Press Releases

Yesterday, the House unanimously passed H.R. 5056, The Research and Development Efficiency Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by Dr. Bucshon, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Research and Technology. The legislation received widespread support from universities across Indiana, the Association of American Universities, and bipartisan support from Dr. Bucshon’s colleagues.

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology:

“H.R. 5056 is an important step to ensure federal research dollars are being spent on research and not on regulatory requirements,” said Chairman Smith.  “I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.”

Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), Ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Research and Technology:

“Every week in the Science Committee we hear expert testimony on challenges with no easy solution,” said Ranking Member Lipinski. “The challenge of having a patchwork of uncoordinated and sometimes duplicative administrative burdens on federally funded researchers should be a solvable problem. H.R. 5056 is a very important step in the right direction.”

University of Southern Indiana:

“The University of Southern Indiana supports the efforts of Congressman Bucshon in HR 5056 to improve the efficiency of Federal research administration and development,” said Dr. Katherine A. Draughon, Executive Director of Planning, Research and Assessment at University of Southern Indiana.  “A review of Federal regulations with the goal of streamlining reporting requirements and minimizing regulatory burden is of great benefit to institutions of higher education pursuing Federal grants.  The end result should be a more efficient use of federal funds in the pursuit of scientific research.” 

Indiana State University:

“University researchers are entrusted to explore important issues and inspired to do the hard work of discovery,” said Dr. Dawn Underwood, Director of Sponsored Programs at Indiana State University.  “Indiana State University supports Congressman Bucshon's efforts to reduce administrative and regulatory burdens so that research can flourish.”

Indiana University:

“IU welcomes the effort to reduce the administrative burden associated with carrying out federal research,” said Dr. Jorge Jose, Vice President for Research at Indiana University.  “The number and complexity of federal research regulations warrants a review and we are pleased to see attention given to this matter.”

Purdue University:

“Purdue University is home to global leaders in a wide variety of scientific endeavors who advance a robust and diverse research enterprise,” said Suresh Garimella, Executive Vice President for Research and Partnerships at Purdue University.  “We are very supportive of the regulatory and reporting requirements for our faculty and staff being reviewed, rationalized and harmonized, so that the central focus of our research may remain on scholarship and global impact.  Purdue supports mechanisms, such as those in the Research and Development Efficiency Act, that would review and streamline these important requirements to continually ensure that our faculty spend their time and efforts most efficiently.”

University of Notre Dame:

"We appreciate that Chairman Bucshon is moving a bill that could result in a much more streamlined process for Federally-funded research,” said Dr. Robert Bernhard, Vice President for Research at University of Notre Dame.  “We are especially pleased that regulatory reform is at the top of his agenda, and we applaud him for his efforts in this regard."  

The Association of American Universities:

“The Association of American Universities (AAU) supports the Research and Development Efficiency Act, HR 5056, a bill introduced by Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN). We believe this legislation can lead to a long-needed reduction in the regulatory burden currently imposed on universities and their faculty members who conduct research on behalf of the federal government.

“Universities and researchers must take seriously their responsibilities to account for their use of federal resources and to comply with federal requirements. However, the federal government also has a responsibility to periodically reevaluate and assess whether the regulations it is imposing are achieving their intended objectives. Too often federal requirements are ill-conceived, ineffective, and/or duplicative. When that is the case, the time researchers must devote to compliance with such requirements unnecessarily reduces the time they can devote to discovery and innovation and increases institutional compliance costs.

“This legislation calls for the creation of an interagency working group under the auspices of the National Science and Technology Council to conduct a comprehensive review of these requirements and make recommendations for reforms that can reduce the regulatory burden associated with federally sponsored research. We applaud Rep. Bucshon for taking this important step, and we will work with him to see that this bill is enacted into law.”

Yesterday, Dr. Bucshon spoke on the House floor to urge his colleagues to support H.R. 5056 prior to its passage. That speech can be accessed here.