A \I\\ NAM! AND EXPANDED AUTHORITY FOR THE COMMITTE1 -\y 



committee, as McCormack retained a subcommittee handling advanced 

 energy technologies. 



These, then, were the major jurisdictional expansions in the Science 

 Committee authority. As always, there were minor forays which other 

 committees made to establish footholds — as when Rep. John M. 

 Murphy (Democrat of New York) persuaded Speaker Albert in 1976 

 to appoint him to chair an Ad Hoc Committee on the Outer Continental 

 Shelf. Murphy proceeded to consider legislation which included 

 R. & D. authority, which he only dropped from his bill after Science 

 Committee protests. On the other side of the coin, Scheuer raised 

 some eyebrows in several other committees through his aggressive 

 use of "special oversight" powers, when he served as chairman of the 

 Subcommittee on Domestic and International Scientific Planning, 

 Analysis and Cooperation commencing in 1977. 



RELATION WITH ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE 



The abolition of the Atomic Energy Commission and the Joint 

 Committee on Atomic Energy presented some new jurisdictional prob- 

 lems. The Joint Committee interface with the Armed Services Com - 

 mittee had been frequent, but not many Science-Armed Services nego- 

 tiations had been necessary since the old Brooks-Vinson days. In 1977, 

 the ERDA authorization bill included funding over which the Science 

 and Armed Services staffs each claimed jurisdiction, in areas relating 

 to Laser Fusion and Naval Reactor Development. When an impasse 

 was reached, Representative Mel Price (Democrat of Illinois), Chair- 

 man of the Armed Services Committee and Teague negotiated an 

 agreement. Teague related: 



I wene ro Mel Price and Mel and I worked it out. Our staffs couldn't agree. We 

 just got together and worked it out. 



On September 13, 1977, in a floor colloquy, Teague and Price had this 

 exchange: 



Mr. Teague. We should all recognize that the fiscal year 1978 budget submission 

 was the first opportunity for the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 

 Science and Technology to exercise their new responsibilities for nuclear energy legisla- 

 tion which was given to the two committees by rules adopted in the 95th Congress. 

 ERDA was not prepared to submit legislation to the two committees in a form that 

 would coincide with their jurisdictions. Is that not true? 



Mr. Price. That is correct. * * * The Science and Technology Committee which 

 has legitimate concern for the continuation of research that could eventually lead to 

 dramatic civilian applications for laser fusion, has added $9.2 million which we agree 

 is a modest yet appropriate addition to the authorization bill. * * * 



Mr. Teague. I thank the gentleman for his cooperation, his recognition of the 

 interest to both of our committees in laser fusion development, and feel that we have 

 reached a reasonable compromise at this point. 



