704 



HIsTORV OF THF. COMMIT!! ! ON S< 11 \( ! AND TE< HNOLOGY 



Also on rhe Boiling staff was Spencer C. Bercsford, another alumnus 

 of the Science Committee staff, and Robert C. kctcham, who later 

 ne a counsel for the Science Committee. Dr. Sheldon played a key 

 role in seeing that the hrst draft bill and committee print included a 

 substantially increased jurisdiction for the Science Committee. Al- 

 though this fact cannot be documented with any precision, Dr. 

 Sheldon's constant presence and advice certainly did nothing to hurt 

 the Science Committee during this critical period. 



THE DECEMBER 7 WORKING DRAFT 



The Boiling committee produced a 119-page committee print — 

 a "Working Draft" on December 7, 1973. One of the objectives 

 stated in the preface, entitled "Basic Organizing Principles," par- 

 alleled the testimony of Teague and McCormack : 



House committees should be organized to give coherent consideration to a number 

 of pressing polar problems whose handling has been fragmented, e.g., * * * energy- 

 research and development. 



Under the draft resolution, the Science Committee was to lose 

 jurisdiction over science scholarships (which went to the Education 

 committee) and biomedical R. & D. (which went to the Commerce 

 and Health committee). But there were vast gains: Overview of 

 military R. & D. , to be shared with Armed Services; oceanic and atmos- 

 pheric sciences, from Merchant Marine and Fisheries; energy R. & D. 

 (including nuclear) from Interior, Commerce, Joint Committee on 

 Atomic Energy, and Merchant Marine; environmental R. & D. from 

 Interior, Public Works, Commerce, and Merchant Marine; and 

 weather, from Commerce. The working draft also spelled out the 

 extension of the principles of oversight to include "legislative pre- 

 view"- or "foresight" and advocated a strengthening and expansion 

 of the oversight role of each committee. This turned out to affect 

 the Science Committee to a major extent, because of the special over- 

 sight role assigned to R. & D. 



SOURCE OF THE NEW NAME! "SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY" 



In the December 7, 1973 draft, the new name "Science and Tech- 

 nology" first surfaced. The only recorded source of inspiration for this 

 name change is in the May 11 testimony by Mosher who included the 

 following in his prepared remarks: 



1 would like to enter a vigorous protest and disavowal here against the careless 

 habit of many Members who refer to us as "the Space Committee." That label 

 obviously derives from the concentrated emphasis, now ten years or so ago, that our 

 committee once devoted to the space program, and with proud success. But that 

 distorted emphasis, I now assure you, is a thing of the past As John Davis has cm- 



