House passes funding bill; ElBaradei calls for Iran dialogue; Reform visas urge scientists

FYI: House passes bill funding NASA, NSF, and NIST On a largely party line vote, the House of Representatives passed the FY 2010 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill. Tensions over the way in which amendments were allowed to the bill resulted in hours of delay and 53 roll call votes—a record—and no changes to the overall funding levels for NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

ElBaradei calls for Iran dialog Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), says the best way to convince Iran to drop its nuclear ambitions is to engage with its administration, regardless of who is in power.

FYI: Scientific and academic organizations urge visa reforms The American Institute of Physics and five of its Member Societies—Acoustical Society of America, American Association of Physics Teachers, American Astronomical Society, American Geophysical Union, and American Physical Society—have joined other scientific and academic organizations in urging reform to the visa process for scientists. The letter , sent to the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State, provides recommendations on how to improve procedures.