AAAS Policy Alert -- January 7, 2009 


Budget News

The first session of the 111th Congress officially starts on Tuesday, January 6. Congress hopes to draft and debate economic stimulus legislation – and possibly the remaining FY 2009 appropriations bills – this month, but at press time draft legislation had not been released. The economic stimulus package is expected to include R&D spending, science and math education funding, and physical infrastructure spending, as well as tax breaks. However, congressional leaders began signaling over the past weekend that Congress may need several weeks to reach agreement on a final package to send to Obama, once he has assumed the presidency.

Other Congressional News

Upcoming Confirmation Hearings. The first order of business in the 111th Congress will be a Joint Session of both chambers of Congress to officially count the electoral ballots for President and Vice-President of the United States. The Senate will then launch into a series of nomination hearings for key Cabinet posts in the new Obama-Biden administration. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee will hold hearings for former Senate Majority Leader Thomas A. Daschle to be Secretary of Health and Human Services and for Arne Duncan to be Secretary of Education. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold hearings this week on the nominations of Dr. Steven Chu to be Secretary of Energy and Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) to be Secretary of the Interior. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is tentatively scheduled to hold a confirmation hearing on January 15 for Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, Obama’s choice to head the Department of Homeland Security.

Early House Decisions. The House, meanwhile, will consider some legislation on the floor this week including an as-yet-unnamed bill sponsored by Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY) to amend the Presidential Records Act. The bill is expected to overturn an Executive Order (EO 13233) issued by President Bush that restricts or limits access to the records of former presidents.

Changes in Committee Chairs. Finally, both chambers of Congress will spend the early part of the session deciding who will chair various committees and subcommittees. Changes that have already been reported include Senator John D. Rockefeller (D-WV) as chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. He succeeds Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI), who will now chair the Appropriations Committee. Senator John Kerry (D-MA) will lead the Foreign Relations Committee, the position being vacated by Vice President-elect Joseph Biden. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) will replace Rockefeller, becoming chairwoman of the Select Committee on Intelligence, and Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) will in turn take up the chairmanship of the Rules and Administration Committee vacated by Feinstein.

Transition News

Potential Personnel Changes.
- Science’s ScienceInsider blog reports that Francis Collins, former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, may be the leading contender to be the next director of the National Institutes of Health, although Collins responded "No comment" when asked recently about the possibility.

- Following brother Rahm to the White House, prominent NIH bioethicist Ezekiel ("Zeke") Emanuel will serve as a senior counselor on health policy at the White House Office of Management and Budget.

- National Cancer Institute Director John Niederhuber has expressed his interest in staying at NCI, despite expectations that the Bush appointee would leave at the start of the Obama Administration.

- Several news organizations are reporting that president-elect Obama plans to appoint Cecilia E. Rouse, professor of economics at Princeton University and director of Princeton’s Education Research Section, to his Council of Economic Advisers.

"Your Seat" at the Obama-Biden Transition Table. The Obama-Biden Transition Team has created several forums for citizens and groups to help make the transition planning and agenda setting processes more transparent and accessible to those with Internet access. At Join the Discussion, policy teams will be sharing new developments and asking for feedback. And at Your Seat at the Table, groups may submit reports and recommendations to the policy teams as well as read and provide comments on submitted documents and ideas of others. Open forums such as these can serve as educational outlets for lay readers as well as portals for issue advocacy.

Executive Branch

Obama Considering NASA-DoD Collaboration. President-Elect Obama is reportedly considering breaking down some longstanding barriers between NASA and the Department of Defense in an effort to speed up the transition away from the aging space shuttle fleet.

EPA IG Faults Agency Analysis for Perchlorate Decision. The Inspector General (IG) of the Environmental Protection Agency released a draft report, OIG Scientific Analysis of Perchlorate, which found that EPA should have used a cumulative risk assessment, rather than a single-chemical risk assessment, in its studies of perchlorate that underlie the agency’s decision not to set a drinking water standard for the chemical. EPA is seeking scientific comments on cumulative risks from perchlorate and other chemicals that can inhibit the thyroid’s ability to uptake iodide during pregnancy and nursing, which can lead to subtle mental deficits in children.

Elsewhere

Iran’s Detention of NAS Official Leads to Travel Warning. The National Academies have issued a statement warning scientists against travel to Iran after Glenn Schweitzer, director of the Academies’ Eurasian Programs, was detained and interrogated during a recent trip. The statement cites past collaborative efforts between the two countries, and notes, "It is the hope of the U.S. National Academies that clear assurances will be received soon from Iran that will permit our institution to resume scientific visits to Iran."

Latest Draft of Texas Science Standards Out. The third draft of the Texas science standards has been released, and it does not contain the creationist catchphrase "strengths and weaknesses," language often employed to subvert the teaching of evolution. The draft will go to the state school board for consideration at its January 21-23 meeting, although the board will not take a final vote until a later meeting, most likely in March. The standards will have an effective life of ten years.

UK News. The Guardian has reported that just one in ten people invited to participate in the UK’s Biobank project, an effort to collect medical data from half a million Britons for disease research, has signed up, due in part to privacy concerns. In other news, four animal rights extremists involved in a six-year campaign against Huntingdon Life Sciences could now face up to 14 years in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to blackmail.

Publisher: Alan I. Leshner
Editor: Steve Nelson
Contributors: Kavita Berger, Joanne Carney, Mark Frankel, Erin Heath, Barbara Jasny, Kei Koizumi, Al Teich, Ric Weibl, Kasey White

NOTE: The AAAS Policy Alert is a newsletter provided to AAAS Members to inform them of developments in science and technology policy that may be of interest.  Information in the Policy Alert is gathered from published news reports, unpublished documents, and personal communications.  Although the information contained in this newsletter is regarded as reliable, it is provided only for the convenience and  private use of our members.  Comments and suggestions regarding the Policy Alert are welcome.  Please write to alert@aaas.org.