effects to every domain in the battlespace: space, air, ground, sea, and undersea in support of national security policy. This includes both platforms as well as the enabling support elements for delivering effects, such as unit-level autonomy or human-machine collaboration. TTO accomplishes this mission by placing bold bets on developing new and novel system technologies and conducting platform demonstrations at a credible scale in realistic, operationally relevant conditions to support technology transition.

U.S. Department of Education releases Proposed Priorities for Discretionary Grant Programs with comments due July 30, 2021

The Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, has proposed the following six priorities for use in discretionary grant programs which reflect his vision for American education:

• Addressing the Impact of COVID-19 on Students, Educators and Faculty
• Promoting Equity in Student access to Educational Resources, Opportunities, and Welcoming Environments
• Supporting a Diverse Educator Workforce and Professional Growth to Strengthen Student Learning
• Meeting Student Social, Emotional, and Academic Needs
• Increasing Postsecondary Education Access, Affordability, Completion, and Post-Enrollment Success
• Strengthening Cross-Agency Coordination and Community Engagement to Advance Systemic Change

U.S. Department of Education; Office of Postsecondary Education Business and International Education Program applications due August 13, 2021

The Business and International Education Program provides grants to enhance international business education programs and expand the capacity of the business community to engage in international economic activities.

NEW: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Public Health Informatics and Technology Workforce Development Program applications due August 11, 2021

The goal of the new Public Health Informatics and Technology (PHIT) Workforce Development Program is to train at least 4,000 individuals in public health informatics and technology, with an emphasis on improving public health reporting through modern standards and computing, to expand the nation’s public health workforce. With a focus on educating and diversifying the public health workforce, and reducing longstanding health disparities and inequities, the program will prioritize recruiting underrepresented students from historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Asian-American and Pacific Islander serving institutions, and minority serving institutions. The curriculum should be culturally responsive and designed in a way that meets the needs of the local health care agencies and sets students up for success in the training program.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; National Institutes of Health Research on Interventions that Promote the Careers of Individuals in the Biomedical Research Enterprise applications due October 13, 2021

This funding opportunity solicits applications that propose research designed to test training, mentoring, and networking interventions intended to enhance research-oriented individuals’ interest, motivation, persistence and preparedness for careers in the biomedical research workforce. Funded projects are expected to produce research findings that will guide the design and implementation of potential interventions in a variety of academic settings and career levels to enhance the diversity of the biomedical research workforce.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; National Institutes of Health seeks research on The Role of Work in Health Disparities in the U.S.

The purpose of this funding opportunity is to support innovative population-based research that can contribute to identifying and characterizing pathways and mechanisms through which work or occupation influences health outcomes and health status among populations with health and/or health care disparities, and how work functions as a social determinant of health.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; National Institutes of Health; National Heart, Ling, and Blood Institute seeks Short-Term Research Education Program proposals to Enhance Diversity in Health-Related Research

The goal of this program is to support educational activities that enhance the diversity of the biomedical, behavioral and clinical research workforce by providing research experiences and related opportunities that enrich the pool of individuals from nationally underrepresented groups who will be available to compete for research opportunities in the mission areas of importance to National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Forecasted NEW Opportunity: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; National Institutes of Health Preventing Opioid Misuse and other Drug Use by Intervening on Social Determinants

The National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the National Institute on Aging, intend to promote a new initiative by publishing a funding opportunity sometime this fall for research on the impact of prevention strategies that actively address social determinants and that intervene at multiple levels of influence to reduce the risk of opioid misuse, polysubstance use, or risky substance use.

Forecasted NEW Opportunity: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; National Institutes of Health Research to Address Vaccine Hesitancy, Uptake, and Implementation among Populations that Experience Health Disparities

The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities intends to promote another new initiative by publishing a notice of special interest this winter to solicit applications for research highlighting the important need for community-engaged research to address vaccine hesitancy, uptake, and implementation among populations who experience health disparities.

NEW: National Endowment for the Arts American Rescue Plan Grants to Organizations applications due August 12, 2021

The American Rescue Plan’s Grants to Organizations program will be carried out through one-time grants to support operations. Unlike other Arts Endowment funding programs that offer project-based support, Rescue Plan funds are intended to support day-to-day business expenses/operating costs, and not specific programmatic activities.

National Endowment for the Humanities Humanities Connections applications due September 14, 2021

The purpose of the Humanities Connections program is to expand the role of the humanities in undergraduate education by supporting innovative curricular approaches that foster partnerships among humanities faculty and their counterparts in the social and natural sciences and in pre-service or professional programs, such as business, engineering, health sciences, law, computer science, and other technology-driven fields, in order to encourage and develop new integrative learning opportunities for students.

National Science Foundation Leading Engineering for America’s Prosperity, Health, and Infrastructure letter of intent due July 15, 2021

The Leading Engineering for America’s Prosperity, Health, and Infrastructure (LEAP HI) program challenges the engineering research community to take a leadership role in addressing demanding, urgent, and consequential challenges for advancing America’s prosperity, health and infrastructure. LEAP HI proposals confront engineering problems that are too complex to yield to the efforts of a single investigator, that is problems that require sustained and coordinated effort from interdisciplinary research teams, with goals that are not achievable through a series of smaller, short-term projects. LEAP HI projects perform fundamental research that may lead to disruptive technologies and methods, lay the foundation for new and strengthened industries, enable notable improvements in quality of life, or reimagine and revitalize the built environment.

National Science Foundation GERMINATION: Germination of Research Questions for Addressing Critical Societal Challenges letter of intent due August 27, 2021

The GERMINATION program aims to foster the development of pedagogical frameworks, platforms and/or environments to enable participants to formulate research questions and ideas with potentially transformative outcomes. The extraordinary response of the STEM research community to the COVID-19 pandemic, exemplified by the record-breaking speed of novel vaccine development, highlights the outstanding capabilities at all levels of the research enterprise. The GERMINATION program seeks to harness the immense capacities of academic researchers to similarly address other critical global challenges through supporting the development of new pedagogical approaches that train researchers to formulate and develop key research questions.