Senators Identify Higher Ed Regulatory Burdens
BU IN DC
Ron Corley, director of the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory, attended the American Society for Microbiology’s Biodefense and Emerging Diseases Research meeting on February 9 and 10.
Kevin Gallagher of the Pardee School of Global Studies conducted a briefing on the growing economic ties between China and Latin America for the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission on February 11.
Students Meliha Gozde Rainville of the College of Engineering, Colin Howard of the College of Arts & Sciences, and Jacqueline Kirtley and Elliot Gordon of the School of Management took part in the annual Advanced Research Projects Agency- Energy’s (ARPA-E) Innovation Summit between February 9 and 11.
SENATORS IDENTIFY HIGHER ED REGULATORY BURDENS
On Thursday, four Senators released a long-awaited report recommending the streamlining of federal regulatory requirements impacting higher education. The report was written by the Task Force on Government Regulation of Higher Education, a group of 16 university presidents and higher education experts co-chaired by the president of Vanderbilt University and the chancellor of the University System of Maryland. It highlights regulations governing financial aid, accreditation, distance education, and campus crime reporting, and offers steps that Congress and the U.S. Department of Education could take to eliminate redundancies and increase administrative efficiency. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing on the report on February 24, in advance of legislative action.
LEGISLATORS ISSUE DRUG DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS
Policymakers in both chambers of Congress are moving forward with legislation to speed drug development at the Food and Drug and Administration and encourage central decision-making at the National Institutes of Health. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) released draft legislation for a “21st Century Cures” initiative. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) subsequently released a report titled “Innovation for Healthier Americans,” which identifies regulatory and systemic factors that are stifling medical innovation and seeks ideas to improve patient access to medicines and medical technologies. Stakeholders are encouraged to submit comments on both proposals within the next two weeks.
HOUSE VOTES TO REAUTHORIZE NASA
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday unanimously passed the NASA Authorization Act of 2015 (H.R. 810), which makes policy and funding recommendations for the space agency. The bill reiterates Congress’s commitment to a human mission to Mars, a Europa mission launch by 2021, and educational activities in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The U.S. Senate has yet to take up a companion piece of legislation, and it is unclear when it plans to do so.