FASEB Washington Update - June 25, 2010

Inside (The Beltway) Scoop – Jennifer Zeitzer
Fiscally conservative members of Congress won several rounds this week in the ongoing fight over spending and the growing size of the federal deficit, forcing the Democratic leadership to scale back the cost of legislation to extend expiring tax credits and unemployment benefits, as well as a supplemental appropriations bill to fund the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. At the heart of the dispute were demands from both moderate Democrats and nearly all Republicans that any new spending be paid for with corresponding cuts in existing programs and that neither the benefits nor war funding bills increase the deficit. Despite intense negotiations, it is not clear whether lawmakers will be able to achieve House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) goal of finishing work on those high priority bills before the start of the scheduled Independence Day recess (July 5th – 9th). > More Details >

FASEB Submits Comments on Electronic Health Record Data to PCAST Last week, FASEB submitted comments on electronic health record (EHR) data usage to Dr. Christine Cassel, the Co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Health Information Technology (HIT) Working Group. The HIT Working Group is currently developing recommendations for the Administration regarding the opportunities to improve patient care and public health through the implementation of HIT.> More Details >

Senate Science Committee Hearing Addresses Innovation, America COMPETES Act On June 22, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a Competitiveness, Innovation, and Export Promotion Subcommittee hearing titled “Innovation in America: Opportunities and Obstacles.” Although much of the hearing focused on ways in which the government can promote the creation of start-up companies to better commercialize and export innovative discoveries, there was some discussion regarding future funding of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science, and the laboratories of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). > More Details >

House Homeland Security Committee Passes WMD Prevention and Preparedness Act
Earlier this week, H.R. 5498, the Weapons of Mass Destruction Prevention and Preparedness Act of 2010 was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security after a full roster of amendments was unanimously adopted without debate. The intent of the bill is to implement the recommendations put forth by the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) in its report, World at Risk. > More Details >

Journalists Highlighting Essential Role of Animals in Biomedical Research Win Annual DeBakey Awards
On June 17th, the Foundation for Biomedical Research held its annual DeBakey Journalism Awards ceremony at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. Named in honor of the late cardiovascular surgeon, the awards are given to journalists whose reporting has highlighted the compassionate treatment of animals in biomedical research and how their use leads to significant medical discoveries. > More Details >

FASEB’s Washington Update is brought to you bi-monthly by the FASEB Office of Public Affairs. We welcome your questions and comments – please contact Jennifer Zeitzer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 301-634-7650. For more information about how to get involved in research advocacy, visit: http://capwiz.com/faseb/home/