science committee
FY 2025 Hangs in the Balance as Congress Begins Preparations for the 119th Session
As the year nears its end, Congress is looking to pass either the fiscal year (FY) 2025 appropriations bills by December 20 or a continuing resolution (CR) that extends the deadline to March. As previously reported by COSSA, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has indicated interest in the latter despite contention from Democrats and some Republicans advocating to complete the FY 2025 appropriations process so the new Congress can focus its attention on the FY 2026 appropriations process. The 119th Congress, which will be sworn in on January 3, will look quite a bit different from the outgoing Congress. The House…
CNSF Celebrates Science Committee Chairman Lucas’s Service
On October 19, the Coalition for the National Science Funding (CNSF), of which COSSA is a member, celebrated Representative Frank Lucas’s (R-OK) service to the scientific community as Chair of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. With remarks from Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Brian Babin (R-TX), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Deborah Ross (D-NC), Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Stephanie Bice (R-OK), Tom Kean (R-NJ), and other members of Congress, CNSF applauded the bipartisan effort of the Committee under Chairman Lucas’s leadership. Image: Representative Frank Lucas at CNSF Celebration (Credit: CNSF X Account)
Congress: Competitive Elections for the SBS Community to Watch
As November 5 rapidly approaches, Congress is likely to see some leadership changes in both the House and the Senate. With a current slim majority in both chambers, competitive races have Democrats and Republicans battling for control. The 2024 CPR Senate Race Ratings from the Cook Political Report details the Senate races that are competitive, including Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Significantly more Democrat-held seats are in competitive races than Republican-held seats in the Senate. Similarly, the 2024 CPR House Race Ratings from the Cook Political Report details the House races that are competitive, including races in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado,…
House Science Committee Unanimously Passes Bill to Update Research Security Language in CHIPS & Science Act
On September 9, the House or Representatives passed a bill to clarify language regarding research security in the CHIPS & Science Act enacted in 2022 (see previous COSSA coverage). H.R. 7686, led by Representative Mike Garcia (R-CA) and co-led by Representative Haley Stevens (D-MI), seeks to protect university funding from foreign adversaries through clarifying the definition of “malign foreign talent recruitment programs.” Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) supported the bill, citing that “research theft is one of the single greatest threats to our competitiveness as a nation” with Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) agreeing that the bill “reflects our committee’s good faith deliberations around…
House Science Committee Holds Hearing on Advancing AI
On June 22, the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing titled, “Artificial Intelligence: Advancing Innovation Towards the National Interest.” The hearing focused on the ethical implications of AI, the importance of responsible AI governance, and how increased public participation in AI oversight can steer the technology towards reflecting our national values. A primary recommendation that emerged during the hearing was the use of “red teaming;” that is, involving independent third-party experts who are given access to company AI systems to identify and address flaws. Dr. Dewey Murdick, Executive Director of the Center for Security and Emerging Technology…
House Science Committee Holds Hearing on FY 2024 R&D Budget Request
On April 26, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing to review the Administration’s fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget request for research and development (see COSSA’s analysis of the President’s budget request). Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan, the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), and Dr. Dan Reed, the Chair of the National Science Board (NSB), testified before the Committee. Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) commended the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 and its prioritizing of scientific innovation, while also acknowledging that innovation strives on predictable and stable…
House Science Committee Holds Hearing on a Science and Technology Strategy
On March 1, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (SST) held a public hearing titled The United States, China, and the Fight for Global Leadership: Building a U.S. National Science and Technology Strategy. The hearing focused on the geopolitical competition between the U.S. and China as well as the development of a National Science and Technology Strategy, a framework mandated in the 2022 enacted CHIPS and Science Act that aims to make the U.S. more competitive technologically. Witnesses included Former Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier, President and CEO…
House Science Committee Approves Authorization and Oversight Plan
The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing on February 8 to organize and establish the committee rules. The hearing was also used to review and accept the committee’s Authorization and Oversight Plan for the new term. The Authorization and Oversight Plan details the committee’s rules, authorizations, and priorities. Among the plan’s priorities include reauthorizations of several federal agencies and oversight of recently enacted bills, including the CHIPS and Science Act (previous COSSA coverage). The plan prioritizes research, notably with a focus on STEM, and the protection of research from foreign theft. The House Science Committee acknowledged the…
118th Congress: Profile of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee
Now that the fight over who will serve as Speaker of the House has been settled, Congressional committees are starting to take shape, albeit later than originally planned. Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) has been chosen to serve as chair of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee; Lucas served as Ranking Member in the last Congress. In a press release, Lucas stated his hope to continue working in a bipartisanship manner with Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), the ranking Democrat. Lofgren replaces Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) who retired at the end of the last Congress. However, not all of Lucas’ stated…
Longtime Science Champion Eddie Bernice Johnson Enters Final Year in Congress
Late last year, House Science Committee Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) announced that she would retire from Congress at the end of her term. Johnson, who receive the COSSA Distinguished Service Award in 2016, has been one of the social science enterprise’s fiercest champions throughout her tenure on the Science Committee. She defended social and behavioral science grants from unwarranted attacks and championed legislation to advance the nation’s scientific enterprise as a whole. It is unclear who will succeed Johnson as the top Democrat on the Science Committee in the next Congress. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) has seniority, but shakeups…
House Science Committee Approves NSF Spending in Reconciliation Package
On September 9, the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee met to pass a set of spending recommendations that allocate $45.5 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2022 spending as part of the House Democrats’ wide-reaching “Build Back Better” plan. The $3.5 trillion in total proposed spending (over 5-10 years) would be passed as part of the budget reconciliation process (which removes several procedural hurdles to passing such legislation) and would be in addition to regular FY 2022 appropriations (see COSSA’s analysis of the House’s FY 2022 appropriations bills here). The Science Committee’s recommendations would provide the National Science Foundation (NSF)…
House Sends Slate of Science Bills to the Senate
On May 17, the House of Representatives approved a group of bills introduced in the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee that aim to make the U.S. science enterprise more equitable, safe, and fair. Four bills, the Supporting Early-Career Researchers Act (H.R. 144), the STEM Opportunities Act (H.R. 204), the MSI STEM Achievement Act (H.R. 2027), and the Combatting Sexual Harassment in Science Act (H.R. 2695) were introduced by Science Committee Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson and were endorsed by COSSA. The Supporting Early-Career Researchers Act would authorize the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish a two-year pilot program to award…
House Science Committee Reintroduces Legislation to Combat Sexual Harassment in Science
On April 20, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (SST) reintroduced the Combatting Sexual Harassment in Science Act (H.R. 2695), bipartisan legislation that would expand research on the causes and consequences of sexual harassment in the STEM workforce as well as direct data to influence policy to reduce the negative impacts of sexual harassment. COSSA has been an endorser of the legislation since 2018 when it was first introduced (see previous coverage for more details). More information is available in a press release available on the…
House Science Committee Releases Federal Scientific Workforce Report
Last month, the majority staff of the House Committee on Science, Space, & Technology released the report Scientific Brain Drain: Quantifying the Decline of the Federal Scientific Workforce, an analysis of federal employment levels of seven federal science agencies: the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology (DHS S&T), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Energy (DOE), and the Environment Protection Agency (EPA). The analysis looked across the past decade to understand how the federal government is investing in its increasing…
House Science Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Rebuilding the Federal Scientific Workforce
On March 17, the House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight held a hearing to address strategies to rebuild the federal scientific workforce especially related to recruiting and retaining scientific talent. The Subcommittee heard testimony from Acting Director for Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics at the U.S. Government Accountability Office Candice Wright; President and CEO at the Partnership for Public Service Max Stier; Director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists Dr. Andrew Rosenberg; and Former Director of Science and Technology at the Office of Water at the Environmental Protection Agency…
House Science Committee Organizes
The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology has announced its membership roster for the 117th Congress (see the majority and minority press releases). As previously reported, the Chair and Ranking Member will again be Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK). Members new to the Science Committee this Congress include Carlos Giménez (R-FL), Stephanie Bice (R-OK), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Young Kim (R-CA), Jake LaTurner (R-KS), Peter Meijer (R-MI), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Deborah K. Ross (D-NC), Pete Sessions (R-TX), Daniel Webster (R-FL), and Susan Wild (D-PA). Democratic subcommittee…
House Science Committee Holds Hearing on COVID-19 Impacts and the Recovery of the U.S. Research Enterprise
On February 25, the House Committee on Science, Space, & Technology (SST) held a hearing on the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on U.S. research and potential solutions to provide relief and recovery to the research enterprise. The hearing featured testimony from CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Dr. Sudip Parikh, Vice President for Research at Washington State University Dr. Christopher Keane, Executive Vice President of the Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Thomas Quaadman, and Executive Director of the American Educational Research Association and member of COSSA’s Board of Directors Dr. Felice…
House Science Committee Holds Hearing On COVID-19 Vaccines and Encouraging Uptake
On February 19, the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology held a hearing on “The Science of COVID-19 Vaccines and Encouraging Vaccine Uptake.” The Committee heard testimony from Professor in Vaccinology and Director at the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health Dr. Kathleen Neuzil, Director and Health Authority at the Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services Dr. Philip Huang, Deputy Commissioner at the Oklahoma State Department of Health Keith Reed, and the Scientific Director at the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics and Associate Professor of Nursing and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania…
Supporting Early-Career Researchers Act Reintroduced in 117th Congress
On January 5, the House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) introduced the Supporting Early-Career Researchers Act (H.R. 144), legislation that would create a new postdoctoral fellowship program at the National Science Foundation to support early-career researchers whose opportunities have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Johnson and Lucas, who had previously introduced the legislation in the previous Congress, have stated that the goal of the legislation is to prevent the loss of research talent due to any economic disruptions that may have occurred due to the public health…