Judge Strikes Down Changes to Migratory Bird Protections
A federal judge at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has ruled against the Trump Administration’s effort to narrow the reach of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) of 1918.
A 2017 legal opinion by the Department of the Interior solicitor’s office concluded that incidental bird take resulting from an otherwise lawful activity is not prohibited under MBTA and that the protections only apply to the intentional taking of a bird. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the term “take” means “to pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect...
Source: Public Policy Reports - August 17, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
President Signs Executive Orders as COVID Relief Negotiations Collapse
After COVID relief negotiations between White House representatives and Democratic congressional leaders reached an impasse, President Trump signed a series of Executive Orders on August 8, 2020, the White House argued would restore lapsed benefits and address some of the pandemic’s economic impacts.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin began negotiations on the next coronavirus stimulus after Senate Republicans introduced a $1 trillion relief package on July 27. The House had passed a broader $3 trill...
Source: Public Policy Reports - August 17, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Short Takes
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed two spending packages or "minibuses," which include ten of the twelve appropriations bills that need to be passed by both chambers of Congress to fund the federal government in fiscal year (FY) 2021. On July 24, 2020, the House voted 224-189 to pass a four-bill package including the Agriculture, Interior-Environment, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and State-Foreign Operations spending bills. Then, on July 31, the chamber voted 217-197 to approve a six-bill package including the Defense, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and Water, Financial Services, Labor-Health and Hum...
Source: Public Policy Reports - August 3, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Enter the 2020 Faces of Biology Photo Contest
Enter the Faces of Biology Photo Contest for your chance to win $250 and to have your photo appear on the cover of the journal BioScience.
The competition, sponsored by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), recognizes scientists who use imagery to communicate aspects of biological research to the public and policymakers.
The theme of the contest is “Faces of Biology.” Photographs entered into the contest must depict a person, such as a scientist, researcher, collections curator, technician, or student, engaging in biological research. The depicted research may occur outside, in a lab, with a n...
Source: Public Policy Reports - August 3, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Register Now: AIBS Employment Acquisition Skills Boot Camp for Scientists
Registration is now open for the Employment Acquisition Skills Boot Camp for Scientists, an online professional development program from the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS).
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate programs in the United States do an excellent job of preparing students for careers in academia. As early career professionals and a growing number of reports note, however, many recent STEM graduates (including those with advanced degrees) are interested in employment in sectors beyond the professoriate by the time they complete their degree.
Scientists continue to re...
Source: Public Policy Reports - August 3, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
New Members Appointed to NSB
On July 20, 2020, President Donald Trump appointed new members to the National Science Board (NSB) — the governing body of the National Science Foundation (NSF). NSB advises Congress and the Administration on issues in science and engineering.
The four new appointees to the 24-member Board will serve six-year terms:
Sudarsanam Suresh Babu: Governor’s Chair of Advanced Manufacturing at the University of Tennessee/Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Aaron Dominguez: Provost and Professor of Physics at the Catholic University of America
Darío Gil: Director of IBM Research
Melvyn Huff: Lecturer at the University...
Source: Public Policy Reports - August 3, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Webinar Series: Resources for Natural History Collections in a New Virtual World
Recognizing the rapid changes happening within museum communities and the efforts being made throughout the community to adapt to these changes, iDigBio is organizing a new webinar series, entitled, Adapting to COVID-19: Resources for Natural History Collections in a New Virtual World. The webinar series aims to help provide insight into how different groups and institutions are adapting to life in a quickly evolving world. The American Institute of Biological Sciences, the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), and the Natural Science Collections Alliance contributed to the planning of these ...
Source: Public Policy Reports - August 3, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
EU Leaders Shrink Science Funding in Budget Deal
At a five-day summit held in Brussels in July, European Union (EU) leaders agreed to a 7-year, €1.8 trillion budget and pandemic recovery fund, which includes €81 billion for Horizon Europe — EU’s flagship research program — and €750 billion for pandemic recovery.
For the next seven years, starting January 2021, Horizon Europe will receive a slightly higher funding level compared to its €80 billion predecessor program Horizon 2020 and nearly €13.5 billion less than the amount proposed by the European Commission in June. In fact, the core Horizon Europe budget for the 2021-2027 period, excluding...
Source: Public Policy Reports - August 3, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
USDA Warns About Mystery Seeds in the Mail
Residents across the United States have reported receiving suspicious packages of seeds in the mail, seemingly originating in China. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is working with the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection, other federal agencies, and State departments of agriculture to investigate.
Mysterious packages of seeds have turned up in at least two dozen states across the US, as well as in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Researchers at APHIS have identified at least 14 varieties of plants - including ...
Source: Public Policy Reports - August 3, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Senate Lawmakers Unveil Coronavirus Relief Measure
On July 27, 2020, Republican lawmakers in the Senate unveiled a $1 trillion stimulus package to address the impacts of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The Health, Economic Assistance, Liability, and Schools Act or HEALS Act includes $105 billion in education funding; a “liability shield” to protect businesses, universities, schools, and hospitals from coronavirus-related lawsuits; another round of direct stimulus payments to American households; additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program and emergency business loans; and a two-thirds reduction in emergency federal supplemental unemployment paymen...
Source: Public Policy Reports - August 3, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
RISE Act Introduced in Senate
On July 23, 2020, a companion measure to the House’s Research Investment to Spark the Economy (RISE) Act (H.R. 7308) was introduced in the Senate by Senators Edward Markey (D-MA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Cory Gardner (R-CO). The bipartisan legislation would provide emergency relief funding for federal science agencies to support the research community during the ongoing pandemic.
The measure, which was introduced in the House last month by Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO), Fred Upton (R-MI), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Frank Lucas (R-OK), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), and Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), woul...
Source: Public Policy Reports - August 3, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Science, Medical Groups Express Support for Fetal Tissue Research
The American Institute of Biological Sciences joined a coalition of 90 scientific, academic, and medical groups to express support for the continued use of human fetal tissue in biomedical research.
In a July 28, 2020, letter to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Human Fetal Tissue Research Ethics Advisory Board, the groups argued, in part: “The long-standing existing review process for fetal tissue research ensures that research using fetal tissue is scientifically meritorious, legal, and ethically sound. The legal framework for this research prohibits people from profiting from acquiring, receiving, or transf...
Source: Public Policy Reports - August 3, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
New Legislation Introduced to Address Foreign Influence in Research
As highlighted in an April 2019 editorial in BioScience, U.S. lawmakers are increasingly concerned about foreign threats to the U.S. scientific research enterprise, including threats to national security and the theft of intellectual property. Policymakers in Congress and federal agencies continue to explore how to maintain an open and collaborative scientific environment that simultaneously prevents foreign interests from stealing U.S. research. The most recent proposal from Congress comes in the form of bipartisan legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate.
The Safeguarding American Innovation Act (S. 3997) was introduc...
Source: Public Policy Reports - July 23, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Short Takes
The National Science Board (NSB) is accepting nominations for its 2021 honorary public service awards. The Vannevar Bush Award recognizes lifelong leaders in science and technology who have made substantial contributions to the welfare of the nation through public service in science, technology, and public policy. The Public Service Award honors individuals and groups for substantial contributions to increasing public understanding of science and engineering. Nominations are due by September 30, 2020. Learn more about the awards and submit a nomination at http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/awards/.
The U.S. Global Change Research P...
Source: Public Policy Reports - July 21, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Enter the 2020 Faces of Biology Photo Contest
Enter the Faces of Biology Photo Contest for your chance to win $250 and to have your photo appear on the cover of the journal BioScience.
The competition, sponsored by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), recognizes scientists who use imagery to communicate aspects of biological research to the public and policymakers.
The theme of the contest is “Faces of Biology.” Photographs entered into the contest must depict a person, such as a scientist, researcher, collections curator, technician, or student, engaging in biological research. The depicted research may occur outside, in a lab, with a n...
Source: Public Policy Reports - July 21, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
