Frist to Chair Subcommittee

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), chair of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, announced that Bill Frist (R-TN), has been selected to chair the Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space.

Frist, a first-term senator elected two years ago as part of the Republican takeover, was a nationally known heart transplant surgeon at the time of his election. His views on science policy are not well known. However, as a medical specialist who has published several papers in his field, he has substantial science education and familiarity with research, probably more than anyone else in the Senate.

Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), will return as ranking Democrat on the subcommittee.

It is still an open question what issues the subcommittee will choose to take up in the 105th Congress. The Gramm/Hutchison/Mack bill that would double research funding will undoubtedly be on the agenda (see http://www.cra.org/policy for the text of the bill). Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) is a member of the subcommittee.

Another possible issue would be NSF authorization. The Commerce Committee shares jurisdiction over NSF with the Labor and Human Resources Committee, chaired by Jim Jeffords (R-VT). NSF has gone without a reauthorization for several years. The House has occasionally passed bills, but the Senate has been uninterested.

Although an authorization bill is not technically necessary from year to year unless Congress wants to change the agency's course, consideration of a bill offers an opportunity for the subcommittee to publicly examine NSF's activities and priorities. The subcommittee also has jurisdiction over NASA and can be expected to examine the ongoing evolution of the space agency's mission.