To amend the America COMPETES Act to establish certain scientific integrity policies for Federal agencies that fund, conduct, or oversee scientific research, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Tonko (for himself, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Beyer, Ms. Bonamici, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Scientific Integrity Act requires all federal agencies that conduct, fund, or oversee scientific research to adopt formal scientific integrity policies by a specific deadline. These policies must protect government scientists from political interference and ensure they can freely communicate their research findings. The bill creates oversight mechanisms including dedicated Scientific Integrity Officers at each agency, mandatory annual reporting on violations, and whistleblower protections.
Who Benefits and How
Federal scientists and researchers employed by agencies like the EPA, NOAA, FDA, CDC, and NIH benefit significantly by gaining formal protections against political pressure to alter or suppress their findings. They receive explicit rights to publish in scientific journals, speak at conferences, and participate in the scientific community. Scientific integrity advocacy groups and environmental organizations also benefit from increased transparency and accountability, as agencies must publicly report all scientific integrity violations annually. The bill protects whistleblowers and creates formal due process channels for scientists who report interference.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal agency administrators bear the primary burden of implementing new policies, hiring Scientific Integrity Officers, establishing training programs, creating dispute resolution processes, and submitting annual reports to Congress and the Office of Science and Technology Policy within tight deadlines (90-180 days). Political appointees who previously had discretion to influence scientific communications face new restrictions and potential accountability for interference. Industries subject to science-based regulation (pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, agriculture) face increased uncertainty because protected government scientists may be more likely to publish unfavorable findings that could lead to stricter regulations.
Key Provisions
- Requires all covered federal agencies to adopt scientific integrity policies within 90 days, prohibiting suppression or alteration of scientific findings and banning retaliation against scientists who refuse to censor their work
- Mandates appointment of a Scientific Integrity Officer at each agency to investigate complaints, oversee enforcement, and publish annual public reports detailing all violations and their outcomes
- Establishes comprehensive employee rights including the ability to publish in peer-reviewed journals, participate in scientific conferences, sit on advisory boards, and engage with the scientific community without prior agency approval (though agencies may review for technical accuracy)
- Creates formal administrative hearing and appeals processes for scientific integrity disputes, with required reporting to Congress whenever an agency official overrules the Scientific Integrity Officer's decision
- Requires annual transparency reports on the number and nature of scientific integrity complaints, training programs for all employees on their rights and responsibilities, and periodic GAO reviews of implementation
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Establishes mandatory scientific integrity policies and oversight mechanisms for federal agencies that fund, conduct, or oversee scientific research to prevent political interference with scientific findings.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Codify protections against political interference with government science by requiring formal policies, oversight officers, and transparent reporting mechanisms"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Federal scientists and researchers
- Scientific integrity advocates
- Environmental and public health organizations
- Academic research community
- General public relying on government science
Likely Burden Bearers
- Federal agency administrators
- Political appointees who previously influenced scientific communications
- Covered agencies (implementation costs and administrative burden)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_head"
- → Head of each covered agency
- "the_director"
- → Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
- "comptroller_general"
- → Comptroller General of the United States
- "scientific_integrity_officer"
- → Scientific Integrity Officer appointed by each covered agency
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Has the meaning given the term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code
An agency that funds, conducts, or oversees scientific research
A Federal employee or contractor who: (A) is engaged in, supervises, or manages scientific activities; (B) analyzes or publicly communicates information resulting from scientific activities; or (C) uses scientific information or analyses in making bureau, office, or agency policy, management, or regulatory decisions
The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate; and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology