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• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 1.23.2015

  Jan 23, 2015 4:15 pm by Federal Relations
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  President Barack Obama commanded the bully pulpit this week with his annual State of the Union (SOTU) address. He then barnstormed across the country promoting initiatives from his speech. House Republicans were forced to pull an abortion bill from the Floor after a revolt by moderate and female Republicans over a rape and incest provision. And the Senate voted unanimously that climate change was not "a hoax"—just not necessarily caused by mankind.

  THE STATE OF OUR UNION

  President Obama made clear this week he does not intend to go quietly away in the last two years of his presidency. He brought a firebrand speech directly to the GOP-controlled Congress to deliver a set of policy recommendations that stands little chance of enactment but could help frame the debate for the next presidential election. Republicans panned nearly all aspects of his speech. Photo: White House

  Jeers: Tax the Rich

  During his address, President Obama proposed higher taxes on wealthy individuals to pay for ambitious new federal programs for the middle class, including free community college and increased child care. He also outlined consolidating six overlapping higher ed tax breaks. He proposed strengthening the American Opportunity Tax Credit to provide more students with incentives to pursue a college degree. His plan aims to simplify the system for the more than 25 million families and students that claim them. Details are forthcoming.

  Cheers: 'Precision Medicine'

  However, Republicans warmed to the President's "precision medicine" initiative as a new priority for the Congress. While other initiatives fell flat, House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) tweeted support for the medical initiative, which would dovetail with his committee's bipartisan priority of faster cures. Urbana bioengineering researchers met with committee staff last week and will be providing feedback on a soon-to-be-released discussion draft. President Obama generally showed strong support for scientific research. We expect to learn more when the budget lands in two weeks.

  LEGISLATIVE OUTLOOK

  B1G Push on Patents

  Presidents and chancellors of Big Ten universities sent a clear message to the congressional delegations of the conference's eleven member states this week: don't hurt us in your worthy effort to rein in the patent trolls that gum up the courts and drive up the cost of innovation.

  The letter, signed by the top officials of each of the conference's top leaders, including Urbana Chancellor Phyllis Wise, demonstrated how difficult it will be for universities to develop discoveries into new products and startup companies that foster economic development. Last year, the House of Representatives passed legislation that would have weakened intellectual property rights for all, including universities. We prefer that Congress instead regulate bad behavior. The House is expected to act first again this Congress. Universities, which were caught off guard last year by a fast-moving bill greased for Floor action, will be ready this time. We are also buoyed by similar efforts by our allies in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, who also advocating caution. Republicans in the Illinois delegation—including Reps. Rodney Davis, Aaron Schock, Randy Hultgren, Bob Dold, and Mike Bost—signed a letter this week to the House Judiciary Committee chairman urging caution. We are grateful for that support!

  Budget Clash Coming

  After poking Republicans in Tuesday's State of the Union address, President Barack Obama is likely to pick another fight by asking Congress for up to 7 percent more in discretionary spending for the FY 2016 budget cycle,Bloomberg reports.The request will be controversial in a GOP-dominated Congress because it would set aside the budget caps and sequestration that the White House brokered with Congress in 2011. The new spending would add as much as $34 billion for domestic programs like education and research. President Obama will send his budget blueprint to Congress on Feb. 2. Fresh on the heels of victorious midterm elections, Republicans on the Hill will likely claim a mandate to make deeper cuts.

  AGENCY ALERT

  NSF to Researchers: Plain English, Please

  National Science Foundation Director France Córdova recently announced important new steps to enhance transparency and accountability at NSF. Under the new directive, principal investigators will work with program officers to draft an award abstract in plain English that describes the project and how it will advance the progress of science, the national defense, or the nation's health, prosperity and welfare. The move comes amid intense scrutiny from Capitol Hill about the value of research in the social sciences and on climate issues. House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)—a leading contender for his party's presidential nomination in 2016—recently penned a Politico op-Ed on the subject.

  ON MESSAGE

  In Science Coalition Video, Wise Urges Congress to Embrace 'Responsibility, Privilege' to Secure a Better Future

  Urbana Chancellor Phyllis Wise became only the second president or chancellor to record a "thought leader" video for The Science Coalition's Science 2034 campaign, which celebrates TSC's 20th anniversary by looking twenty years into the future to see what kind of world science can make possible—provided the federal government continues to invest robustly in education and research. In the video, Chancellor Wise discusses the future of medicine and how big data and engineering will change global healthcare. She also urges Congress to step up to the plate to close America's growing innovation deficit. An excerpt: “It is really hard to imagine what the world will look like twenty years from now, but I think we have to. And I think we have to more than imagine it—we have to plan for it and set goals for it. “I realize many of our legislators … have to be thinking about the next election. And I realize that the investment of science is not only high-risk, but also long term. But if we don’t invest in tomorrow and the tomorrows of twenty years from now, this country will not be what it is today. It is actually [Congress’] responsibility and privilege to keep the long term in mind.”   “If we rest on our laurels—for a minute—we are mistaken because everyone else is pushing ahead.” Her complete video and weblog can be found here. Make no small plans!

  DELEGATION SPOTLIGHT

  Rep. Rodney Davis sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) encouraging them to complete its review process and announce a decision on the petition to designate the Mahomet Aquifer system as a sole source aquifer. The Mahomet Aquifer is currently the only source of fresh water for the Urbana campus—as well as for a large swathe of central Illinois—and is facing threats of potential contamination. We are very thankful for his support.

  Thank you, Jon Pyatt and Melissa Haas | OGR Federal Relations

      

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