A five-percent increase in funding in Fiscal Year 2007 for the USDA National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program (NRI) was recommended by the House Appropriations Committee May 9. The recommendations are in H.R 5384 and House Report 109-463. The report can be found at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/T?&report=hr463&dbname=109&

The Committee provides $190 million for the NRI, an increase of $8,830,000 above the amount available for Fiscal Year 2006. The indirect cost cap on competitively awarded research, education and extension grants would be increased to 22 percent in the Fiscal Year 2007 recommendation, compared to the current year cap of 20 percent.

The Committee decided to keep Section 406 Integrated Programs in a separate account from the NRI. (The Department had sought to move Section 406 programs into the NRI.) These Section 406 integrated activities would receive $38,589,000 in Fiscal Year 2007 under the recommendation. Funding is at $42,286,000 in the current year for Section 406 programs. Section 406 Integrated programs are water quality; food safety; regional pest management centers; crops at risk from FQPA Implementation; FQPA risk mitigation program for major food crop systems; methyl bromide transition program, organic transition program.

The recommendation provides a three percent increase for research funded under the Hatch Act; three percent increase for cooperative forestry research; and three percent increase for the Evans-Allen Program (payments to the 1890 land-grant colleges, Tuskegee University and West Virginia State University). The recommendation maintains the current formula used to determine distribution of funds under the Hatch Act and McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry funds.

The Committee recommendation for Agricultural Research Service (ARS) salaries and expenses in Fiscal Year 2007 is $1,057,603,000. This is a decrease of $66 million from the current year level and an increase of $56 million above the Department’s Fiscal Year 2007 budget request.

There is still a long way to go before enactment, but the Committee bill and report provides an important recommendation that is generally maintained largely intact when considered by the full House of Representatives.