Brexit's Impact on UK Science Funding and Researchers
The United Kingdom’s (UK) share of European Union (EU) research funding has dropped by 28 percent since the Brexit referendum vote was cast in 2015, according to a recent analysis by the Royal Society. There has been a 39 percent reduction in UK applications to Horizon 2020, EU’s flagship research funding program. The assessment also found that the number of international scientists coming to the UK through key fellowships has fallen by 179 or 35 percent since the referendum. In the same period, the number of fellowships for scientists relocating to work in Switzerland and Italy increased by 53 each. Ireland,...
Source: Public Policy Reports - November 12, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news

Report Addresses Political Interference in Government Science
The National Task Force on Rule of Law and Democracy (Task Force), a nonpartisan group of former public servants and policy experts at the Brennan Center, recently released a report outlining ways to restrict political interference in government science and fix the process for appointing senior government officials. According to the report, “In recent years, the norms and expectations that once ensured that our government was guided primarily by the public interest rather than by individual or partisan interest have significantly weakened. There are now far fewer constraints to deter abuse by executive branch actors...
Source: Public Policy Reports - November 12, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news

Senate Passes First Spending Package as Stopgap Funding Nears Expiration
On October 31, 2019, the U.S. Senate voted 84-9 to pass a four-bill spending package that includes fiscal year (FY) 2020 appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies. The spending measure provides funding increases for most science and environmental agencies and programs relative to FY 2019 enacted levels, including a 3 percent increase for the National Science Foundation. Although, the Senate and H...
Source: Public Policy Reports - November 12, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news

US Begins Withdrawal from Paris Climate Agreement
The Trump Administration has formally started the process of withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement. In a November 4, 2019, letter to the United Nations (UN), Secretary of State Michael Pompeo stated the United States’ intention to opt out of the global climate agreement. He expressed concern with the “unfair economic burden imposed on American workers, businesses, and taxpayers by U.S. pledges made under the Agreement.” This starts a year-long process of withdrawal from the accord, with the U.S. officially leaving the agreement on November 4, 2020, one day after the 2020 U.S. Pr...
Source: Public Policy Reports - November 12, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news

President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Announced
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on October 22, 2019, establishing the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) after more than two-and-a-half years into his administration. The PCAST, first established in 2001, is a presidential advisory council comprised of science and technology leaders from the private sector and academic communities who advise the President on science, technology, and innovation topics critical to the country’s security and economy, as well as public health and welfare. The council is tasked with providing “policy recommendations on strengt...
Source: Public Policy Reports - November 9, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news

Help Your Scientists and Students Strengthen Their Communication Skills
The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) can bring our science communications professional development program to your organization. Designed to enhance the communication skills of scientists, particularly those interested in engaging with decision-makers and the news media, the program is an excellent way to develop new communication skills and identify effective methods for broadening the impact of research and education programs. The AIBS Communications Training Boot Camp for Scientists expands on AIBS’s highly successful media and science policy training workshops. The Boot Camp meets the needs of ev...
Source: Public Policy Reports - October 28, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news

Short Takes
Companion legislation to the America Grows Act, which was introduced in the Senate last month, has been introduced in the House by Representatives Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Kim Schrier (D-WA), and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA). If enacted, the legislation would authorize a five percent annual funding increase over the next five years for research at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). According to a new report by the Audubon Society, a U.S.-based conservation group, two-thirds of bird species in North America are at risk of extinction due to global temperature rise. The report concluded that 389 of the 604 types of birds studie...
Source: Public Policy Reports - October 28, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news

Bipartisan Climate Caucus Launched in Senate
On October 23, 2019, Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Mike Braun (R-IN) launched the bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus that will focus on energy innovation and business-friendly solutions to climate change. In an Op-Ed for The Hill, Senators Coons and Braun wrote: “Today, we are launching the Senate Climate Solutions Caucus, a bipartisan group of senators who, like the Americans we serve, believe Congress should play a central role in guiding America’s 21st century energy economy and addressing the challenge of a changing climate. Our caucus seeks to take the politics out of this important issue. Inst...
Source: Public Policy Reports - October 28, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news

President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Announcedncil of Advisors on Science and Technology Announced
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on October 22, 2019, establishing the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) after more than two-and-a-half years into his administration. The PCAST, first established in 2001, is a presidential advisory council comprised of science and technology leaders from the private sector and academic communities who advise the President on science, technology, and innovation topics critical to the country’s security and economy, as well as public health and welfare. The council is tasked with providing “policy recommendations on strengt...
Source: Public Policy Reports - October 28, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news

Senate Considers First Spending Package
The Senate agreed to move forward with debate on its first spending package for fiscal year (FY) 2020 through a procedural vote on October 22, 2019. The package includes four of the twelve appropriations bills: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, which includes funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST); Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, which includes funding for agricultur...
Source: Public Policy Reports - October 28, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news

Scientific Integrity Bill Advances in House
The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology voted 25-6 to advance the Scientific Integrity Act to the House floor on October 17, 2019. The legislation (H.R. 1709), which was approved by the panel with bipartisan support, would require federal agencies that fund, conduct, or oversee scientific research to adopt and enforce clear scientific integrity policies. The bill would prohibit the government from suppressing agency scientific research and intimidating or coercing individuals to alter or censor scientific findings. Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY) introduced the bill in March. “The fact remains [that] ...
Source: Public Policy Reports - October 28, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news

AIBS Provides Comments on U.S. Bioeconomy
The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) provided comments on the U.S. bioeconomy to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), which recently issued a call for public input. The OSTP has initiated a process to gather input to help inform “notable gaps, vulnerabilities, and areas to promote and protect in the U.S. Bioeconomy that may benefit from Federal government attention.” Bioeconomy is defined as the infrastructure, innovation, products, technology, and data derived from biologically-related processes and science that drive economic growth, promote health, and increase pu...
Source: Public Policy Reports - October 28, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news

Help Your Scientists and Students Strengthen Their Communication Skills
The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) can bring our science communications professional development program to your organization. Designed to enhance the communication skills of scientists, particularly those interested in engaging with decision-makers and the news media, the program is an excellent way to develop new communication skills and identify effective methods for broadening the impact of research and education programs. The AIBS Communications Training Boot Camp for Scientists expands on AIBS's highly successful media and science policy training workshops. The Boot Camp meets the needs of everyone...
Source: Public Policy Reports - October 14, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news

Short Takes
House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) has announced that she will retire at the end of the current Congress. The Chairwoman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), is next in line to lead the full panel and said, "I am interested in placing my name for consideration as the committee member with the most experience and seniority when the time is appropriate." Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) has also expressed an interest in running for the sought-after House Appropriations Committee chair in 2021. However, if Democrats lose control of the House in 202...
Source: Public Policy Reports - October 14, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news

Ecosystem Scientists to Share Insights on Coastal Ecosystems and People with Congress
The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) is working with the Association of Ecosystem Research Centers - an AIBS member organization — to provide policymakers with news insights about the complex interfaces between coastal processes and hazards and natural and built environments. The briefing for lawmakers will be held in Washington, DC on October 30, 2019. Read more about the program and RSVP here: https://www.aibs.org/rsvp/aerc2019.html       (Source: Public Policy Reports)
Source: Public Policy Reports - October 14, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news