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Policy
ACS Position Statements Aim To Influence Legislation
by Linda R. Raber
January 28, 2008
| A version of this story appeared in
Volume 86, Issue 4
What follows is a list of current ACS Position Statements categorized under the appropriate Public Policy Priority. All statements are available online at acs.org/policy. C&EN will publish notices of new policy statements and the retiring of obsolete statements as information becomes available. The ACS committee primarily responsible for originating the statement is identified after each summary.
The newly approved statements reflect a change in ACS thinking and its Board Committee on Public Affairs & Public Relations (PA&PR), which acts for the full board of directors in approving statements. In the past, official position statements treated issues with a broad-brush approach. The new statements are much more detailed. "There is a lot more specificity and depth," says Glenn Ruskin, head of the ACS Office of Legislative & Government Affairs (OLGA).
Foster Innovation through Research & Technology
Department of Defense (FY 2008): Calls for a 10% increase in the basic research budget to $1.7 billion and funding for the applied research and advanced technology development programs. Committee on Chemistry & Public Affairs (CCPA)
Department of Energy (FY08): Supports the inclusion of the Department of Energy in the American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) and supports the President's budget allocation of $4.4 billion for the Office of Science, an increase of $602 million. CCPA
Department of Homeland Security (FY08): Urges Congress and the Administration to support an inflationary increase for the Science & Technology Directorate, which was $868 million in FY 2007. CCPA
Energy Science & Technology: Calls for government, industry, and academia to come together to develop a comprehensive energy science and technology policy. CCPA
Environmental Protection Agency (FY08): Encourages the return of the Office of Research & Development budget to its fiscal 2004 level of $646 million. Committee on Environmental Improvement (CEI)
Innovation & Competitiveness: Supports innovation policies to fund science and technology research and science education and establish an environment conducive to innovation. CCPA
National Institutes of Health (FY08): Urges a 6.7% increase to $30.8 billion. CCPA
National Institute of Standards & Technology (FY08): Urges increases in ACI, particularly $501 million for NIST laboratories. CCPA
National Science Foundation (FY08): Urges a budget increase to $6.43 billion, $409 million over fiscal 2007; calls for Education & Human Resources Directorate increases on par with the research directorates. CCPA, Society Committee on Education (SOCED)
Invest In People
Department of Education (FY08): Supports the $365 million proposed in ACI for new math and science education programs; supports continued increases in the Department of Education Math & Science Partnerships program. SOCED
Employment Nondiscrimination: Recommends federal legislation to extend employment discrimination protection to include sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity. Committee on Economic & Professional Affairs (CEPA)
Retirement Security: Calls for Congress to deal with major areas impacting financial and health security of retirees. CEPA
Science Education: Highlights such areas as encouraging teacher development, improving curricula design, and addressing assessment tools. SOCED
Teaching of Evolutionary Theory: Explains the use of "theory" in a science; opposes nonscientific content in the science classroom. SOCED
Visa Restrictions: Supports timely screening for visiting scientists and students. SOCED, International Activities Committee (IAC), Committee on Science
Visa System Enhancement. Supports timely and reasonable processes that facilitate scientific education and exchange. SOCED
Balance Security & Openness
Public Access to Scientific Results: Opposes government policy to provide free-access publishing for all federally funded research; supports 2005 NIH public access policy experiment and encourages proper analysis before further steps are taken. Board of Directors
Scientific Freedom: Advocates freedom of scientific exchange and stronger scientific collaboration to benefit humankind. IAC
Promote Science & Environmental Stewardship
Biomonitoring: Calls for research to improve the utility of biomonitoring information in science and policy. CEI
Global Climate Change: Reviews the science and recommends action on global climate issues. CEI
Green Chemistry & Sustainability: Supports federal government incentives for the implementation of sustainable technologies; recommends regulatory flexibility, tax incentives, and research support. CEI
Inherently Safer Technologies: Supports federal backing of developing inherently safer technologies and its greater use in reducing risk. CEI
Labeling of Chemicals: Comments on Occupational Safety & Health Administration proposal for global harmonization of hazard communication. Committee on Chemical Safety (CCS)
Laboratory Regulation: Endorses regulatory relief for research laboratories in academia, government, and industry. CCS
Sustainability of the Chemical Enterprise: Defines the concept of sustainability in the context of the chemical enterprise. CEI
- ACS Revamps Policy Statements
- New ACS policy statements will be more detailed, offer concrete recommendations
- Policy Priorities
- ACS Position Statements Aim To Influence Legislation
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