August 4, 2017
BPS Congressional District Visits Program Training Webinar: Wednesday August 9, 1 PM EDT
The Society is pleased to have 28 members signed up to go meet with their elected representatives over the August Congressional Recess. To help prepare members for the visits, the Society is hosting a training webinar on Wednesday, August 9, at 1 PM EDT. Even if you have not registered for the Congressional visits, you are welcome to join the webinar and to learn more about the status of science funding for FY 2018 and tips to have a successful meeting.
State of Congressional Appropriations
The U.S. fiscal year (FY) 2018 starts in less than a month on October 1, 2017; leaving Congress less than a month when it returns from its August recess to complete the appropriations process or pass a bill providing temporary funding to keep the government running after October 1. Congress is also facing pressure to raise the spending caps for 2018, which if left alone, would make it difficult for both parties to be able to fund the programs they favor at the levels they desire. The spending caps were set by Congress in the Budget Control Act of 2011; in 4 of the past 5 years Congress has approved relief from the austere funding levels set by the Act. Given the time crunch, a continuing resolution to fund the government temporarily and buy more time to complete the appropriations process is the most likely outcome prior to October 1.
Energy Sciences Coalition Support for Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AL) and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced the Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017 in late June. This bill, S. 1460, would authorize programs at the Department of Energy, including the Office of Science, and allow for annual 7% increases in the Office’s budget over the next five years. The Energy Sciences Coalition, of which the Biophysical Society is a member, released a statement thanking Murkowski and Cantwell for introducing the legislation and applauding the authorized increases included in the bill. The bill contains good authorization numbers for Office of Science programs – 7 percent annual increases over 5 years.
Stakeholder Engagement Workshop on Implementation of the USG Policy for Institutional Oversight of Life Sciences DURC
The U.S. Government and the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity will be co-hosting a workshop on September 25-26, 2017, in Chicago, Illinois, to engage with stakeholders and gather feedback on their approaches to, and experiences with, implementing the United States Government Policy for Institutional Oversight of Life Sciences Dual Use Research of Concern. More information as well as registration can be found here.
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