- Partisan Disagreement Continues About COVID-19 Relief Measure
- House Announces September Legislative Schedule
- AAU, Associations Outline Concerns About NIH Human Fetal Tissue Ethics Advisory Board Report
- AAU, APLU Submit Comments on the US Copyright Office’s Notice of Inquiry on Sovereign Immunity
- OSTP and Energy Department Announce National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee Members
- Upcoming Events
PARTISAN DISAGREEMENT CONTINUES ABOUT COVID-19 RELIEF MEASURE
Negotiations on another round of pandemic relief continue to stall due to “serious differences” between Democrats and the White House, according to a statement from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stated that there were “tremendous areas of agreement” between Democrats and Republicans, but noted that the White House did not support the revised $2.2 trillion package offered by House and Senate Democrats in August.
Senate Republicans aim to vote on a “targeted” $500 billion pandemic aid measure next week, according to Bloomberg Government. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said the $500 billion measure would be a good “foundation” for the parties and the administration to “continue to negotiate on those things that perhaps might separate the two parties.” According to Reuters, the White House last week offered a $1.3 trillion measure to House Democrats, which Pelosi rejected as inadequate.
HOUSE ANNOUNCES SEPTEMBER LEGISLATIVE SCHEDULE
Last week, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) sent a dear colleague letter to lawmakers outlining the chamber’s schedule for September. As early as September 21, the House is expected to consider a package of bills to “invest in energy innovation and clean energy development,” according to the letter.
In the letter, Hoyer notes that it is “likely” that Congress will need to pass a stopgap spending measure to fund the government after September 30. The House in late July completed consideration of 10 of 12 FY21 appropriations measures, but the Senate has yet to begin its FY21 appropriations effort. The Hill reports that Mnuchin and Pelosi have informally agreed that any continuing resolution passed by Congress would not include “controversial policy riders,” such as pandemic relief, that would divide support for the measure and increase chances of a government shutdown.
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS OUTLINE CONCERNS ABOUT NIH HUMAN FETAL TISSUE ETHICS ADVISORY BOARD REPORT
AAU on Tuesday joined 20 other associations on a letter Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to outline their concerns about the NIH Human Fetal Tissue Ethics Advisory Board and its final report, which would block funding for all but one research proposal seeking to use human fetal tissue. The organizations urge the secretary immediately to revoke the policy restricting funding for biomedical research involving human fetal tissue. The letter also requests that HHS review the composition of the Ethics Advisory Board, which lacks “diverse perspectives” (such as a representative of patient groups) and includes five members who are affiliated with one special-interest group that opposes the use of human fetal tissue in research. The letter also notes the chilling effect of the board’s recommendations limiting the ethical use of fetal tissue, which “remains necessary for ongoing research against viral diseases, understanding human development and its impact on disease, and research on potential treatments for” debilitating diseases and injuries – including the COVID-19 pandemic.
AAU, APLU SUBMIT COMMENTS ON THE US COPYRIGHT OFFICE’S NOTICE OF INQUIRY ON SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY
AAU and APLU on Wednesday submitted comments in response to the United States Copyright Office’s request for public comment on its forthcoming study on state sovereign immunity in the copyright context. The comments outline the complex and positive role universities play in the copyright ecosystem; existing institutional and external deterrents to copyright infringement at state universities; and the lack of evidence that state universities engage in widespread state copyright infringement. The letter urges Congress to “preserve state sovereign immunity for copyright claims and protect state universities from costly litigation that diverts crucial resources from important societal goods like education, research, outreach, health care, and other public services.”
OSTP AND ENERGY DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCE NATIONAL QUANTUM INITIATIVE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Department of Energy last week announced the members of the new National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee. Co-chaired by OSTP Assistant Director for Quantum Information Science and Director of the National Quantum Coordination Office Dr. Charles Tahan and Dean of Research at Stanford University Dr. Kathryn Ann Moler, the committee will advise the administration on “ways to ensure continued American leadership in quantum information science.” The 23-person committee includes:
- University of Chicago Seymour Goodman Professor of Computer Science Frederic T. Chong,
- University of Washington Associate Professor of Physics and Electrical and Computer Engineering Kai-Mei C. Fu,
- Harvard University Tarr-Coyne Professor of Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering Evelyn L. Hu,
- Duke University Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Physics and Computer Science and IonQ co-founder Jungsang Kim,
- University of Maryland Distinguished University Professor & Bice Seci-Zorn Professor Christopher R. Monroe,
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Lincoln Laboratory Fellow, Professor of the Practice in Physics, and Associate Director of the MIT Research Laboratory of Electronics William D. Oliver,
- California Institute of Technology Director of the Institute for Quantum and Matter John P. Preskill, and
- Yale University Sterling Professor of Applied Physics and Physics Robert J. Schoelkopf.
UPCOMING EVENTS
OCTOBER 1 ERNEST ORLANDO LAWRENCE AWARDS NOMINATIONS DUE; Nominations can besubmitted here by 5:00 p.m. ET Thursday, October 1. More information about the award can be found here. Please contact Dr. Kaitlyn Schroeder-Spain with questions.
NOVEMBER 12 OFFICE OF SCIENCE GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH PROGRAM NOMINATIONS DUE; Nominations can be submitted by 5:00 p.m. ET Thursday, November 12. More information and nomination instructions can be found here.