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Senator Specter on Health, Research and NIH
Senator Arlen Specter has just published a new book, Never Give In (Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press
http://us.macmillan.com/nevergivein), which describes his struggle with cancer and his determination to continue his career in the U.S.
Senate. In the book and in his many public appearances to promote it, Senator Specter affirms his strong support for medical research and
the National Institutes of Health.
These statements prompted FASEB President Robert Palazzo, Ph.D. to write to the Senator and thank him for his frank and frequent
acknowledgement of the benefits of biomedical research.
To read Dr. Palazzo’s letter, please click
here.
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Five Years of Flat Funding, NIH Grantees Feel the Squeeze
The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) has released a compilation of data on research funding at the
National Institutes of Health (NIH). Howard Garrison, Ph.D., Director of the FASEB Office of Public Affairs said, “The data illustrate
the results of five years of flat funding for NIH.” He also noted that “We have seen a substantial decline in NIH’s purchasing power,
curtailing the ability of scientists to take advantage of new opportunities and respond to new health challenges.”
Particularly telling trends include a three-year decline in the number of R01 grants and a recent decrease in the number of applications
for R01s, the steepest such decrease in a decade. The report also illustrates how the budget gains from the NIH doubling have disappeared.
FASEB President, Dr. Robert E. Palazzo, remarked: “These data represent more than tough times for U.S. scientists.” He added, “What we
see is a bleak outlook for our nation’s health because we are wasting the intellectual capital of many of our best and brightest minds.
If we don’t change this situation, we will delay discoveries critical to treating Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, Parkinson’s, and other
conditions. Those suffering from these and other debilitating diseases should not be made to wait.”
The complete presentation, as well as a summary of the trends and individual downloadable slides, are available at:
NIHresearchfunding.faseb.org.
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Anti-evolution bill
introduction in Florida, Louisiana, and Missouri
FASEB is calling on scientists in Florida, Louisiana and Missouri to urge their state senators and representatives to oppose anti-evolution
bills that are making their way through their respective legislatures. In Florida,
Senate Bill 2692 and
House Bill 1483 purport to
protect the right of teachers to "objectively present scientific information relevant to the full range of scientific views regarding
biological and chemical evolution.” Although the sponsors describe them as “Academic Freedom Acts,” the bills would actually single out
evolution for criticism and afford cover for teachers who substitute religious beliefs for science in Florida public schools. So far, the
Senate Education Pre-K-12 and Judiciary Committees and the House Schools and Learning Council have passed versions of the bill, which have
not made their way to the floor of either chamber.
Concerned about the negative impact these bills would have on science education if the state legislatures enact them, a coalition of
scientific organizations that includes several FASEB societies co-sponsored a news conference and an educational session in the state
capital on April 14 to highlight the “need to promote and protect sound science teaching in Florida’s science classrooms.”
Florida is not the only state considering legislation that would weaken evolution education; the Louisiana Senate Education Committee has
scheduled a hearing on a similar bill, the
Louisiana Academic Freedom Act, and Missouri saw the introduction of
House Bill 2554, which
would provide special protection for teachers who single out the “scientific weaknesses” of biological and chemical evolution.
Scientists who are interested in contacting their state officials about any of these bills may do so through
FASEB’s Legislative Action
Center.
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CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE
The House and Senate are in session.
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WASHINGTON UPDATE |
