ACS ACS Policy and Advocacy 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the ACS Office of Public Affairs responsible for?
- Publishing ACS journals and managing subscriptions
- Advocating for federal funding of chemistry research and science-friendly public policy (Correct answer)
- Managing ACS membership applications and renewals
- Organizing ACS national and regional meetings
Correct answer: Advocating for federal funding of chemistry research and science-friendly public policy
The ACS Office of Public Affairs advocates before Congress and federal agencies for policies supporting chemical research, education, and science broadly.
Question 2: What is the purpose of ACS's 'Legislative Summit' event?
- An annual conference on chemical legislation compliance for industry chemists
- An event where ACS members meet with Congress members to advocate for science funding and policy (Correct answer)
- A summit where ACS leaders set the annual legislative agenda for the organization
- A gathering of chemistry lobbyists to coordinate industry positions
Correct answer: An event where ACS members meet with Congress members to advocate for science funding and policy
The ACS Legislative Summit brings member scientists to Washington, DC to meet with their representatives and advocate for science funding and research priorities.
Question 3: What position does ACS take on federal funding for basic chemistry research?
- ACS believes industry should fund all chemistry research without government involvement
- ACS strongly advocates for robust federal investment in basic chemistry research as essential to innovation (Correct answer)
- ACS takes no position on funding, focusing only on technical standards
- ACS supports only applied research funding, not basic science
Correct answer: ACS strongly advocates for robust federal investment in basic chemistry research as essential to innovation
ACS consistently advocates for strong federal funding of basic chemistry research at agencies like NSF, NIH, DOE, and NIST.
Question 4: What is the ACS Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN) 'Science & the Law' coverage focused on?
- Patent law and intellectual property disputes in chemistry
- The intersection of chemical science and legislation, regulation, and policy developments affecting chemists (Correct answer)
- Criminal forensic chemistry cases
- ACS member legal disputes and ethics complaints
Correct answer: The intersection of chemical science and legislation, regulation, and policy developments affecting chemists
C&EN's policy coverage tracks how laws and regulations affect chemical research, including EPA rules, chemical safety legislation, and research funding policy.
Question 5: What is the Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, relevant to ACS advocacy?
- An ACS internal safety standard for member laboratories
- A 2016 federal law reforming how the EPA evaluates and regulates existing chemicals under TSCA (Correct answer)
- A law requiring all ACS members to complete annual safety training
- An act establishing federal grants for chemistry safety research
Correct answer: A 2016 federal law reforming how the EPA evaluates and regulates existing chemicals under TSCA
The Lautenberg Act, signed in 2016, overhauled TSCA and gave the EPA stronger authority to evaluate and regulate potentially harmful chemicals.
Question 6: What federal agency does ACS most frequently engage with regarding chemical safety regulations?
- FDA (Food and Drug Administration)
- EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) (Correct answer)
- OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
- NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
Correct answer: EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
ACS engages extensively with the EPA on issues of chemical risk assessment, TSCA implementation, and environmental chemistry regulations.
ACS ACS Policy and Advocacy 1
What is the ACS Office of Public Affairs responsible for?