3.0.0 3259 2023-01-11T13:33:11Z 2023-01-11T13:33:11Z Senate S 2016-07-14 114 sscm00 Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Senate Standing Referred to 2016-07-14T20:29:35Z Forensic Science and Standards Act of 2016 114 5795 HR 2016-09-30 Referred to the Subcommittee on Research and Technology. Related bill CRS 2016-07-14 sscm00 Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Senate Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. IntroReferral 2016-07-14 Introduced in Senate IntroReferral 10000 9 Library of Congress B001277 Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] Richard Blumenthal D CT N Science, Technology, Communications Advisory bodies Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation Department of Commerce Department of Justice Education programs funding Evidence and witnesses Executive Office of the President Executive agency funding and structure Government studies and investigations Higher education National Science Foundation Performance measurement Public-private cooperation Research administration and funding Science and engineering education Science, Technology, Communications 00 2016-07-14 Introduced in Senate 2017-01-27T16:14:06Z Forensic Science and Standards Act of 2016

This bill establishes a National Forensic Science Research Initiative, carried out by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, to improve, expand, and coordinate federal research in forensic sciences.

The bill establishes a National Forensic Science Coordinating Office to coordinate with relevant federal agencies in the development of: (1) a unified federal research strategy; and (2) any necessary programs, policies, and budgets to support implementation of the research strategy.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) shall contract with the National Research Council to develop a report: (1) identifying the most critical challenges in forensic science that require further research, and (2) making recommendations for research to address those challenges.

The bill states that each external forensic science research grant awarded by a federal agency under this bill shall be subject to a specified competitive merit-review process.

The NSF shall:

  • award forensic science basic research grants to improve the foundation and practice of forensic science;
  • support one or more forensic science research centers; and
  • conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the NSF's full portfolio of forensic science research and education grants every four years.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shall establish: (1) a competitively selected Center of Excellence focusing on measurement sciences, technology, and standards in forensic science; and (2) scientific area committees to identify gaps in and opportunities for standards development in the forensic sciences.

NIST and the Department of Justice (DOJ) shall establish a National Commission on Forensic Science to advise the agencies participating in the unified federal research strategy and review recommendations on standards development in forensic science.

DOJ shall:

  • encourage the broad adoption of forensic science standards, requiring each DOJ laboratory, and encouraging other federal forensic laboratories, to adopt these standards;
  • promote accreditation and certification based on forensic science standards; and
  • promote recommendations made by the National Commission on Forensic Science.
]]> Forensic Science and Standards Act of 2016 Display Title Forensic Science and Standards Act of 2016 Short Titles as Introduced Forensic Science and Standards Act of 2016 Official Title as Introduced A bill to establish scientific standards and protocols across forensic disciplines, and for other purposes. Introduced in Senate 2016-07-14T04:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-114s3259is/xml/BILLS-114s3259is.xml 2016-07-14 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.