Sec. 6. Scientific integrity policies
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Section 1009 of the America COMPETES Act ( 42 U.S.C. 6620 ) is amended by striking subsection
(b)and inserting the following: Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of the Scientific Integrity Act , the head of each Federal agency that funds or conducts scientific research shall— develop and enforce a scientific integrity policy, including procedures, regarding the release of data and findings to other agencies, policymakers, and the public of research conducted by a scientist employed or contracted by that Federal agency; and submit the scientific integrity policy to the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Congress. A scientific integrity policy under subsection
(b)shall— be consistent with the principles established under subsection (a); specifically address what is and what is not permitted or recommended under that policy, including procedures; be specifically designed for the Federal agency; be applied uniformly throughout the Federal agency; and be widely communicated and readily accessible to the public and all employees and contractors of the Federal agency. At a minimum, each scientific integrity policy under subsection
(b)shall ensure that— the scientific conclusions and personnel actions regarding scientists are not made based on political considerations; the selection and retention of candidates for science and technology positions in the Federal agency are based primarily on the candidate's expertise, scientific credentials, experience, and integrity; scientists adhere to the highest ethical standards of honesty and professionalism in conducting their research and disseminating their findings; the appropriate rules, procedures, and safeguards are in place to ensure the integrity of the scientific process within the Federal agency, including procedures— that allow for a scientist to review public release of materials that cite work from that scientist or otherwise claim to represent the scientist's scientific opinion; and to identify, evaluate the merits of, and address instances in which the scientific process or the integrity of scientific and technological information may be compromised; scientific or technological information considered in policy decisions is subject to well-established scientific processes, including peer review where appropriate; except as provided in section 552(b) of title 5, United States Code, each Federal agency makes publicly available scientific or technological findings that are considered or relied upon in policy decisions and regulatory proposals; technical staff are able to ensure the technical content of scientific documents, reports, press releases, and fact sheets accurately represents the relevant scientific data and conclusions; and procedures, including any applicable whistleblower protections, are in place as are necessary to ensure the integrity of scientific and technological information and processes on which the Federal agency relies in its decisionmaking or otherwise uses. A scientific integrity policy shall apply to each employee or contractor who conducts, handles, communicates, or supervises federally funded scientific research for the Federal agency or for a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Federal agency. The head of each Federal agency that funds or conducts scientific research shall— make the scientific integrity policy available to the public on the Federal agency's website; disseminate the scientific integrity policy to each new employee and contractor; and develop and require training on the scientific integrity policy for each employee or contractor who conducts, handles, communicates, or supervises scientific research for the Federal agency. In this section, the term Federal agency has the meaning given the term agency in section 551(1) of title 5, United States Code. . Notwithstanding section 1009(b) of the America COMPETES Act ( 42 U.S.C. 6620(b) ), as amended by this Act, a scientific integrity policy that was in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this Act may satisfy the requirements of section 1009 of that Act if the head of a Federal agency that funds or conducts scientific research— makes a written determination that the policy satisfies the requirements of that section; and submits the written determination and the policy to the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Congress.
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Sec. 6
Scientific integrity policies
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