Brian Bradley
NS&D Monitor
5/29/2015
The Senate Armed Services Committee is proposing to increase the funding cap for Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) programs at the Energy Department’s national laboratories. Currently, the maximum percentage of lab funding that can be apportioned for special projects is 6 percent. The Senate version of the Fiscal Year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, which was recently reported out of committee, would instead set a floor of 5 percent and raise the upper bound to 8 percent. The bill would also set an upper limit of 4 percent for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s weapons production facilities and Nevada Site Office.
In the report accompanying the Senate bill, lawmakers stressed the importance of LDRD funding. “These funds have served as the source of new innovations throughout the NNSA complex, keeping scientists and engineers at the cutting edge of technology, which translates into cost-saving innovations for the nation’s stockpile program, with an ability to meet any future uncertainties that might arise,” the report states. “The funds are also used to attract young scientists and engineers to mentor under senior personnel to ensure there is a fresh talent pool coming into the NNSA complex on an enduring basis.”
LDRD Funding Has Decreased
LDRD funding has gradually decreased for U.S. nuclear weapon labs in recent years because of Congressional appropriators’ concerns. In FY 2006, appropriators required LDRD work to pay overhead rates, or be “burdened” like other lab programs, and in the FY 2014 omnibus spending bill, Congress reduced LDRD funding from 8 percent to 6 percent. In March, New Mexico Sens. Tom Udall (D) and Martin Heinrich (D) introduced the “LDRD Enhancement Act of 2015,” which proposed to boost the maximum LDRD amount from 6 percent to 10 percent. The bill has not been considered since it was reported to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in March.
