,,ii #aaeth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #cch ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #g 7legislative day1 ,february #f71 #bjag ,mr4 ,nelson 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,peters1 ,mr4 ,schatz1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,udall1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,mrs4 ,gillibrand1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 ,mr4 ,whitehouse1 ,ms4 ,baldwin1 ,mr4 ,reed1 ,mr4 ,heinrich1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1 ,ms4 ,warren1 ,ms4 ,hassan1 ,ms4 ,stabenow1 ,mr4 ,markey1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,ms4 ,cantwell1 ,mr4 ,warner1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,mr4 ,franken1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mrs4 ,murray1 ,mr4 ,carper1 and ,ms4 ,cortez ,masto7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,to protect scientific integrity in ,federal research and policymaking1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,scientific ,integrity ,act4 #b4 ,definition of ,federal agency ,in this ,act1 the term ,federal agency has the meaning given the term agency in section #eea7a7 of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code4 #c4 ,sense of ,congress on scientific integrity ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 independent1 impartial science and the scientific process should inform and guide public policy decisions on a wide range of issues1 including improvement of public health1 protection of the environment1 and protection of national security2 7#b7 the public must be able to trust the science and scientific process informing public policy decisions2 7#c7 science1 the scientific process1 and the communication of science should be free from political1 ideological1 or financial influence2 and 7#d7 policies and procedures that ensure the reliable conduct and communication of publicly funded science are critical to ensuring public trust4 #d4 ,public communications ,except as provided in section #eeb7;b7 of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 the head of each ,federal agency that funds or conducts scientific research shall-- 7#a7 promote and maximize the communication and open exchange of data and findings to other agencies1 policymakers1 and the public of research conducted by a scientist employed or contracted by a ,federal agency that funds or conducts scientific research2 and 7#b7 prevent the intentional or unintentional suppression or distortion of the data and findings described in paragraph 7#a74 #e4 ,principles ,section #ajji7;a7 of the ,america ,,competes ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ffbj7;a77 is amended to read as follows3 7a7 ,principles 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #cj days after the date of enactment of the ,scientific ,integrity ,act1 the ,director of the ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy1 in consultation with the head of each ,federal agency that funds or conducts scientific research1 shall develop and issue an overarching set of principles-- 7,a7 to ensure the communication and open exchange of data and findings to other agencies1 policymakers1 and the public of research conducted by a scientist employed or contracted by a ,federal agency that funds or conducts scientific research2 and 7,b7 to prevent the intentional or unintentional suppression or distortion of the data or findings described in subparagraph 7,a74 7#b7 ,exchange of data and findings ,in order to promote the sharing of data and findings1 as appropriate1 the principles shall-- 7,a7 encourage the open exchange of data and findings of research undertaken by a scientist employed or contracted by a ,federal agency that funds or conducts scientific research2 7,b7 be consistent with existing ,federal laws1 including chapter #ah of title #ce1 ,united ,states ,code 7commonly known as the ,bayh-,dole ,act72 and 7,c7 take into consideration the policies of peer-reviewed scientific journals in which ,federal scientists may currently publish findings4 4 #f4 ,scientific integrity policies 7a7 ,in general ,section #ajji of the ,america ,,competes ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ffbj7 is amended by striking subsection 7b7 and inserting the following3 7b7 ,scientific integrity policies ,not later than #ij days after the date of enactment of the ,scientific ,integrity ,act1 the head of each ,federal agency that funds or conducts scientific research shall-- 7#a7 develop and enforce a scientific integrity policy1 including procedures1 regarding the release of data and findings to other agencies1 policymakers1 and the public of research conducted by a scientist employed or contracted by that ,federal agency2 and 7#b7 submit the scientific integrity policy to the ,director of the ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy and ,congress4 7c7 ,requirements ,a scientific integrity policy under subsection 7b7 shall-- 7#a7 be consistent with the principles established under subsection 7a72 7#b7 specifically address what is and what is not permitted or recommended under that policy1 including procedures2 7#c7 be specifically designed for the ,federal agency2 7#d7 be applied uniformly throughout the ,federal agency2 and 7#e7 be widely communicated and readily accessible to the public and all employees and contractors of the ,federal agency4 7d7 ,contents ,at a minimum1 each scientific integrity policy under subsection 7b7 shall ensure that-- 7#a7 the scientific conclusions and personnel actions regarding scientists are not made based on political considerations2 7#b7 the selection and retention of candidates for science and technology positions in the ,federal agency are based primarily on the candidate's expertise1 scientific credentials1 experience1 and integrity2 7#c7 scientists adhere to the highest ethical standards of honesty and professionalism in conducting their research and disseminating their findings2 7#d7 the appropriate rules1 procedures1 and safeguards are in place to ensure the integrity of the scientific process within the ,federal agency1 including procedures-- 7,a7 that allow for a scientist to review public release of materials that cite work from that scientist or otherwise claim to represent the scientist's scientific opinion2 and 7,b7 to identify1 evaluate the merits of1 and address instances in which the scientific process or the integrity of scientific and technological information may be compromised2 7#e7 scientific or technological information considered in policy decisions is subject to well-established scientific processes1 including peer review where appropriate2 7#f7 except as provided in section #eeb7;b7 of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 each ,federal agency makes publicly available scientific or technological findings that are considered or relied upon in policy decisions and regulatory proposals2 7#g7 technical staff are able to ensure the technical content of scientific documents1 reports1 press releases1 and fact sheets accurately represents the relevant scientific data and conclusions2 and 7#h7 procedures1 including any applicable whistleblower protections1 are in place as are necessary to ensure the integrity of scientific and technological information and processes on which the ,federal agency relies in its decisionmaking or otherwise uses4 7e7 ,application ,a scientific integrity policy shall apply to each employee or contractor who conducts1 handles1 communicates1 or supervises federally funded scientific research for the ,federal agency or for a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the ,federal agency4 7f7 ,dissemination of scientific integrity policies and procedures ,the head of each ,federal agency that funds or conducts scientific research shall-- 7#a7 make the scientific integrity policy available to the public on the ,federal agency's website2 7#b7 disseminate the scientific integrity policy to each new employee and contractor2 and 7#c7 develop and require training on the scientific integrity policy for each employee or contractor who conducts1 handles1 communicates1 or supervises scientific research for the ,federal agency4 7g7 ,definition of ,federal agency ,in this section1 the term ,federal agency has the meaning given the term agency in section #eea7a7 of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code4 4 7b7 ,existing scientific integrity policies ,notwithstanding section #ajji7;b7 of the ,america ,,competes ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ffbj7;b771 as amended by this ,act1 a scientific integrity policy that was in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this ,act may satisfy the requirements of section #ajji of that ,act if the head of a ,federal agency that funds or conducts scientific research-- 7#a7 makes a written determination that the policy satisfies the requirements of that section2 and 7#b7 submits the written determination and the policy to the ,director of the ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy and ,congress4 #g4 ,,napa review ,not later than #ij days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,director of the ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy shall enter into an agreement with the ,national ,academy of ,public ,administration-- 7#a7 to study the effectiveness of the scientific integrity policies under section #ajji of the ,america ,,competes ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ffbj71 as added by section #f of this ,act-- 7,a7 in promoting the communication and open exchange of data and findings to other agencies1 policymakers1 and the public of research conducted by scientists employed or contracted by a ,federal agency2 and 7,b7 in preventing the intentional or unintentional suppression or distortion of the data and findings described in subparagraph 7,a72 and 7#b7 to recommend any improvements to the scientific integrity policies to achieve the purposes described in subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b7 of paragraph 7#a74