[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9228]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    ENSURING SOUND SCIENCE IN AGENCY RULEMAKING AND RISK ASSESSMENTS

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                        HON. DONALD A. MANZULLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 18, 2012

  Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Sound 
Science in Agency Rulemaking and Risk Assessments Act to help restore 
sound science and scientific integrity to the rulemaking process at our 
federal agencies.
  On March 9, 2009, President Obama issued a Presidential memorandum 
directing the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to require 
federal departments and agencies to develop procedures ``for restoring 
scientific integrity to government decision making.'' To date, this 
worthwhile and sensible project has not been completed.
  This bipartisan bill, which I am introducing with my colleague from 
North Carolina, Mike McIntyre, seeks to build on the President's 
initiative by codifying the requirement that the Director of OSTP 
require each agency to develop guidelines to maximize the quality, 
objectivity, utility, and integrity of scientific information used by 
federal agencies. This legislation requires appropriate peer review, 
the disclosure of scientific studies used in making decisions, and an 
opportunity for stakeholder input. The bill requires federal agencies 
to give greatest weight to information based on reproducible data that 
is developed in accordance with the scientific method. Further, it 
deems agency actions that do not follow such procedures to be arbitrary 
and subject to challenge by affected stakeholders.
  Mr. Speaker, we all want the best science used in decisions made by 
the federal government. This bill will help accomplish that goal.

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