Biophysical Society Bulletin | June 2018

Public Affairs

Take Advantage of the Congressional Recess: Meet with Your Member of Congress

Both the House and Senate traditionally break for a month every August. During this time, elected officials spend most of their time in their home states and districts. Because they are there for more than just a few days, it is great time to set up a meet- ing at his/her local district office or invite the representative or senator to tour your research lab. These meetings are a great way to make a connection and show your politicians the research taking place right there in their district. To have the most impact, we encourage you to find a colleague to join you in your advocacy efforts. Members of Congress do want to meet and hear from their constituents, and love it even more when they can meet more than one at a time. Plus, hav- ing someone with a slightly different perspective can help make your case even stronger. The Society is here to assist you in the process. Sign up by July 20 at http:/www.biophysics.org/policy-advocacy/take-action to participate and Society staff will guide you through the process and provide materials you can use.

EPA Rule Proposal Would Prohibit “Secret Science” in Policymaking EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt signed a rule proposal on April 24 that would not allow the EPA to use research in setting rules and policies unless it is publicly available and reproducible. While this sounds innocuous, studies can often not be released to the public because of individual privacy concerns and cannot be reproduced because they are longi- tudinal and follow a population over a lengthy period of time. The rule is a copy of the Honest and Open New EPA Science Treatment Act, introduced by Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX) and passed by the House three times, most recently in March 2017, but not taken up by the Senate. The rule is facing pushback from the science community and Democratic members of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. NIH Budget Justification Provides Insight into NIH Priorities In April, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released its FY 2019 Budget Justification. This document provides detailed information on how the organization would spend the money

that it has requested from Congress for FY 2019. The details provide insight into the administration’s priorities for the year, as well as information on new initiatives and programs that the administration would like to end. The FY 2019 justifica- tion indicates that if Congress were to provide the funding that President Trump has requested, NIH would: • Commit $100 million to create a fund in the Office of the Director to support the Next Generation Researchers Ini- tiative, which Institutes and Centers could use to supple- ment their own funds for the initiative; • Spend $30 million to support data science activities across NIH; • Provide $50 million to the Common Fund for additional prize competitions; • Fully fund the All of Us Research Program, the Brain Ini- tiative, the Cancer Moonshot, and Regenerative Medicine Initiative included in the 21st Century Cures Act; and • Create seven operational centers to streamline Institute and Center operations.

June 2018

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