Science and Technology in the National Interest Ensuring the Best Presidential and Federal Advisory Committee Science and Technology Appointments (2005) / Chapter Skim
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Executive Summary
Executive Summary
Pages 1-10
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From page 1... ...
For these reasons, it is critical to attract scientists and engineers into the highest levels of public service, either as political appointees in top leadership positions or as members of the many advisory committees providing scientific and technical advice to executive agencies. In 2004, an ad hoc committee of the National Academies Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy was charged with preparing this third report examining the most senior S&T appointments to federal government positions and updating the accompanying list of the most urgent S&T presidential appoint ments.
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This summary presents the committee's recommendations on the two major topics in its charge: presidential S&T appoint ments and appointments of scientists and engineers to federal advisory committees.
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Streamlining could involve such mechanisms as relying on one system of background checks rather than separate systems for the White House and the Senate, clarifying the criteria for the position in question and the principles for questioning nominees, requesting only relevant and important background information, and keeping the process timely and on track with the goal of completing the appointment process within 4 months from first White House contact to Senate confirmation.
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Some mechanisms for consolidating and simplifying the process are standardizing and clarifying pre-employment require ments and postemployment restrictions, reducing unreasonable financial and professional losses for those who serve by simplifying financial-disclosure reporting requirements (for example, evaluating a de minimis rule) , eliminating many of the restrictions associated with the use of blind trusts, and ensuring continuing health insur ance and pension-plan coverage.
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Many factors -- including societal values, economic costs, and political judgments -- come together with technical judgments in the process of reaching advisory committee recommendations. Essential viewpoints needed for appropriate committee balance and scope should be represented by accomplished people in that policy arena, but scientists, engineers, and health professionals nominated primarily to provide S&T input should be selected for their scien tific and technological knowledge and credentials and for their professional and personal integrity.
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For that reason, excluding S&T experts from serving on advisory commit tees solely on the grounds that their opinions are known is inappro priate and could leave the federal advisory committee system devoid of qualified candidates. The government would be better served by a policy in which the best scientists, engineers, and health professionals are selected because of their expertise with their opinions disclosed to staff and other committee members in closed session than by a policy that excludes them because of their presumed opinions on S&T issues.
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Administration officials should broadly announce the intent to create an advisory committee or appoint new members to an existing committee and should provide an opportunity for relevant and interested parties to suggest nominees they believe would be good committee members. A model for this process is that used by the Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board, which provides infor mation on its Web site on the method and selection criteria related to its advisory committees and Federal Register notices requesting nominations for a particular committee and later describing how a particular committee was formed.
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Staff who process advisory committee membership nomi nations and who manage advisory committee operations should be properly trained senior employees familiar with the importance and nuances of the advisory committee process, including a clear understanding of the appropriateness of the questions that candi dates should and should not be asked. CONCLUSION The nation is in need of exceptionally able scientists, engineers, and health professionals to serve in executive positions in the federal government and on federal advisory committees.
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Executive Summary ability to draw qualified S&T candidates to government service because of the opportunities for intellectually challenging work that affects the world in which we live and that encourages and protects the scientific process. We must continue to enlist the best candi dates for these important positions and ensure that the obstacles to their service are minimized.
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