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1 1 (January 9, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govbfwy0001 and id is 1 raw text is: &~ ~ riE SE .$rCh &~ ~ ~ Updated January 9, 2020 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): FY2020 Budget Request and Appropriations The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) mission is to understand and predict changes in weather, climate, oceans, and coasts; to share that information with others; and to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. NOAA's work is divided among six line offices: National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS); National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS); National Ocean Service (NOS); National Weather Service (NWS); Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR); and Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO). NOAA also has an overall Mission Support (MS) office, which provides planning, administrative, financial, information technology, and other services to NOAA's line offices. Congress generally funds NOAA, an agency of the Department of Commerce (DOC), in the annual Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations law. Congress provides NOAA with discretionary and mandatory appropriations. Discretionary appropriations support two broad accounts-operations, research, and facilities (ORF) and procurement, acquisition, and construction (PAC)-as well as several relatively small accounts. Mandatory appropriations generally provide a small percentage of total NOAA appropriations and are disbursed to a variety of funds that support programs in NOS, NMFS, and OMAO. This CRS product examines ORF and PAC funding for FY2020 and potential issues for Congress, such as NOAA's proposed program changes, the agency's requested changes to the Promote and Develop American Fishery Products & Research Pertaining to American Fisheries Fund, future satellite funding, and the agency's role in space commerce. Reu .. . - d The Administration requested a total of $4.66 billion in discretionary direct obligations for ORF and PAC for FY2020, including $4.46 billion in appropriations. Direct obligations include appropriations, transfers from NOAA funds, and recoveries of canceled prior-year obligations. Under P.L. 116-93, Congress provided $5.5 billion in direct obligations to NOAA for FY2020. The enacted FY2020 direct obligations amount is $836.0 million (18 %) more than NOAA's FY2020 direct obligations request ($4.66 billion) and $40.7 million (0.7%) less than the enacted FY2019 direct obligations level ($5.54 billion). Enacted direct obligations and appropriations for NOAA ORF and PAC have generally increased over the last 10 years, and they peaked in FY2018 (Figure 1). Since FY20 11, the PAC account has ranged from about 28% to 41% of the total direct obligations. Figure I. NOAA Requested and Enacted Direct Obligations, FY201 I -FY2020 (nominal $ in billions) S .. .................................................................................................................. Source: Congressional Research Service, from NOAA budget justifications and congressional explanatory statements. Note: Amounts do not include supplemental appropriations, rescissions, or sequestration. According to NOAA's FY2020 Bluebook, the FY2020 budget supported NOAA's priorities to (1) reduce the impacts of extreme weather and water events, (2) maximize the economic contributions of ocean and coastal resources, and (3) space innovation. For FY2020, the Administration proposed increases to 22 subactivities totaling over $80 million, including a requested increase of $18.5 million in subactivity grants, subsidies, and contributions (GSC; Table 1). GSC, according to NOAA, includes grants awarded to nonfederal entities, such as states, universities, and the private sector. NOAA's FY2020 budget request also proposed the reduction or elimination of 96 subactivities and additional undescribed decreases totaling over $1 billion (Table 1). Of the total, more than $490.4 million in GSC was proposed to be reduced or eliminated compared to the FY2020 base level. The remaining amount was composed of planned decreases to three satellite programs ($216.6 million) and proposed reductions and eliminations to advisory services, contracts with federal and nonfederal entities, personnel compensation and benefits, travel, and other program adjustments ($303.6 million) (Table 1). Similar changes were proposed in NOAA's FY2018 and FY2019 budget requests. Congress, as it has in past years, retains many of these grant programs which allow States and communities to steer financial priorities through a bottom-up approach instead of Federal agencies driving local decisions from afar according to S.Rept. 116-127. .O 'T gognpo goo g , q 'S a X 11LULANJILiN,

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