Weekly Advocacy News Roundup

Congress Passes Budget Deal

October 30, 2015 | Politico
Congress approved a budget deal that raises the nation’s debt ceiling through 2017, potentially avoiding a fiscal crisis or government shutdown.  The focus now turns to the individual appropriations for agencies like NIH and NSF.

• Watch a webinar about how federal funding affects your science at SfN.org.

Paul Ryan Elected House Speaker

October 29, 2015 | The Washington Post
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) was elected speaker of the House receiving votes from all but nine Republicans. Rep. Ryan succeeds previous speaker Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), who in September announced he would resign from the speakership and Congress at the end of October.

• Join the Advocacy Network to stay informed and take action on issues that affect neuroscience research at SfN.org.

In Canada, Election Results Cheer Scientists

October 20, 2015 | Science Magazine
Canadian scientists are hopeful that the newly elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the takeover of the House of Commons by the center-left Liberal Party will be more supportive of science and scientists.  The Liberal Party has promised to lift the speaking restrictions on scientists put in place by the current government under Stephen Harper and invest more in basic research.

• Find funding sources for research done in the U.S. or Canada at SfN.org.

Neuroscientist Tapped as Australia’s Chief Scientist

October 27, 2015 | Science Magazine
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced this week that neuroscientist Alan Finkel will be Australia’s next chief scientist, whose role is to advise and advocate for science.  Finkel has stated that some priorities are to boost Australia’s poor innovation record and set the nation on the road to a fossil-free future.

• Learn more about global science advocacy at SfN.org.

How NIH Funding Got Caught in a Budget Battle

October 21, 2015 | National Journal
Both Republicans and Democrats show interest in increasing NIH funding for biomedical research, but the parties disagree on where this funding should come from.  The U.S. Senate is in the process of drafting and considering a variety of bills aimed at earmarking more funds for biomedical research, including their own version of the 21^st Century Cures Act recently passed by the House of Representatives.

• See a list of science funding advocacy tools at SfN.org.

End-of-Life Care Vastly More Expensive for Dementia Patients Than for Others

October 26, 2015 | The Washington Post
A new study by researchers at Mount Sinai indicates that care for the last five years of life costs much more for patients with dementia than for those who die of other diseases.  One reason for the discrepancy is the fact that patients with dementia often require care for many years, and much of this care is not covered by insurance.

• Learn more about dementia at BrainFacts.org.

Congress Must Deliver on Promises for Biomedical Research

October 28, 2015 | The Hill
As various subcommittees in Congress propose and approve bills including increases to the NIH budget, it becomes clear that there is bipartisan support for improving funding for biomedical research. However, a better solution might include a long-term mandatory funding stream to support research grants at the NIH that would allow research science to ramp up while also preventing a funding cliff occurring in the near future.

• Find details on NIH funding via the Office of Extramural Research at Neuronline.

Countering Libertarian Arguments Against Science Funding

October 25, 2015 | The Guardian
A recent piece in the Wall Street Journal argued against public science funding, claiming that basic science fails to drive innovation.  This line of reasoning has logical flaws and ignores the much existing science policy work that concludes that public investments in science are vital.

• Learn about different ways to communicate your science at Neuronline.

Congress Should Increase Spending for Federal Science Agencies

October 21, 2015 | St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The St. Louis area boasts a growing biotechnology corridor, in an example of how federal funding for basic scientific research can help spur local economies and attract private investments, leading to jobs as well as treatments and innovations.

• Read more about programs for science advocacy at SfN.org.