- AAU Issues Statement Supporting Endless Frontier Act; Markup Scheduled for April 28
- AAU, Associations Request Highest Possible FY22 CJS Allocation
- AAU Staffing Announcement
- AAU Expresses Concerns About Strategic Competition Act Ahead of Markup
- NIH Changes 2019 Policy Inhibiting Extramural Human Fetal Tissue Research
- CNSF Requests FY22 Appropriation of at Least $10 Billion for NSF
- Upcoming Events
AAU ISSUES STATEMENT ON ENDLESS FRONTIER ACT; MARKUP SCHEDULED APRIL 28
AAU President Barbara R. Snyder issued a statement on Wednesday in support of the bipartisan Endless Frontier Act, announced earlier that day by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), and Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI). The bill summary is available here , and the bill text here . “The Endless Frontier Act’s bold investments in the NSF will help ensure that the United States stays at the forefront of global scientific advancement and innovation,” Snyder said.
The Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled a markup session on the bill and other legislation for Wednesday, April 28.
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS REQUEST HIGHEST POSSIBLE FY22 CJS ALLOCATION
On Tuesday, AAU joined 110 research organizations, professional societies, universities, and private companies on a letter to leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to urge they provide the highest possible FY22 allocation for the agencies under the purview of the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittees. “Significant growth is urgently needed for CJS programs, which are vital to the advancement of science, technology, economic development, and criminal justice,” the letter notes.
AAU STAFFING ANNOUNCEMENT
On May 11, Deputy Vice President for Federal Relations and Counsel for Policy Jessica Sebeok will leave AAU to become the Johns Hopkins University Director of Policy and Research in JHU President Ron Daniels’ office. Jess joined AAU’s staff in 2014 as the lead on issues related to intellectual property, information technology, and technology transfer. In her first several years at AAU, Jess played a major role in leading the association’s efforts on patent and tax reform legislation. In addition, Jess has served as AAU’s policy counsel and worked closely with our general counsel committee – soon to expand, due to Jess’s advocacy, into a full constituent group – on complex legal issues facing research universities. She has spearheaded AAU’s efforts on amicus briefs in a wide range of areas, including immigration, admissions diversity, and intellectual property. For several years, Jess led the CFR and instituted, among other things, the CFR Impact Awards and the CFR racial equity advisory group. Jess has also made significant contributions in other areas, including regulatory and compliance issues, drones, campus speech and academic freedom, antitrust, labor relations, open and public access, and TOME. We wish her well and thank her for her service in support of America’s leading research universities.
AAU EXPRESSES CONCERNS ABOUT STRATEGIC COMPETITION ACT AHEAD OF MARKUP
AAU sent a letter to leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee just ahead of a markup session the committee held Wednesday on the Strategic Competition Act (S. 1169). Specifically, the letter notes significant problems with Section 138 of the legislation, which would expand the scope of current Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States reviews to include certain gifts and contracts between universities in the United States and foreign entities and individuals.
NIH CHANGES 2019 POLICY INHIBITING EXTRAMURAL HUMAN FETAL TISSUE RESEARCH
Last Friday, NIH announced the reversal of the 2019 policy requiring any extramural research using human fetal tissue be reviewed by an Ethics Review Board reporting to the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. HHS and NIH will not convene another board review. AAU joined AAMC, APLU and other organizations to express concern with the chilling effect of the policy when it was issued, and wrote to then-President-Elect Biden in early January to encourage his administration to reverse the policy.
CNSF REQUESTS FY22 APPROPRIATION OF AT LEAST $10 BILLION FOR NSF
The Coalition for the National Science Foundation, of which AAU is a member, sent a letter on Monday to leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies requesting at least $10 billion in FY22 appropriations for NSF. The letter says, in part, “We encourage Congress to make bold investments in the NSF this year, setting the agency on a course to advance domestic innovation and to keep pace with investments other countries are making in research and development.”
UPCOMING EVENTS
APRIL 27 COSSA 2021 SOCIAL SCIENCE ADVOCACY DAY; More information and registration here.
MAY 31 GOLDEN GOOSE AWARD 2021 SPONSORSHIP DEADLINE; More information here.