August recess is the time for members of Congress to travel back to their districts and states. This is an opportune time for members of Congress to engage with constituents and see how their congressional office can be of any resource, assistance, or guidance to you. Here are three great ways to engage with your legislators and their staff:

Whichever opportunity you choose, we encourage you to invite colleagues, students, or others interested in science policy. This is a great opportunity to also meet with and form bonds with district staff who may have deeper ties to the community/state than D.C. staff. Building relationships is important to achieving and advancing science policy that benefits us all!

Not sure what to talk to your legislators about? Below are some pieces of legislation that align with AGU’s policy priorities, and that AGU has endorsed.

*For each piece of legislation, check to see if your Representative or Senator is already cosponsor (supporter) of the legislation on congress.gov. If they are a cosponsor, thank them for supporting the piece of legislation. If they are not a cosponsor, ask them to cosponsor the bill.*

In the House of Representatives:

• Mercury 13 Congressional Gold Medal Act (H.R. 4682)
  • Mercury 13 were a group of 13 American women that tested along with the Mercury 7 to determine fitness for space travel. Their gender denied them from becoming a part of NASA’S human spaceflight program. However, their experience inspired many future women in STEM. This bill awards a Congressional Gold Medal to the Mercury 13, in recognition of their historic accomplishments.
  • Bill Status: Introduced in the House of Representatives
  • Read more about the bill.
  • Read AGU’s letter of endorsement.

 

• Wildland Fire Research Act (H.R. 4584)
  • The Wildland Fire Research Act is a wide and targeted federal government approach to reduce wildfires through research and execution. Different agencies would be assigned different tasks such as carrying out research and development or coordination. These federal agencies include NIST, NSF, NOAA, FEMA, NASA, EPA, and DOE.
  • Bill Status: Introduced in the House of Representatives
  • Read more about the bill.
  • Read AGU’s letter of endorsement from last Congress.

 

• RESEARCHER Act (H.R. 4002)
  • The RESEARCHER Act directs the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to develop a set of policy guidelines for federal research agencies to address the issue of financial instability of graduate and post-doctoral researchers. The RESEARCHER Act also focuses on collecting information on financial instability among graduates and post-doctoral researchers and directing the Government Accountability Office to do a study on the implementation of the guidelines set by the OSTP.
  • Bill Status: Introduced in the House of Representatives
  • Read more about the bill.
  • AGU’s letter of endorsement is in progress.

In the Senate:

• Comprehensive National Mercury Monitoring Act (S. 1772)
  • Mercury is a toxin detrimental to public health as it can cause health defects and organ failure. The Comprehensive National Mercury Monitoring Act directsfederal agencies to monitor mercury levels, establishes a scientific advisory committee, creates a database of the information collected, mandates a report to Congress on the status of the program, and authorizes $95 million over the next three years for such program.
  • Bill Status: Introduced in the U.S. Senate
  • Read more about the bill.
  • Read AGU’s letter of endorsement from last Congress.

Here are a couple of pieces of legislation and policy initiatives that AGU is monitoring.

In the House of Representatives:

• •NOAA Act of 2023 (H.R. 3980)
  • The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was created by executive action in 1970 under the Department of Commerce. The current state of NOAA has structural and organizational issues. The NOAA Act of 2023 makes NOAA into an independent agency with formal statutory authority giving the agency more autonomy and discretion over the issues it handles.
  • Bill Status: Introduced in the House of Representatives
  • Read more about the bill.

In the Senate:

• AI Safe Innovation Framework
  • Artificial intelligence (AI) is the next major technological advancement facing society. Like many new discoveries, there are strengths and weaknesses. The potential of AI can bring in innovation, creativity, and efficiency to daily American life. However, there are challenges that AI poses like national security issues and the rapid expansion of deep fakes. Senator Schumer is collaborating with senate colleagues to create a bipartisan framework to regulate AI that ensures safety but does not stifle AI innovation. The general framework consists of four principles. The four principal concerns who, where how the government will inform users to properly regulate AI and use AI to create a better world coupled with the safety of Americans.
  • Read more about the framework.

In parts II and III we’ll be updating you on the status of federal funding or appropriations process – this process funds all federal Earth and space science agencies including NASA, NOAA, NSF, USGS, DOE Office of Science and NIEHS.