On July 1, the CRA government affairs office welcomed the 2015 class of Eben Tisdale Public Policy Fellows to CRA headquarters in Washington, D.C. These fellows – undergraduates at universities and colleges from across the United States – spent the summer learning the intricacies of technology policy at high-tech companies, firms, or trade associations in Washington, D.C. In addition, they took two class credits at George Mason University and attended briefings at institutions such as the U.S. Capitol, Department of State, World Bank, and Federal Reserve. At CRA, the fellows attended a presentation by Peter Harsha, Director of Government Affairs, that covered the policy concerns and issues that the association works on and attempts to influence at the federal level.

On May 29, the U.S. House of Representatives was on the verge of approving new funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) that would increase the agency’s budget more than 3 percent in FY 2015, while at the same time the House Science, Space and Technology Committee approved legislation the day before that would authorize smaller increases and place new restrictions and scrutiny on science funding at the same agency.