FASEB Public Affairs Quarterly Report: July-September 2008
Research Funding
FASEB promoted funding for NIH in the second FY2008supplemental appropriations bill, in which the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Chairman’s mark for NIH was an additional $500 million
FASEB sent a letter to every member of the Senate Appropriations Committee in support of NIH funding in a second supplemental appropriations bill
FASEB sent a letter to Senator Tom Harkin, thanking him for his efforts to include NIH funding in the second supplemental bill
FASEB issued an e-action alert to scientists with senators on the Appropriations Committee urging them to call their Senator to urge him or her to support the addition of NIH funding in the second supplemental appropriations bill
FASEB maintained its strong support for an increase in NIH funding for FY2009
In support of increasing NIH funding, FASEB unveiled its Advocacy Clearinghouse website, updated its online budget page, and created an advertisement for Roll Call outlining the detrimental effects of flat funding for NIH on health research
Richard Marchase met with senior appropriations staffers to request an increase in funding for NIH in the FY2009 appropriations bill or continuing resolution
Howard Garrison organized two large-scale meetings of over 40 research and patient groups to discuss NIH advocacy. The new coalition developed strategies for the FY2009 appropriations and the FY2008 supplemental appropriations bill
FASEB and the new advocacy coalition wrote to congressional leaders urging them to provide $30.380 billion for NIH plus an additional $500 million per the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Chair’s mark for the second supplemental appropriations bill in the FY2009 continuing resolution
FASEB sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi thanking her for her recent statements highlighting the importance of NIH
FASEB continued its advocacy for NSF
FASEB joined the Coalition for National Science Funding in letters to congressional leaders urging them to provide NSF with an FY2009 budget of $6.854 billion in the continuing resolution
FASEB maintained a broad program of advocacy on behalf of research
FASEB cosponsored the Task Force on the Future of American Innovation grasstops effort, whereby government, academic and industry leaders contacted key congressional leaders to request that they fully fund the America COMPETES Act in FY2009 and beyond
FASEB joined other science advocacy groups in letters to congressional leaders urging full funding for key research agencies at the America COMPETES Act levels in the continuing resolution
Educating Candidates and the Electorate
FASEB cosponsored a forum at which representatives from the presidential campaigns discussed health and science policy
FASEB submitted platform statements on biomedical research to the Democratic and Republican platform committees and issued a press release to that effect
FASEB issued a press release applauding the RNC and DNC platform committees for their support of biomedical research. Their planks on health research largely echoed the platform statements FASEB had submitted to the committees
Richard Marchase spoke with Harold Varmus, who is chairing a scientific advisory committee to the Obama campaign, to discuss science policy in the 2008 campaign
Richard Marchase represented FASEB at a meeting at Harvard University symposium where he outlined strategies for involving scientists in the electoral and policy processes
Training/Workforce
Lou Justement met with NIH, NSF and AAMC staff to discuss training issues
FASEB sent a letter to Dr. Zerhouni thanking him for the recent change to the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award parental leave policy
FASEB developed a statement on including postdoctoral mentoring plans in research grant applications as well as sample mentoring plans
Biosecurity
FASEB joined the AAAS, the AAMC, AAU, COGR and NASULGC in a joint statement on the NSABB proposal for oversight of dual use research. Richard Marchase presented the FASEB position at an NSABB meeting
Other Regulatory Issues
Richard Marchase met with senior budget examiners at OMB to discuss NIH programs relating to conflicts of interest, peer review and workforce development and to discuss regulatory burden in general
FASEB submitted comments to the Office of Human Research Protection on human subjects protection training and education programs
Mark Lively met with AAALAC to discuss FASEB concerns about policy directions
FASEB collaborated with senior Hill staffers to create a strategy to defeat the House bill proposing a ban on the importation of plastinated human remains
FASEB created a new SPC Subcommittee on International Issues
FASEB launched its new OPANewsLink, which automatically downloads news and policy updates to subscribers’ computers
Jennifer Hobin gave a presentation on FASEB advocacy at the annual meeting of the Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives
Carrie Wolinetz gave presentations on science policy careers at the University of Maryland-Baltimore and the University of Nebraska-Omaha. She also reviewed a report on biosecurity for the National Academies and served on the review panel for the AAAS science journalism award
Howard Garrison gave a presentation on the biomedical workforce at a Harvard Law School symposium on representing scientists
Research
Funding
Letter to the editor of Science on NIH funding was published on April 13
FASEB submitted testimony on NSF funding to House CJS Approps. Subcommittee
FASEB joined Invitrogen in a Roll Call ad in support of NIH
FASEB wrote a letter to all House and Senate conferees in support
of VA research funding in the Supplemental Appropriations Bill
Joined with coalition partners andwrote all members
of the House in opposition to amendments to H.R. 1867, which would
block funding for peer-reviewed NSF grants based on their titles
(May 2)
FASEB wrote to Budget Conferees, House and Senate leaders, and Appropriations
Chairmen/Ranking members asking for an additional $22 billion in
discretionary spending over the Administration's FY 2008 budget
proposal (May 9, 2007)
Sent e-mail alert on May 9 to members of FASEB societies asking
them to contact their Senators/Representatives in support of additional
$22 billion in the budget resolution, and to increase L/HHS appropriations
subcommittee allocation by $14 billion. Nearly 4,000 society members
sent messages
FASEB issued a press release expressing disappointment in the House
Labor-HHS subcommittee proposed
funding level for NIH
The Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health and Society
report on the genes and the environment study included FASEB's recommendation
on investigator-initiated projects
Jon Retzlaff met regularly with Senate and House L/HHS-Ed Appropriations
staff
Jon Retzlaff joined the Campaign for Medical Research in meetings
with Representative Lowey; Senators Alexander, Landrieu, McConnell,
Nelson and Gregg
Conflict
of Interest
President Leo Furcht wrote NIH Director Dr. Zerhouni about FASEB's
COI initiatives
Laura Brockway organized the July 17 "Call to Action"
meeting and related Toolkit
Laura Brockway met with leaders of the Council on Governmental Relations
to discuss FASEB positions and proposals on conflict of interest
Stem Cell
Research
Wrote all Senators urging passage of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement
Act (April 9)
Wrote all House members in support of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act
Issued press release thanking Senate for passing Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act
Wrote President Bush asking that he not veto the Stem Cell Research
Enhancement Act
Jennifer Hobin submitted a policy forum article to Science on behalf of the evolution coalition
FASEB "teach evolution/learn science" tee shirts and buttons
were distributed at EB
Training/Careers
Howard Garrison served on the organizing committee and chaired a
panel for the May 3-4 National Academies workshop on minorities in science
FASEB endorsed Rep. Matsui's amendment to NSF Reauthorization bill providing support for communications
education for NSF-supported graduate students.The amendment passed and FASEB's endorsement was noted in debate
on the House floor
FASEB received the National Postdoctoral Association's Distinguished
Service Award
Kimberly McGuire and Howard Garrison developed a set of graphics
on education and employment trends in the biological and medical
sciences.This material
was presented to the AAMC GREAT Steering Committee and shared with
other interested groups
Jennifer Hobin spoke about her analysis of career outcomes of biomedical
scientists at a seminar sponsored by the Commission on Professionals
in Science and Technology
Homeland Security
With input from SPC subcommittee members, Carrie Wolinetz drafted
a response to the National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity
report on "dual use research of concern"
Carrie Wolinetz discussed the investigators' perspective on biosecurity
issues at the Deemed Exports Advisory
Committee meeting in Boston
Other
Activities of Note
Mark Lively and Laura Brockway organized SPC/Board Symposium
on large-scale science
Jon Retzlaff organized FASEB's 3rd annual Capitol Hill Day.Participants presented FASEB's Public Service Award to Joe
Barton
The Breakthroughs in Bioscience article on antidepressants was released and distributed
FASEB sent letters to House and Senate Labor-HHS
Appropriations Subcommittees opposing proposed moratorium on purchases
of animals from Class B dealers.Jon Retzlaff worked with House Appropriations Committee staff
on compromise report language on this issue
Wrote to Senator Harkin regarding the research provisions of the 2007 Farm
Bill
During EB, Jon Retzlaff participated in the APS Communications Symposium.
He and Carrie Wolinetz also supported member society PA staff in
conjunction with Hill visits
Jon Retzlaff participated in an AAI public affairs session on how
to conduct a congressional meeting
Howard Garrison and Jon Retzlaff briefed the National Caucus of
Basic Biomedical Science Chairs prior to their meetings on Capitol
Hill
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