Senate Releases Remaining Draft Appropriations Bills, Setting Stage for FY 2022 Negotiations

Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee released drafts of nine of its annual appropriations bills. While fiscal year (FY) 2022 officially began on October 1, the Senate Appropriations Committee has so far this year only completed work on three of its FY 2022 bills; none of the Senate bills have yet been voted on by the full Senate. Last month, Congress enacted a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the federal government open until December 3, providing additional time for both chambers to complete their work.

Over in the House, the Appropriations Committee advanced all twelve of its annual spending bills over the summer (see previous coverage), with nine of its bills successfully passing the chamber. This includes two bills important to the social and behavioral science community: the Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education Appropriations Bill and the Agriculture Appropriations Bill (see COSSA’s analysis).

As noted in previous coverage, the FY 2022 appropriations bills are in many ways a stark contrast to the spending measures we have seen over the last several years, for a few reasons. First, the spending caps that have placed limits on discretionary spending over the last decade expired in FY 2021 and new ones have not yet been set. Second, it is common to see major new investments in the first year of a new Presidential Administration, especially when the House and Senate are of the same party. While in many cases the House and Senate bills do not provide the President with the full amount of requested funds, federal science agencies would still see major budget increases nearly across the board in both proposals.

It is likely that caps on discretionary spending will return in some form in the near future, leaving many to believe FY 2022 is the best opportunity to achieve long-desired increases and major new investments, such as establishing a new agency—ARPA-H—possibly within the National Institutes of Health and standing up a new research directorate at the National Science Foundation focused on technology, innovation, and partnerships.

As noted, Congress has given itself until December 3 to complete its work on the FY 2022 process. However, given the limited number of legislative days remaining and other issues competing for time—including but not limited to sweeping infrastructure legislation and a $3.5 trillion reconciliation package—the outlook for completing FY 2022 appropriations bills by early December seems ambitious. Before negotiations to reconcile the differences between the chambers’ spending bills can begin, Congressional leaders must first agree to top-line funding amounts for each bill. It is possible that an additional CR or series of short-term CRs could be needed to complete the FY 2022 process.

Read on for COSSA’s analysis of the Senate’s FY 2022 funding bills for federal agencies and programs important to the social and behavioral science research community.

“Why Social Science” Matters for AI Research

The latest Why Social Science? post comes from Corinna Turbes, Policy Director for the Data Foundation, who writes about the need for better data to enable social scientists to conduct artificial intelligence (AI) research.

 

Congressional News

ARPA-H Authorization Bill Introduced in the House
On October 15, Representative Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Chairwoman of the Health Subcommittee within the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, introduced the Advanced Research Project Agency-Health (ARPA-H) Act (H.R. 5585), a bill authorizing the agency that has been a key priority in the Biden Administration’s budget for fiscal year (FY) 2022 (see previous coverage). Notably, the bill would not establish ARPA-H within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as the White House and some appropriators in both chambers have proposed, but rather within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), setting up a potential conflict between appropriators and authorizers on where to house the new agency.

Some key items in the legislation include:

  • An authorization of $3 billion for a new Health Advanced Research and Development fund to support the work of ARPA-H and a requirement for future ARPA-H budget requests to be delivered separately from the rest of the HHS budget. (See the related article for information on the funding levels proposed by House and Senate Appropriations Committees.)
  • The establishment of the ARPA-H director as a presidentially-appointed position with a five-year term. The director would be responsible for approving project funding and coordinating with other federal research agencies.
  • The establishment of an ARPA-H Interagency Advisory Committee comprising of leadership from other major health and research agencies.
  • Language emphasizing the agency’s role in addressing health equity and disease burden, as well as the “high risk, high reward” nature of the research to be funded.

A press release on the bill’s introduction is available on Rep. Eshoo’s website.

 

Rep. David Price, Longtime Social Science Champion, Announces Retirement
Representative David Price (D-NC), one of Congress’s only social scientists, announced that he will not seek reelection in 2022. Price was first elected to Congress in 1987 after serving as a professor of political science at Duke University and has been a vocal champion of federally funded research and the social and behavioral sciences in particular over the course of his more than 30 years in the House. He memorably rose to the defense of the National Science Foundation’s Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE) after attempts to defund it in 2014. Price’s retirement will leave open a seat representing North Carolina’s Research Triangle area, home to some of the nation’s most prominent research institutions.

 

Executive Branch News

 

OSTP Launches “Challenge” for Advancing Equity in STEM
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has announced an open invitation for ideas to improve equity in science and technology. Input is being gathered through an “Ideation Challenge,” which allows anyone to offer insight into the central question, “How can we guarantee all Americans can fully participate in, and contribute to, science and technology?” While there is no winner or prize, ideas will be evaluated and refined by OSTP for potential incorporation into the White House’s strategy for advancing equity in science and technology. The challenge is open through November 19. More information is available on challenge.gov.

 

White House Releases 2021 Data Strategy Action Plan
The Federal Data Strategy, a government-wide plan to coordinate and accelerate the use of data in federal policymaking (see previous coverage), released its 2021 Action Plan in October. The plan lays out a set of aspirational milestones for data governance, planning, and infrastructure across federal agencies. Acknowledging the late-in-the-year release and the context of a presidential transition year, the document recognizes that agencies “may only begin” working towards the targets described in the plan by the end of the year. The Action Plan describes successes and lessons learned in 2020 and sets out a set of 11 actions for 2021, divided into agency actions and cross-agency actions (“community of practice and shared solution actions”).

Agency Actions

  • ACTION 1: Gather and Assess Data Identified for Priority Agency Questions
  • ACTION 2: Mature Data Governance
  • ACTION 3: Data and Infrastructure Maturity
  • ACTION 4: Increase Staff Data Skills
  • ACTION 5: Publish Agency Open Data Plans
  • ACTION 6: Enhance Quality of Data Inventories

Community of Practice and Shared Solution Actions

  • ACTION 7: Artificial Intelligence & Automation
  • ACTION 8: Government-wide Dashboards and Infrastructure
  • ACTION 9: Data Skills Workforce Development
  • ACTION 10: Interagency Wildland Fire Fuels Data Management
  • ACTION 11: Geospatial Data Practice

The full Action Plan is available on the data strategy website.

 

PCAST Holds Meeting on Climate Change, Energy, and the Environment
On October 18 and 19, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) held a public meeting focusing on climate, energy, and the environment, just weeks after the first PCAST meeting of the Biden Administration was held (see previous coverage).  The meeting consisted of several presentations on various aspects of climate and energy policy including the current state of climate policy and research, the Biden Administration’s positions on climate policy, previous Federal activities addressing climate, the development of new climate and energy technologies, and the impact of climate change on national security. Speakers throughout the sessions highlighted the role and value of the social and behavioral sciences in addressing questions on how we respond to climate impacts. Recordings of both days is available on the White House website.

 

Science Community News

 

National Academies Convenes First Meeting of Strategic Council for Research Excellence, Integrity, and Trust
On October 25, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) held the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Council for Research Excellence, Integrity, and Trust. This new body, which was announced in July 2021, is comprised of leaders from academia, government, and the private sector and has been charged with identifying ways to promote the health and integrity of the U.S. research enterprise amid challenges such as administrative burden, conflicts of interest, and distrust in science. The featured speaker during the open meeting was Kei Koizumi, Principal Deputy Director for Policy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), who discussed the Biden Administration’s actions so far to address scientific integrity. Koizumi cited the work of the Task Force on Scientific Integrity, a federal body formed early in President Biden’s tenure (see previous coverage for more details) but acknowledged the need for more coordination on issues related to research ethics, diversity within the research enterprise, and the public perception of science.

A recording of the meeting is available on the NASEM website.

 

National Academies Seeking Nominations for Study on Reducing Intergenerational Poverty
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is accepting nominations for members to serve on a study committee on Policies and Programs to Reduce Intergenerational Poverty. The committee will “analyze the evidence on key determinants of entrenched poverty and the effectiveness of programs designed to address those determinants to identify policies and programs with the potential to reduce long-term, intergenerational poverty.” Members are being sought with expertise in local, state, and federal policies related to safety net programs, early childhood, k-12 education, job training, and structural racism in the fields of public policy, public health, pediatrics, economics, education, developmental psychology, sociology, demography, political science, criminal justice, neuroscience, child welfare, social psychology, and social work. More information is available on the National Academies website. Nominations should be submitted by October 29.

 

Michael A. Méndez Delivers 2021 David Lecture on Climate Justice
On October 14, Dr. Michael A. Méndez delivered the 2021 Henry and Bryna David Lecturer. The annual lecture is a program of National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s (NASEM) Division of Behavioral and Social Science and Education (DBASSE). A professor of Environmental Planning and Policy from the University of California-Irvine, Dr. Méndez spoke on the prevalence of climate-related disasters, specifically the wildfires affecting California. In his lecture, Méndez describes his research that finds the negative impacts of climate disasters to public health, housing, and employment disproportionately affect low-income and marginalized populations, citing some of the conditions endured by undocumented immigrants and Indigenous migrants in California in the wake of historic wildfires.

“Our research shows that differences in human vulnerability to wildfires stem from a range of social, economic, historical, and political factors,” stated Mendez, later noting, “existing inequalities are exacerbated during a disaster. This is primarily because there is no social safety net for undocumented migrants before disasters happen. If we really want to tackle disaster risk reduction, it starts with the social integration of migrants before disaster happens. To move forward, we need more inclusive disaster planning.”

The Henry and Bryna David Lecture honors a leading innovator in the behavioral and social sciences who is invited to deliver the eponymous lecture and publish an article in Issues in Science and Technology magazine based on that lecture. A video recording of the Henry and Bryna David Lecture is available on the National Academies website.

 

Resources & Opportunities

 

COSSA Letters & Statements
·    NEW: 10/21/2021: Sign-on Letter to Congressional Leadership Urging Passage of FY 2022 Appropriations Bills

 

Nomination Opportunities
·    NEW: NASEM: Call for Nominations – Policies and Programs to Reduce Intergenerational Poverty (Closes: October 29, 2021)

 

New & Expiring Funding Opportunities
·    NSF: Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace Frontiers (SaTC Frontiers) (Closes: November 17, 2021)

 

Requests for Comment & Calls for Papers
·    NEW: OSTP: Advancing Equity In Science & Technology Ideation Challenge (Closes: November 19, 2021)

·    NEW: HHS: Request for Comments on the Draft HHS Strategic Plan for FY 2022-2026 (Closes: November 7, 2021)

·    NEW: GSA: Request for Information on Behalf of the Federal Chief Data Officers Council (Closes: November 5, 2021)

·     NEW: CDC/NIOSH: Request for Information: Interventions to Prevent Work-Related Stress and Support Health Worker Mental Health (Closes: November 26, 2021)

 

Notices, Resources, & Reports
·    NEW: NCHS: America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2021

·    NEW: Federal Data Strategy: 2021 Action Plan

 

Open Positions, Fellowships, & Professional Development Opportunities
·    NEW: NIH/NCI: Chief, Tobacco Control Research Branch (Closes: December 15, 2021)

·    Stanford/CASBS: 2022-2023 Residential Fellowship (Closes: November 5, 2021)

·    USIP/Minerva: Peace Scholar Fellowship Program (Closes: October 26, 2021)

·    NASEM: Executive Director – Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education

·    NASEM: Board Director – Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences

·    NASEM: Board Director – Board on Human Systems Integration

 

Upcoming Events
·    Economic History Association Annual Meeting, October 29-31, 2021, Tucson, AZ

·    VIRTUAL: NASEM Webinar: Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth Learning English, November 2021

·    HYBRID: University of Chicago Conference: Creating Social Change through Public-Private Partnerships, November 1-2, 2021, Chicago, IL

·    VIRTUAL: National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, November 2-5, 2021

·    VIRTUAL: APA Technology, Mind & Society Conference, November 3-5, 2021

·    Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting, November 4-7, 2021, Orlando, FL

·    VIRTUAL: Evaluation 2021 (American Evaluation Association), November 8-12, 2021

·    VIRTUAL: AAPSS Webinar: The End of Family Homelessness? Evidence and Analysis for Stronger Policy, November 10, 2021

·    Council of Colleges of Arts & Sciences Annual Meeting, November 10-13, 2021, Portland OR

·    VIRTUAL: COSSA Headlines | November, November 11, 2021

·    Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management Annual Research Conference, November 11-13, 2021, Austin, TX

·    Social Science History Association Annual Conference, November 11-14, 2021, Philadelphia, PA

·    VIRTUAL: OES@100: Celebrating 100 Collaborations Across Government, November 16, 2021

·    VIRTUAL: African Studies Association Annual Meeting, November 16-20, 2021

·    American Society for Criminology Annual Meeting, November 17-20, Chicago, IL

·    HYBRID: American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting, November 17-21, Baltimore, MD

·    History of Science Society Annual Meeting, November 18, 2021, New Orleans, LA

·    VIRTUAL: NIH Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (BSSR) Festival, November 18-19, 2021

·    National Communication Association Annual Convention, November 18-21, 2021, Seattle, WA

·    Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Annual Convention, November 18-21, 2021, New Orleans, LA

·    HYBRID: Linguistic Society of America Annual Meeting, January 6-9, 2022, Washington, DC

·    VIRTUAL: American Economic Association Annual Meeting, January 7-9, 2022

 

A list of COSSA members’ annual meetings and other events can be found on the COSSA events page. COSSA members who have an upcoming event they would like to see listed in the Events Calendar and on our website should send an email to jmilton@cossa.org.

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