Biophysical Society Bulletin | December 2020

Public Affairs

US Federal Budget for Fiscal Year 2021   As Congress returns to Washington, DC, following the elections, some still revelling from their wins, while others lick their wounds facing their new status as a “lame duck” Congressman or Senator, one thing still remains for them to do by December 11: enact a federal budget for 2021. Knowing how divisive election years can be for accomplishing the necessary work Congress does, it is unfortunately not a sur- prise that we are again working under a Continuing Resolution to extend our current funding levels. However, given that we are still in the midst of a pandemic, working to secure emergency supplemental funds makes having a full budget in place before the end of 2020 critical. With research just getting back on track and the full impact and cost of suspending and restarting research still to be realized, science needs to know that they have consistent, predictable funding for research available for 2021. Stay up-to-date and get involved with BPS’ advocacy efforts on the appropriations process and other issues important to basic and biomedical research at https:/www.biophysics.org/policy-advocacy/take-action.

ICE Proposes Rule to Set Time Limits on Non-Immigrant Student Visas For scientists and students in the United States under a visa program, 2020 has posed a constant threat of new regula- tions, proposed rules, and Executive Orders aimed at halting, or substantially altering the way these programs function. Non-immigrant student visa holders have been a significant target of these changes in the past few months. In July, an Executive Order was issued mandating that student visa holders return to in-person classes even if the academic institutions they attend mandate online-only classes due to the risk of COVID-19. Several universities filed suit against the government to stop this new rule from going into effect and putting students, faculty, and university employees at risk unnecessarily. As the court prepared to hear arguments, the government withdrew the Order and students were able to attend classes in accordance with the safety precautions of their university. More recently, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would eliminate the current approval period for non-immi- grant students to remain in the country until their studies are complete, known as Duration of Stay. The proposed rule would instead institute either two- or four-year approvals for

international students depending on the degree being pur- sued and their country of origin. There are currently 65 coun- tries of origin that would automatically result in a maximum two-year approval period to pursue studies. These visas are renewable for programs that require more than the approved period a student might be granted, but this renewal burden is of significant concern for students seeking doctoral degrees. ICE concluded that of all the non-immigrant student visas requested, only 20 percent of those are from students seek- ing a doctoral degree and therefore no significant burden on the government would be incurred from having to repeatedly review and renew extensions of stay for these individuals. The Biophysical Society (BPS) believes that this argument does not hold water. Of all the students applying to study in the United States, ICE is well-aware of the extended period of study associated with doctoral and professional degrees. They are also aware of the economic, research, and academic benefits associated with doctoral students. International students contributed nearly $41 billion and sup- ported more than 458,000 jobs in the US economy during the 2018–2019 academic year. In addition to teaching the next generation of scientific researchers as part of their academic duties, international student researchers contribute to and support economic and scientific research discoveries during their academic tenure in the United States and beyond.

December 2020

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