FY 2023 Omnibus Bill Includes Boosts for Education Research and Statistics
FY 2023 Omnibus Bill Includes Boosts for Education Research and Statistics
 
Print

December 2022

On December 19, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT) released the bill text and accompanying explanatory statements for the fiscal year (FY) 2023 omnibus appropriations bill. The legislation would fund all federal agencies for the 2023 fiscal year that began on October 1. The federal government has been operating under a continuing resolution (CR) that has held funding at FY 2022 levels. The current CR expires on December 23.

Institute of Education Sciences

The omnibus includes $807.6 million for the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), a $70 million or 9.6 percent increase over FY 2022 amounts. Within this amount, the bill includes a $40 million increase for Research, Development, and Dissemination (RD&D), $10 million increase for Statistics, $5 million increases for the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems and Assessment lines, and $4 million increase for Research in Special Education. Additional details are noted in the following table.

Institute of Education Sciences (in millions)

 

FY 2021 Omnibus*

FY 2022 Omnibus

FY 2023 Budget Request

FY 2023 House**

FY 2023 Senate

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FY 2023 Omnibus

FY 2023 Omnibus v.
FY 2022 Final ($$)

FY 2023 Omnibus v.
FY 2022 Final (%%)

Institute of Education Sciences

$642.5

$737.0

$662.5

$844.1

$831.4

$807.6

$70.6

9.6%

Research, Development, and Dissemination

$197.9

$204.9

$197.9

$289.9

$245.0

$245.0

$40.1

19.6%

Regional Educational Laboratories

$57.0

$58.7

$57.0

$63.7

$63.7

$58.7

$0.0

0.0%

Statistics

$111.5

$111.5

$111.5

$111.5

$121.0

$121.5

$10.0

9.0%

Assessment

$172.8

$187.8

$192.8

$192.8

$192.8

$192.8

$5.0

2.7%

Statewide Data Systems

$33.5

$33.5

$33.5

$35.5

$50.0

$38.5

$5.0

14.9%

Special Education Studies and Evaluations

$11.3

$13.3

$11.3

$13.3

$13.3

$13.3

$0.0

0.0%

Research in Special Education

$58.5

$60.3

$58.5

$64.3

$72.0

$64.3

$4.0

6.6%

Total - Program Admin =

$642.5

$669.9

$662.5

$771.0

$757.9

$734.11

$64.18

9.6%

Program Administration (starting
FY 2022)

 

$67.1

$0.0

$73.1

$73.5

$73.5

$6.4

9.6%

*excludes $28 million in supplemental funding from FY 21 omnibus for NAEP and $100 million for IES in American Rescue Plan
**$75 million of RD&D funding would be directed to establishing a National Center for Advanced Development in Education.          


The explanatory statement includes directives for IES programs. Within the RD&D line, the language provides for an unspecified portion to be set aside for a funding opportunity for “quick-turnaround, high-reward scalable solutions intended to improve education outcomes for all students.” The House FY 2023 proposal included similar language and $75 million for a proposed National Center for Advanced Development in Education (NCADE), but the omnibus language does not go as far in establishing NCADE.

In addition, the assessment line notes that the amount includes $10 million set aside for research and development activities for the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The explanatory statement also directs IES to include timelines for implementing the recommendations of the three reports released earlier this year by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine on IES research, assessment, and statistical activities.

The bill text also notes that $19 million of the amount for IES would be provided for overall shared costs with the Department of Education for rent, legal costs, IT, and other shared supports. Within the Statistics line, the statement includes a directive for the National Center for Education Statistics to describe topics included in future data collections through the School Pulse Panel.

National Science Foundation

The omnibus includes $9.4 billion overall for the National Science Foundation (NSF), a $700 million or 7.9 percent increase over FY 2022 amounts. Part of the funding provided to NSF would go toward implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act. Additional details are included in the following table.

National Science Foundation (in millions)

 

FY 2021 Final**

FY 2022 Omnibus

FY 2023 Budget Request

FY 2023 House

FY 2023 Senate

FY 2023 Omnibus***

FY 2023 Omnibus v.
FY 2022 Final ($$)

FY 2023 Omnibus v.
FY 2022 Final (%%)

National Science Foundation

$8,486.8

$8,838.0

$10,492.1

$9,631.2

$10,338.0

$9,539.0

$701.0

7.9%

STEM Education/Education and Human Resources*

$968.0

$1,006.0

$1,377.2

$1,250.0

$1,327.2

$1,246.0

$240.0

23.9%

Research and Related Activities

$6,909.8

$7,159.4

$8,453.0

$7,705.5

$8,321.9

$7,629.3

$469.9

6.6%

*accounts for name change for the Education and Human Resources Directorate to the STEM Education Directorate beginning in FY 2023
**does not include supplemental COVID-19 relief funding
***includes allocations for implementing the CHIPS and Science Act—$92 million within STEM Education and $608 million within Research and Related Activities    


National Institutes of Health

The omnibus includes $47.5 billion for the National Institutes of Health, a $2.5 billion or 5.6 percent increase over FY 2022 funding. The bill includes $1.75 billion for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, representing a $66 million increase over the FY 2022 level. The bill also incorporates language to authorize the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, for which the omnibus provides $1.5 billion.

To avoid a government shutdown, Congress will need to pass the legislation for President Biden to sign by December 23. At press, the Senate and House are expected to vote on the FY 2023 omnibus package prior to the 23rd