BPS Welcomes Leann Fox as Director, Advocacy and Public Affairs
The Society is pleased to announce Leann Fox has joined us as our new Director of Advocacy and Public Affairs. Leann joins us from a boutique consulting firm and a career of working for membership associations focused on health policy. Leann holds a BA in Graphic Design from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a MA in Political Management from George Washington University. Leann can be reached at (240) 290-5606 or [email protected].
Update on the 2020 Federal Budget
With only a month to go before the August recess and three months until the end of the fiscal year, House leaders will not bring the two remaining fiscal 2020 appropriations bills — Homeland Security and Legislative Branch — to the floor due to divisions within the Democratic caucus over those bills and diminishing floor time. Senate Appropriations Chair Richard Shelby (R-AL) had hoped to begin marking up fiscal 2020 bills after the July Fourth recess, with the option of using temporary spending allocations in the absence of an agreement between the Senate, House and White House to raise the spending caps. But that prospect appears unlikely after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) raised objections last month to proceeding without an agreement.
Negotiations continue between House and Senate leadership and the White House on the fiscal 2020 caps. If not raised, the fiscal 2020 caps would fall by about $125 billion, or 10 percent, from current levels to $576 billion for defense and $543 billion for nondefense discretionary, as the 2011 deficit-reduction law kicks back in after the expiration of the latest two-year budget agreement.
Lawmakers Introduce Legislation to Address Academic Espionage
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) has introduced legislation, the “Protect Our Universities Act” (S.1879), that would require students from China, Iran, and Russia to undergo background screening prior to participating in “sensitive research projects.” In the House, Representative Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) introduced, the “Securing American Science and Technology Act” (H.R. 3038), that also tackles academic espionage and is co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers.
Department of Energy (DOE) Establishes Ban on Rival Nation Talent Recruitment Programs
DOE issued new policy barring employees and most contractor personnel from participating in certain rival nation talent recruitment programs. While no countries are officially named in the policy, DOE confirmed that the policy was designed with Russia, Iran, China and North Korea’s programs in mind.
*SAVE THE DATE* Rally for Medical Research – September 18-19, 2019
Registration is now open for the annual Rally for Medical Research fly-in on September 18-19 in Washington, DC. This event, established in 2013, includes more than 300 national organizations coming together with a focused message of making National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding a national priority and to raise awareness about the research it supports. To express interest in the 2019 event, please contact Leann Fox at [email protected].
BPS Congressional Fellowship Applications Open for 2020-2021
Interested in using your science skills to inform science policy? Does spending a year working on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, helping develop policy sound exciting? The Biophysical Society’s Congressional Fellowship program is your opportunity to participate directly in the process or law-making that impacts how research is funded and regulated. This year-long opportunity provides fellows a chance to utilize their science knowledge to inform the public policy process. Fellows will gain firsthand knowledge and experience on how Congress works, and participate in the esteemed AAAS Science and Technology Fellows program that provides ongoing training and networking opportunities during the fellowship year and beyond. The application deadline is December 20, 2019.
Science Policy News from Around the Web:
Politico – Trump Administration Imposes New Restrictions on Fetal Tissue Research
The Scientist – China Clamps Down on Foreign Use of Chinese Genetic Material and Data
The Scientist – Labor Agency Revisits Whether Graduate Students Can Unionize