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Do you enjoy receiving your copy of the COSSA Washington Update and want to do more to promote social and behavioral science research? Become a member of COSSA today! COSSA membership is institutional, meaning once your organization/institution/association joins, anyone at the organization can receive our member benefits, including discounted rates for the COSSA Annual Meeting and Social Science Advocacy Day. To learn more about what COSSA has to offer, download our list of member benefits. And if you are already a member, check out the list to make sure you are getting the most out of your membership. Back to…
COSSA Updates State SBS Funding Fact Sheets
COSSA has released new versions of its state-by-state funding fact sheets for federal social and behavioral science funding. The new fact sheets use information for fiscal year (FY) 2014, the most recent currently available federal data. The fact sheets use these data to demonstrate the local economic impact of federal investment in the social and behavioral sciences by providing detailed information on how much funding states receive, where it comes from, and where it goes. They are available for all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. Click here to see how much funding your state receives. Back to this…
COSSA Joins the Call for OAR Working Group on HIV/Substance Use Disorders Research
COSSA joined organizations representing the “range of scientific, professional, and patient organizations committed to the elimination of substance use disorders and addiction through education, advocacy, and the promotion of broad public and private support for HIV/AIDS and substance use research agendas of the National Institutes of Health [NIH]” on a letter to Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in response to the fiscal year (FY) 2016 Trans-NIH Plan for HIV-Related Research. The letter expresses concern “that the priorities overall and those specific to behavioral and social sciences, in particular, downplay the critical importance of reducing…
COSSA and Members Comment on Proposed Revisions to the Common Rule
COSSA, in conjunction with the American Educational Research Association (AERA) (a COSSA governing association) and the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, submitted comments on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects or the “Common Rule” (click here for context on the NPRM). Overall, the comments are supportive of the proposed changes affecting the social and behavioral sciences and urge that “major and substantial improvements… not be delayed or deferred even if it is determined that some issues require further analysis before some rule changes can be made.” The comments also points out several sections where additional clarification…
Registration now OPEN for 2016 COSSA Annual Meeting & Advocacy Day
Registration is now open for the 2016 COSSA Annual Meeting and 2nd Annual Social and Behavioral Science Advocacy Day scheduled for March 15-16, 2016. Click here to register today! Registration fees will increase in February. Individuals who work for COSSA member organizations may be eligible for a members-only registration rate. Email jmilton@cossa.org for details. Visit the COSSA Annual Meeting page for full details, including discounted hotel rates for those traveling to the meeting (reservations must be made by February 15!). ABOUT THE COSSA MEETING The COSSA Annual Meeting brings together representatives from throughout the social and behavioral science community for a day of discussion on federal…
Analysis of the FY 2016 Omnibus Appropriations Bill and Implications for Social and Behavioral Science Research
On December 15, House and Senate negotiators unveiled their final fiscal year (FY) 2016 omnibus appropriations bill, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 (H.R. 2029), which includes all 12 of the individual appropriations bills and totals $1.15 trillion. Congress passed another short term continuing resolution (CR) on Wednesday to allow enough time for the House and Senate to pass the massive spending bill and for the President to sign it, which he has indicated he would. Policymakers now have until December 22 to achieve final passage. Assuming the House can pass the bill on Friday-which will require the support of several…
Save the Date: COSSA Annual Meeting & Advocacy Day, March 15-16
COSSA will hold its 2016 Annual Meeting and Social and Behavioral Science Advocacy Day on March 15 and 16 in Washington, DC. The meeting brings together more than 100 members of the social and behavioral science community and provides a platform for COSSA members to engage with leaders of federal agencies, Congressional staff, and colleagues from across the science and higher education communities. The meeting on March 15 will take place at the George Washington University Marvin Center and will feature updates from leaders at federal science agencies and panels highlighting issues impacting the social and behavioral science community. On…
COSSA Comments on NSF Reauthorization; Senate Seeks Input on STEM Workforce
As previously reported, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee spent the summer engaging with scientific stakeholders to inform possible reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act, or legislation authorizing the National Science Foundation (NSF). In July, the Committee put out a request for input on the topic of “Maximizing the Impact of Basic Research.” COSSA submitted detailed comments to the Committee on August 14. The Committee is now seeking input on the topic of “Building a STEM Workforce.” Interested parties are invited to comment on any/all of the following questions: How does the availability of STEM graduates affect corporate decision-making…
COSSA’s State Funding Fact Sheets Now Updated with FY 2013 Data
COSSA has updated its state-by-state funding fact sheets with data for fiscal year (FY) 2013, the most current federally-collected survey data available. The fact sheets use these data to demonstrate the local economic impact of federal investment in the social and behavioral sciences by providing detailed information on how much funding states receive, where it comes from, and where it goes. They are available for all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. Click here to see how much funding your state receives. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
COSSA Releases Statement on House & Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Bills
On July 2, COSSA released a statement detailing its objections to the fiscal year (FY) 2016 Labor, Health and Human Services , Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) spending bills passed by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees in June. Although both bills would provide significant increases to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as the statement notes “Unfortunately, the much needed increases in NIH funding in both bills come at the expense of federal agencies whose work plays a vital and collaborative role in the U.S. scientific enterprise, particularly as it relates to our nation’s health. As such, COSSA cannot…
COSSA Joins Partners in Advocating for BTS, AHRQ
COSSA has joined 11 fellow organizations on a letter in support of provisions that enhance the budget autonomy of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) in the Future Transportation Research and Innovation for Prosperity Act (H.R. 2886), introduced by Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Ranking Member on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee’s Research and Technology Subcommittee. COSSA also joined the Friends of AHRQ on letters objecting to the elimination of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in the House’s FY 2016 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill and the Senate’s proposed cuts…
COSSA Endorses Innovation Imperative
COSSA has joined more than 250 industry, science, and higher education organizations on “Innovation: An American Imperative,” which is a call to action urging Congress to double down on its investments in the U.S. innovation enterprise. According to the statement, “Our leadership is now at risk because of years of under-prioritizing federal scientific research investments and policies that promote innovation.” In response to these concerns, the statement calls for Congress to take a number of steps, including ending cuts to discretionary spending, providing increases of at least four percent to basic research agencies, improving student achievement in STEM disciplines, and…
COSSA and Partners Advocate for Social Science Funding and Sound Scientific Policies
COSSA has joined with its partner organizations and coalitions on several letters to Congress urging increased funding for social and behavioral science programs and sound scientific policies. Recent letters addressing fiscal year (FY) 2016 funding and scientific conference travel can be viewed here. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
COSSA and Partners Encourage Strong FY 2016 Appropriations
As Congress begins to consider funding for fiscal year (FY) 2016, COSSA has joined dozens of other organizations and coalitions on letters to appropriators in support of strong levels of funding for the federal agencies that support social and behavioral science research. Check our website for the most updated list of letters COSSA has joined. March 3: $172 million for the National Center for Health Statistics, House/Senate (Friends of NCHS) March 23: $7.8 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Coalition) March 23: $375 million for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, House/Senate (Friends of AHRQ) April 2: $633…
Summaries Available from COSSA Annual Meeting
Thank you to all who attended the 2015 COSSA Annual Meeting in Washington, DC on March 9-10. Summaries and presentations from several of the sessions are available on the Annual Meeting webpage. Speakers included France Cordova, Director of the National Science Foundation, William Riley, Acting Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, among others. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
COSSA Joins Coalitions Requesting Strong FY 2016 Appropriations
As Congress begins to consider funding for fiscal year (FY) 2016, COSSA has joined dozens of other organizations and coalitions on letters to appropriators in support of strong levels of funding for the federal agencies that support social and behavioral science research. Check our website for the most updated list of letters COSSA has joined. February 25: $1.5 billion for the Census Bureau – House/Senate (Census Project) February 27: $29 million for the Bureau of Transportation Statistics March 3: $32 billion for the National Institutes of Health (Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research) March 6: $703.6 million for the Institute…
COSSA Annual Meeting and Advocacy Day Attracts Over 100
More than 100 social and behavioral scientists from across the country attended the 2015 COSSA Annual Meeting and related events on March 9-10. This week’s meeting featured a new format for the annual event, which included moving of the meeting from the fall when it had historically been held, to the spring in order to align with Congressional calendar. As part of the meeting on March 10, more than 60 COSSA members descended on Capitol Hill for the first-ever Social and Behavioral Science Advocacy Day. Advocates met with 84 different offices in the House and Senate to discuss the value…
COSSA Resources Illustrate Value of Social Science Research
COSSA has developed a series of resources to help its members articulate the value of social and behavioral science research to policy makers and the public. These resources include: State-by-state funding fact sheets Contributions of Social and Behavioral Science to Issues of National Significance FY 2016 Funding Request One-Pagers for NSF, NIH, DOJ and Federal Statistical Agencies FY 2016 Funding Request Talking Points Analysis of the President’s FY 2016 Budget Request for Social and Behavioral Science Research COSSA Handbook for Social and Behavioral Science Advocacy COSSA’s TAKE ACTION page Back to this issue’s table of contents.