110 



March 31, 1979: President Jimmy Carter appointed Gordon Vickery 

 as the Acting Director of the newly created Federal Emergency 

 Management Agency. 



April 3, 1979: The House Committee on Science and Technology 

 began three days of hearings to review the research and develop- 

 ment portion of the Federal budget. The hearings examined how 

 the research and development portion of the Federal budget is 

 fashioned, managed, monitored and evaluated. 



April 26, 1979: The Senate Committee on Labor and Human Re- 

 sources, Subcommittee on Health and Scientific Research, began 

 two days of hearings on the Health Sciences Promotion Act (S. 

 988). This bill would have created a President's Council on 

 Health Sciences Research to advise the Congress and the Execu- 

 tive regarding priorities in research and revise and clarify 

 present National Institutes of Health statutory authorities. 



May 16, 1979: The House Committee on Science and Technology, 

 Subcommittee on Science, Research, and Technology began four 

 days of oversight hearings to review the National Science Foun- 

 dation Act of 1950. The hearings initiated the first extensive 

 review in over a decade by the subcommittee on the charter of 

 the foundation. Specifically, the hearings were designed to evalu- 

 ate NSF's role and priorities regarding support for basic re- 

 search, applied science, and science education. 



July 31, 1979: The House Committee on Science and Technology, 

 Subcommittee on Science, Research, and Technology began hear- 

 ings on Government and innovation: university-industry rela- 

 tions. The hearings focused on the potential of university and in- 

 dustry R&D cooperation to promote technological innovation and 

 enhance industrial productivity. The hearings also examined 

 H.R. 4672, the National Science and Technology Innovation Act 

 of 1979. The Act propoised to amend the National Science Foun- 

 dation Act of 1950, to establish a Commerce Department Office of 

 Industrial Technology. 



September 29, 1979: Public Law 96-72, the Export Administration 

 Act, was signed into law. The legislation updated existing export 

 control policy to ensure that export controls achieve their intend- 

 ed purposes, are not excessive, and focus on items (technology 

 primarily) most important to national security. 



October 17, 1979: Public Law 96-88, the Department of Education 

 Organization Act established an executive department known as 

 the Department of Education. 



November 30, 1979: Shirley Mount Hufstedler was confirmed as the 

 first secretary of the Department of Education. Prior to her con- 

 firmation, the secretary was a judge with the U.S. Court of Ap- 

 peals, Ninth Judicial Circuit. 



December 28, 1979: In reaction to the Soviet invasion of Afghani- 

 stan, President Jimmy Carter announced that only low-level sci- 

 entific exchanges are to take place between the Soviet Union and 

 the United States. 



January 2, 1980: Enactment of Public Law 96-180, The Comprehen- 

 sive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment, and 

 Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1979. Among other things the 

 Act required the Secretary of Health and Human Services to 



