APA's Science Policy Insider News October 2002

[ Subscribe to SPIN]  APA Joins Forces with Coalitions for Fiscal Year 2003 Funding Advocacy When Congress returned to Washington in September, there were rumors that the House appropriators would begin working on legislation to fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education for FY03. The Senate Appropriations Committee completed its draft in July, which included a 3.6 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health. Coalitions of health care organizations and professional societies joined together to advocate for federal support for the National Institutes of Health as well as funding for mental health services by sending letters to key appropriators in the House. The Friends of NICHD sent a letter to Chairman Ralph Regula (R-OH) of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education http://www.apa.org/ppo/issues/friendsignon.html. The Mental Health Liaison Group sent the following letter to Chairman Bill Young (R-FL), Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee urging adequate funding for research as well as vital mental health services programs. http://www.apa.org/ppo/issues/mhlgsignon.html. Institute of Medicine Continues Hearings on NIH Reorganization The National Academy of Sciences held its second hearing on the reorganization of the National Institutes of Health. The Institute of Medicine Committee on NIH Reorganization is expected to issue a report to the U.S. Senate in late 2003 recommending ways in which the structure of NIH can be streamlined to improve its management. The first committee meeting was in July 2002, and a summary of that meeting was included in the August edition of SPIN. APA is carefully monitoring the process, since NIH is the primary funding source of behavioral research in the United States, and any changes to its structure could have broad implications for psychological science. The National Academy has set up a Web site with background material and future meeting information: www.nationalacademies.org/nihorg.  OERI Reauthorization Clears Senate HELP Committee APA’s Science and Education policy staff, working with the American Educational Research Association and other groups, met with members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee the beginning of September to encourage completion of legislation reauthorizing the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. While the full House passed its OERI bill in April, the Senate HELP Committee was without a draft bill until mid-September. Once drafted, however, the Committee was quick to approve their version of OERI reauthorization on September 25th. Congressional staff from the Senate HELP and House Education and Workforce Committee spent the past few weeks ironing out the differences between the House and Senate bills in hopes that both chambers could approve a final bill before adjourning in October. More information about OERI and our advocacy efforts can be found at: http://www.apa.org/ppo/issues/einfoupdate.html. [back to top] Capitol Hill Briefing Focuses on Behavioral Research at NIH Has the doubling of the budget of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) led to new translational research in the behavioral sciences? APA joined together with other science associations in late September to sponsor a congressional briefing to highlight exciting examples of behavioral research at NIH that are leading to or pointing the way toward, improved health. A summary of the briefing can be found at: http://www.apa.org/ppo/issues/capbrief92502.html Any questions? If you have any questions regarding SPIN or specific science policy issues, please feel free to contact any of APA’s Science PPO staff. Geoff Mumford, Ph.D., Director of Science Policy Pat Kobor, Senior Science Policy Analyst Heather O'Beirne Kelly, Ph.D., Senior Legislative and Federal Affairs Officer Karen Studwell, J.D., Legislative and Federal Affairs Officer LaTonya Wesley, Legislative Assistant

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