A staple since COSSAâs earliest days, the biweekly COSSA Washington Update newsletter provides members and the public with comprehensive coverage of policy developments impacting social and behavioral science research.Â
House Holds Hearing on Cures Implementation
On July 25, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held an oversight hearing on 21st Century Cures Implementation: Updates from FDA and NIH. The 21st Century Cures Act is legislation enacted in 2016 that, among other things, provides for additional funding for biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Authorized in the act, the Cures funding is provided through the annual appropriations bills to boost funding for priority research in areas, including the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot initiative, the BRAIN initiative, and the All of Us Precision Medicine Initiative. The hearing offered an update from agency…
White House Outlines FY 2020 R&D Budget Priorities
On July 31, Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Mick Mulvaney, with Michael Kratsios, Deputy Assistant Secretary to the President, Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), issued a joint memorandum to federal agency and department heads on âFY 2020 Administration Research and Development Priorities.â The R&D memo lays out key White House priorities as agencies begin working on their budget submissions for the next fiscal year. The FY 2020 memo shares many priorities with the FY 2019 memo, including acknowledging the important role of science and technology to Americaâs global leadership and emphasizing national…
Census Bureau Seeks Input on 2020 Data Products
In order to inform its plans for 2020 Census data products, the Census Bureau is soliciting feedback on how data products from prior decennial censuses (including summary and detailed tables, national and state demographic profiles, and topical briefs) have been used. According to the Federal Register notice, privacy concerns may lead the Bureau to reduce the amount of detailed data released to the public, so input on how to prioritize products for the 2020 Census is being sought. More information, including specific questions of interest to the Bureau and a spreadsheet containing a complete list of data products and tables,…
NSF Prepares to Launch the 2026 Idea Machine
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is preparing to launch the NSF 2026 Idea Machine in late August. The NSF 2026 Idea Machine is a competition to help set the U.S. agenda for fundamental research in science and engineering. Participants in the Idea Machine have the opportunity to win prizes and receive public recognition by suggesting the research questions that need to be answered in the coming decade â these questions will become NSFâs next series of âBig Ideas.â This is an opportunity for researchers, the public, students and other interested parties to suggest pressing research questions. The window to submit…
Event Highlights State Evidence-Based Policymaking
On July 24, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) hosted an event entitled âHow States Use Data and Evidence for Policymaking: Current Trends and Future Opportunities.â The event began with a fireside chat between Nick Hart, Director of the Evidence-Based Policymaking Initiative at BPC, and Sara Dube, Director of the Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative at the Pew Research Center, who defined evidence-based policymaking (EBP) as âthe systematic use of findings from program evaluations and outcome analyses to guide government policy and funding decisions.â Much of the conversation revolved around a report from Pew, âHow States Engage in Evidence-Based Policymaking.â The report…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 37 Issue 15
Featured News Steven Dillingham Nominated to Lead Census Bureau COSSA in Action Letters & Statements Congressional News House Committee Approves FY 2019 Labor-HHS-Education Funding Federal Agency & Administration News Draft Guidance Documents Related to Revised Common Rule Released NSF Announces new STEM Education Advisory Panel Nomination Opportunities Funding Opportunities Notices & Requests for Comment Recent Reports Fellowships & Professional Development Community News & Reports Nomination Opportunities Funding Opportunities Recent Reports Fellowships & Professional Development Events Calendar
Steven Dillingham Nominated to Lead Census Bureau
Dr. Steven Dillingham was nominated on July 18 by President Trump to serve as the Director of the Census Bureau within the Department of Commerce. Dillingham currently directs the Office of Strategic Information, Research, and Planning for the Peace Corps and previously led the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. He holds a Ph.D. in political science, as well as a law degree, an MBA, and a masterâs degree in public administration. Given his record of leadership within the federal statistical system, Dillinghamâs nomination is a welcome departure from the type of controversial, politically-motivated candidates the…
House Committee Approves FY 2019 Labor-HHS-Education Funding
On July 11, the full House Appropriations Committee approved its fiscal year (FY) 2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) Appropriations Bill; the Labor-HHS Subcommittee advanced the bill on June 15. This bill contains annual funding proposals for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Education (ED), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), among other federal departments and agencies. The Senate Appropriations Committee reported its version of the bill on June 28 (more here). At a Glance⊠The House bill includes…
Draft Guidance Documents Related to Revised Common Rule Released
On July 20, the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released three draft guidance documents that relate to the three provisions in the revised Common Rule that institutions may choose to implement during the period between July 19, 2018 and January 20, 2019, when the revised Common Rule becomes effective (see COSSAâs coverage of the delay). The three draft guidance documents are: Scholarly and Journalistic Activities Deemed Not to be Research: 2018 Requirements When Continuing Review Is Not Required During the 6-Month Delay Period of July 19, 2018 through January 20, 2019:…
NSF Announces new STEM Education Advisory Panel
The National Science Foundation (NSF), along with the Department of Education, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced the appointment of 18 members of the new science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education advisory panel on July 11. The panel, authorized by the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act, was created to encourage U.S. scientific and technological innovations in education. Gabriela Gonzalez, deputy director of the Intel Foundation at the Intel Corporation, will chair the panel and David Evans, executive director of the National Science Teachers Association, will serve as vice chair. More…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 37 Issue 14
Featured News Arthur Lupia to Lead NSFâs Social Science Directorate COSSA in Action Wendy Naus Discusses COSSAâs Fight for Social Science Research with UK Publication Letters & Statements Congressional News Senate Appropriations Committee Passes FY 2019 Labor, Health Human Services, Education Bill Federal Agency & Administration News William Bryan Nominated to Lead DHS Science and Technology Nomination Opportunities Funding Opportunities Notices & Requests for Comment Community News & Reports Puerto Ricoâs Statistical Agency Spared from Reorganization (For Now) International Natural and Social Science Bodies Merge to Form âInternational Science Councilâ Nomination Opportunities Funding Opportunities Recent Reports Open Positions Fellowships &…
Arthur Lupia to Lead NSFâs Social Science Directorate
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced that it has chosen Dr. Arthur âSkipâ Lupia to serve as the next head of its Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE), following the expiration of Dr. Fay Lomax Cookâs term. Dr. Lupia is currently the Hal R. Varian Collegiate Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan. He is also the chairman of the board for the Center for Open Science and the chair of the National Academies Roundtable on the Communication and Use of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Lupia served on COSSAâs Board of Directors in 2014 and…
Wendy Naus Discusses COSSAâs Fight for Social Science Research with UK Publication
In an interview with the British publication Research Features, COSSA Executive Director Wendy Naus discusses the current outlook for federal support of social and behavioral science in the U.S. and some of the challenges and opportunities facing advocates for this research. You can read the article here. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
Senate Appropriations Committee Passes FY 2019 Labor, Health Human Services, Education Bill
On June 28, the full Senate Appropriations Committee approved its fiscal year (FY) 2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) Appropriations Bill; the Labor-HHS Subcommittee advanced the bill on June 26. This bill contains annual funding proposals for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Education (ED), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), among other federal departments and agencies. The House Labor-HHS Subcommittee marked up its version of the bill on June 15 and released the bill text and accompanying report…
William Bryan Nominated to Lead DHS Science and Technology
William Bryan has been nominated by President Trump to serve as the Under Secretary for Science and Technology at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Bryan is currently the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary for Science and Technology. If confirmed, Bryan will serve as the science and technology advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security and lead the research, development, innovation, and testing activities to support the departmentâs operations and first responders across the country. Bryan is a U.S. Army veteran who has previously held leadership roles at the Departments of Energy and Defense and served…
Puerto Ricoâs Statistical Agency Spared from Reorganization (For Now)
Legislators in Puerto Rico have backed away from a plan to dismantle Puerto Ricoâs statistical agency, the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics (PRIS). The proposal had been included in drafts of a government reorganization bill being considered by the commonwealthâs Legislative Assembly; it would have moved the independent agency to the Department of Economic Development and Commerce and outsourced many of its activities to the private sector. COSSA joined a letter led by the American Statistical Association (ASA), a COSSA governing member, to call for PRIS to maintain its independence. The provision was ultimately removed in the final conferenced version…
International Natural and Social Science Bodies Merge to Form âInternational Science Councilâ
Two international science organizations, the International Council for Science and the International Social Science Council, have merged to form the International Science Council (ISC), whose mission is to âact as the global voice for science.â ISCâs membership consists of international scientific unions and associations and over 140 national and regional scientific organizations (including the U.S. National Academy of Sciences). In an opening address at ISCâs inaugural General Assembly in Paris, Catherine Brechignac, Secretaire Perpetuel of the French Academy of Sciences (a past president of the natural science-focused International Council for Science) said that the merging of the two organizations reflects…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 37 Issue 13
Featured News Trump Administration Releases Proposal to Reorganize the Federal Government COSSA in Action COSSA Seeks Fall Interns Letters & Statements Congressional News Senate Appropriations Committee Approves FY 2019 Commerce, Justice, Science Bill Federal Agency & Administration News Full Implementation of Common Rule Delayed through January 2019 Emilda Rivers Appointed to Lead NCSES Nomination Opportunities Funding Opportunities Notices & Requests for Comment Fellowships & Professional Development Community News & Reports Innovation: An American Imperative Releases Progress Report Academies Report Recommends Strategies to Address Sexual Harassment in Academia Recent Reports Open Positions Fellowships & Professional Development Events Calendar
Trump Administration Releases Proposal to Reorganize the Federal Government
The Trump Administration released its comprehensive plan to restructure and reorganize the federal government on June 21, Delivering Government Solutions in the 21st Century, which includes proposals to make major changes to the federal bureaucracy and social safety net programs. This plan continues efforts by the Administration to restructure and reduce the size of the federal government. Implementing the majority of the reforms proposed would require Congressional actionâand are therefore unlikely to be realizedâbut they provide clear insight into the priorities of the Administration and serve as a blueprint for possible actions over the next few years. The plan proposes…
COSSA Seeks Fall Interns
COSSA is accepting internship applications for the 2018 fall semester. The opportunity is open to undergraduate students who wish to learn about advocacy/lobbying, policy impacting social science, and/or non-profit organizations. Responsibilities include conducting research to assist COSSA staff with their lobbying activities and coverage of events, such as Congressional hearings, federal agency advisory committee meetings, community and coalition events, which may result in a written product, such as a contribution to the COSSA Washington Update. More information is available in the internship description. Applications will be evaluated as they are received, so apply now! Back to this issueâs table of contents.