Science Policy News from AIBS

AIBS Public Policy Report, Volume 19, Issue 1, January 8, 2018 Congressional Vacancies Begin to Pile Up Congress Still Working on Funding Deal 2017 AIBS Policy Annual Report Job Announcement: AIBS Public Policy Manager Deadline Approaching: Apply for the 2018 Emerging Public Policy Leadership Award Participate in the 2018 AIBS Congressional Visits Day From the Federal Register Become an Advocate for Science: Join the AIBS Legislative Action Center The AIBS Public Policy Report is distributed broadly by email every two weeks to the AIBS membership. Any interested party may self-subscribe to receive these free reports by email or RSS news feed, by going to www.aibs.org/public-policy-reports. With proper attribution to AIBS, all material from these reports may be reproduced or forwarded. AIBS staff appreciates receiving copies of materials used. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please contact the AIBS Director of Public Policy, Robert Gropp, at 202-628-1500 x 250. Congressional Vacancies Begin to Pile Up Now, as the second session of the 115th Congress is beginning, political pundits are increasingly analyzing congressional retirements. To date, 50 members have left Congress or are opting to not run for re-election, well above the average of 22 retirements per election cycle. The tally does not include the five members who left their seats to serve in the Trump Administration. Notably, two-thirds of the vacancies are from Republicans, even though the GOP controls both chambers of Congress and the White House. Five Republican committee chairmen in the House will not be running for re-election. Four are retiring: Lamar Smith (TX) of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Bill Shuster (PA) of the Transportation Committee, Bob Goodlatte (VA) of the Judiciary Committee, and Gregg Harper (MS) of the Committee on House Administration. Diane Black (TN) is stepping down from chairing the Budget Committee to run for governor. Congress Still Working on Funding Deal Lawmakers are facing another deadline for fiscal year (FY) 2018 funding. The current continuing resolution, which has kept the government open well into the fiscal year, expires on January 19. Several issues have complicated the negotiations between political parties, including the balance of funding between defense and non-defense programs. The “Budget Control Act of 2011” set annual caps for defense and non-defense programs. Spending within each pot cannot be increased above these levels without a change in law. Negotiators are reportedly considering a roughly $100 billion increase for FY 2018 and again in FY 2019. Republicans are pushing to increase defense spending by $54 billion and non-defense spending by $37 billion. Democrats have been insisting that any increase to the defense budget cap must be accompanied by an equal increase to the non-defense cap. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) countered that it is “an arbitrary political formula that bears no relationship to actual need.” AIBS 2017 Policy Annual Report  The AIBS Public Policy Office has released its annual report for 2017. Read about our achievements in science policy. Highlights include: Taught 14 professional development workshops that trained 411 scientists and graduate students to successfully communicate their research with decision-makers and reporters, to improve their writing skills, or to work effectively on interdisciplinary teams. Facilitated 133 meetings with federal and state lawmakers. Opposed policies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency barring agency-funded scientists from serving on scientific advisory panels and a proposal for a "red team/blue team" exercise to challenge climate science. Issued a statement to voice concerns about the potential censorship of scientific words at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rallied the scientific community to successfully oppose negative impacts of the tax reform bill on graduate students tuition waivers. The provision was defeated. Read the 2017 annual report at https://www.aibs.org/public-policy/resources/PPO_2017_Annual_Report.pdf. Job Announcement: AIBS Public Policy Manager  The Public Policy Manager works with AIBS leadership and membership to develop and implement the organization’s science policy and communications agenda, which is focused on promoting informed decision-making that advances the biological sciences for the benefit of science and society. The position requires the ability to work effectively with internal and external stakeholders, including congressional and executive branch officials. The Manager is responsible for promoting and maintaining an efficient workflow in the office to ensure the timely completion of projects, as well as anticipate and make plans to accommodate new initiatives and activities. The ideal candidate will have familiarity with public policy and science, as well as excellent and demonstrable written and oral communication skills. Duties include: Monitor, analyze, and report on science policy matters of interest to the organization and its membership. Formulate and prepare position statements, testimony, comments and other policy education and outreach documents. Organize grassroots advocacy events. Organize science policy briefings for policymakers. Train scientists to communicate effectively with the public, the media, and policymakers. Prepare regular written policy updates. Manage the online AIBS Legislative Action Center. Support and participate in organizational social media initiatives. Assist with press relations for AIBS, AIBS member organizations, and AIBS clients. Represent AIBS in various science policy coalitions and to other external stakeholders. Contribute to AIBS-wide initiatives and priorities. Other duties as assigned. Qualifications: At least five years of public policy experience with knowledge of science policy and the legislative and regulatory processes of the federal government. Strong and demonstrable written and oral communication skills. Detail-oriented, self-directed, reliable, and discrete. Familiarity with using and comfort learning new content management systems to help communicate information to target audiences. The ability to work as a member of a team. A desire to identify efficiencies and process improvements. A Bachelor’s degree is required. Advanced degree(s) in biology, science policy, or related field is highly desirable, but not required. Some travel may be required, as well as periodic work on weekends or outside of normal business hours. Application Submit a cover letter with salary history, resume, and a writing sample to publicpolicy@aibs.org. Application review will begin 5 January 2018 and continue until the position is filled. https://www.aibs.org/classifieds/aibs_positions_available.html#62872 Deadline Approaching: Apply for the 2018 Emerging Public Policy Leadership Award Are you a graduate student looking to make a difference in science policy and funding? Applications are now being accepted for the 2018 AIBS Emerging Public Policy Leadership Award. This award recognizes graduate students in the biological sciences who have demonstrated initiative and leadership in science policy. Recipients receive first-hand experience at the interface of science and public policy. Winners receive: A trip to Washington, DC, to participate in the AIBS Congressional Visits Day, an annual event that brings scientists to the nation's capital to advocate for federal investment in the biological sciences, with a primary focus on the National Science Foundation. The event will be held on April 17-18, 2018. Domestic travel and hotel expenses will be paid for the winners. Policy and communications training, including information on the legislative process and trends in federal science funding. Meetings with congressional policymakers to discuss the importance of federal investment in the biological sciences. A one-year AIBS membership, including a subscription to the journal BioScience and a copy of "Communicating Science: A Primer for Working with the Media." The 2018 award is open to U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents enrolled in a graduate degree program in the biological sciences, science education, or a closely allied field. Applicants should have a demonstrated interest in and commitment to science policy and/or science education policy. Applications are due by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on January 17, 2018. The application guidelines can be downloaded at http://www.aibs.org/public-policy/eppla.html. Participate in the 2018 AIBS Congressional Visits Day  Join the American Institute of Biological Sciences for our annual Congressional Visits Day in Washington, DC. This event is an opportunity for scientists to meet with their members of Congress about the importance of federal support for biological research and education. Event participants advocate for federal funding for biological, life, and environmental sciences research. This event builds support federal research funding agencies, including the National Science Foundation. This year's event will be held on April 17-18, 2018 in Washington, DC. During the afternoon of April 17, individuals will participate in an advocacy-training program that provides the information required to effectively advocate for their science. On April 18, scientists participate in AIBS organized meetings with their Representative and Senators. Supplemental training program: In addition to the core event, AIBS is offering a one-day short course version of the popular AIBS Communications Boot Camp for Scientists. This eight-hour professional development program will train scientists to translate scientific information for non-technical audiences and to engage with the news media. The course includes formal instruction as well as hands-on and interactive exercises. This professional development training will begin on the afternoon of April 16 and be completed during the morning of April 17. We are pleased to announce that participants in the Congressional Visits Day event may register for this training program at the reduced rate of $150. Scientists and graduate students interested in communicating the importance of federal investments in scientific research and education to lawmakers are encouraged to participate in this important event. Registration will close on March 4, 2018. Register at https://www.aibs.org/public-policy/congressional_visits_day.html. From the Federal Register The following items appeared in the Federal Register from 25 December 2017 to 5 January 2018. For more information on these or other recent items, please visit the AIBS Federal Register Resource at www.aibs.org/federal-register-resource/index.html. Week Ending 5 January 2018 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Request for Information--National Space Weather Action Plan State Notice of Public Meeting Week Ending 29 December 2017 Commerce Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee; Public Meeting Education Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 2019) Main Study Recruitment and Field Test Environmental Protection Agency Human Studies Review Board; Notification of Public Meetings Health and Human Services Final National Occupational Research Agenda for Cancer, Reproductive, Cardiovascular and Other Chronic Disease Prevention (CRC) Interior Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation Council Establishment; Request for Nominations Invasive Species Advisory Committee; Request for Nominations Notice of Public Meeting for the Advisory Committee on Water Information National Aeronautics and Space Administration Applied Sciences Advisory Committee; Meeting National Science Foundation Sunshine Act Meeting; National Science Board Become an Advocate for Science: Join the AIBS Legislative Action Center Quick, free, easy, effective, impactful! Join the AIBS Legislative Action Center.  The Legislative Action Center is a one-stop shop for learning about and influencing science policy. Through the website, users can contact elected officials and sign-up to interact with lawmakers.  The website offers tools and resources to inform researchers about recent policy developments. The site also announces opportunities to serve on federal advisory boards and to comment on federal regulations. This new tool is made possible through contributions from the Society for the Study of Evolution, Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, and the Botanical Society of America.  AIBS and our partner organizations invite scientists and science educators to become policy advocates today. Simply go to policy.aibs.org to get started.   Give your society or organization a voice in public policy. See http://www.aibs.org/public-policy/funding_contributors.html.  Become an AIBS Individual Member and lend your voice to a national effort to advance the biological sciences through public policy, education, and science programs. Visit http://www.access.aibs.org/?page=IndMem to join AIBS.  Become an advocate for science, visit the AIBS Legislative Action Center at http://policy.aibs.org.  Know the news as it happens, sign-up to receive AIBS press releases and policy statements (http://www.aibs.org/mailing-lists/mediaisu.html). The American Institute of Biological Sciences is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) scientific association dedicated to advancing biological research and education for the welfare of society. AIBS works to ensure that the public, legislators, funders, and the community of biologists have access to and use information that will guide them in making informed decisions about matters that require biological knowledge. The organization does this through informing decisions by providing peer-reviewed or vetted information about the biology field and profession and by catalyzing action through building the capacity and the leadership of the community to address matters of common concern. Founded in 1947 as a part of the National Academy of Sciences, AIBS became an independent, member-governed organization in the 1950s. Today, Today, AIBS has over 140 member organizations and has a Public Policy Office in Washington, DC. Its staff members work to achieve its mission by publishing the peer-reviewed journal BioScienceand the education Web site ActionBioscience.org, by providing scientific peer-review and advisory services to government agencies and other clients, and by collaborating with scientific organizations to advance public policy, education, and the public understanding of science. Website: www.aibs.org.

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