Sponsors (137)
The bill strengthens protections, transparency, and formal processes to keep federal science independent and more public while imposing new administrative requirements, potential delays, and risks of centralization or unintended legal disputes.
Federal scientists, agency-contracted researchers, and other federal employees can more freely communicate and publish their scientific findings (conference presentations, peer-reviewed articles) with clearer protections and processes, reducing suppression and improving public access to research.
Federal researchers and agencies are better protected from political interference in scientific conclusions and personnel actions (except political appointees), strengthening independence of scientific work used in policy.
Policymaking on public health, environment, and related national-security matters is more likely to be informed by scientific evidence, improving policy effectiveness and public outcomes.
Taxpayers and agencies will face measurable administrative costs (staffing, training, reporting, OSTP reviews, written determinations) to develop, implement, and certify scientific-integrity policies within tight deadlines.
Pre-dissemination technical reviews and new approval processes could delay public release of research findings and conference presentations, slowing scientific communication.
Mandatory public reporting and uniform incident summaries risk exposing sensitive, proprietary, or preliminary research (even if anonymized), potentially harming contractors, collaborators, or national interests.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Requires covered federal agencies to adopt OSTP-approved scientific integrity policies that prohibit suppression or political distortion of research and protect researchers’ communication and whistleblowing rights.
Official title: To amend the America COMPETES Act to establish certain scientific integrity policies for Federal agencies that fund, conduct, or oversee scientific research, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 6, 2025 by Paul Tonko · Last progress February 6, 2025
Requires federal agencies that conduct, fund, or oversee scientific research to adopt, publish, and submit agency scientific integrity policies for Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) approval. The rules prohibit suppression or political distortion of research, protect scientists’ rights to communicate findings, and require procedures for whistleblower protections, peer review, and enforcement. Creates a 90-day deadline for agency heads to adopt policies, adds OSTP approval and congressional transmission steps, and allows agencies to keep existing policies only if OSTP approves them as meeting the Act’s detailed requirements.