H.R. 1106 — Scientific Integrity Act

This section establishes the short title of the Act as the “Scientific Integrity Act.”

This section states the sense of Congress that science and the scientific process should inform public policy, that publicly funded science should be free from politics, ideology, and financial conflicts of interest, and that Federal agencies funding, conducting, or overseeing research should not suppress, alter, interfere with, or otherwise impede the timely communication and open exchange of data and findings by Federal scientists and engineers. It also states that agencies should prevent the suppression or distortion of scientific data and findings and cites the First Amendment and 5 U.S.C. § 7211, which protects employees’ rights to petition Congress or a Member of Congress without interference or denial.

This section revises section 1009 of the America COMPETES Act (42 U.S.C. 6620) by replacing existing provisions on federal scientific communication with a broader scientific integrity framework for covered agencies. It requires each covered agency head to adopt and enforce a scientific integrity policy within 90 days after enactment, submit the policy to the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy for approval, and, within 30 days after approval, publish the policy on the agency website and submit it to the relevant committees of Congress. As background, the current statute directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop governmentwide principles for the communication and open exchange of research data and results by Federal civilian scientists. The revised provision instead requires agency-specific policies that prohibit scientific misconduct, suppression or alteration of findings, coercion or retaliation to censor findings, and institutional barriers to cooperation with outside scientists, while allowing covered individuals to present findings at conferences, publish in peer-reviewed journals, serve on advisory boards, participate in professional organizations, and engage with the scientific community. The section also permits agencies to require pre-dissemination review for technical accuracy if the policy includes a clear and consistent review process, and it requires policies to bar political considerations from scientific conclusions, base science and technology hiring primarily on expertise and credentials, protect personnel actions from political or ideological influence for nonpolitical appointees, and ensure peer review and whistleblower-related procedures where appropriate. It further requires agencies to establish a process for reporting violations by grantees, collaborators, partners, volunteers, and other nonemployees; appoint a Scientific Integrity Officer within 90 days; and, within 180 days, create an administrative dispute-resolution and appeal process and a training program for employees and contractors, including training for new covered employees within 1 month of starting work.

This section provides that a covered agency’s scientific integrity policy in effect on the day before enactment may satisfy the Act’s new requirements if the agency head makes a written determination that the policy complies and submits both the determination and the policy to the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy for review and approval. It also clarifies that the Act does not affect the application of United States copyright law and defines “covered agency” by reference to section 1009 of the America COMPETES Act (42 U.S.C. 6620).