S. 735, a bill to amend the Scientific and Advanced-Technology Act of 1992 to further support advanced technological manufacturing, and for other purposes
Cost Estimate
As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on April 28, 2021
S. 735 would authorize the annual appropriation of $150 million over the 2022-2027 period for the National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program, which provides grants to educators and students for technical science and engineering education. The bill also would direct the agency to conduct pilot programs to increase the number of institutions of higher education that can compete for NSF grants.
For this estimate, CBO assumes that the legislation will be enacted in fiscal year 2021.
Based on historical spending patterns for the ATE program, CBO estimates that providing those grants would cost $478 million over the 2021-2026 period and roughly $400 million after 2026, assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts. In 2021, the NSF allocated $75 million for the ATE program.
Using information from the NSF, and based on the costs of similar activities, CBO estimates that conducting the pilot programs would require two additional employees at an average annual cost of $175,000 each over the 2021-2026 period. In total, implementing that provision would cost $2 million. Such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
