EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2013
Latest action · Dec 18, 2013 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedDec 18, 2013
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2013 - Amends the Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration Authorization Act of 1978 to revise the process of selecting members of the Science Advisory Board, guidelines for participation in Board advisory activities, and terms of office. (The Board provides scientific advice to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA].) Prohibits federally registered lobbyists from being appointed to the Board.
Revises the procedures for providing advice and comments to the Administrator by: (1) including risk or hazard assessments in the regulatory proposals and documents made available to the Board, and (2) requiring advice and comments to be included in the record regarding any such proposal and published in the Federal Register.
Revises the operation of Board member committees and investigative panels to: (1) require that they operate in accordance with the membership, participation, and policy requirements (including new requirements for public participation in advisory activities of the Board) contained in this Act; (2) deny them authority to make decisions on behalf of the Board; and (3) prohibit direct reporting to EPA.
Adds guidelines for the conduct of Board advisory activities, including concerning: (1) avoidance of making policy determinations or recommendations, (2) communication of uncertainties, (3) dissenting members' views, and (4) periodic reviews to ensure that such activities address the most important scientific issues affecting EPA.
Prohibits this Act from being construed as supplanting the requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act or the Ethics in Government Act of 1978.
Cosponsors 7
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Dec 18, 2013 to Dec 1, 2014, with 5 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-LA | David Vitter | Original | Dec 18, 2013 |
| R-AL | Jeff Sessions | Original | Dec 18, 2013 |
| I-WV | Joe Manchin III | Original | Dec 18, 2013 |
| R-ID | Mike Crapo | Original | Dec 18, 2013 |
| R-MS | Roger F. Wicker | Original | Dec 18, 2013 |
| R-NE | Deb Fischer | Jan 14, 2014 | |
| R-OK | James M. Inhofe | Dec 1, 2014 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Dec 18, 2013Introduced in Senate
- Dec 18, 2013Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 1422 | EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2014 | Related bill | Nov 19, 2014 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Environmental Protection.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Dec 18, 2013Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.