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Forensic Science and Standards Act of 2016

Introduced: July 14, 2016 Introduced by: Blumenthal, Richard Democratic · Connecticut See on congress.gov
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 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jul 14, 2016
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Jul 14, 2016
Introduced in Senate
 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Forensic Science and Standards Act of 2016

This bill establishes a National Forensic Science Research Initiative, carried out by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, to improve, expand, and coordinate federal research in forensic sciences.

The bill establishes a National Forensic Science Coordinating Office to coordinate with relevant federal agencies in the development of: (1) a unified federal research strategy; and (2) any necessary programs, policies, and budgets to support implementation of the research strategy.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) shall contract with the National Research Council to develop a report: (1) identifying the most critical challenges in forensic science that require further research, and (2) making recommendations for research to address those challenges.

The bill states that each external forensic science research grant awarded by a federal agency under this bill shall be subject to a specified competitive merit-review process.

The NSF shall:

  • award forensic science basic research grants to improve the foundation and practice of forensic science;
  • support one or more forensic science research centers; and
  • conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the NSF's full portfolio of forensic science research and education grants every four years.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shall establish: (1) a competitively selected Center of Excellence focusing on measurement sciences, technology, and standards in forensic science; and (2) scientific area committees to identify gaps in and opportunities for standards development in the forensic sciences.

NIST and the Department of Justice (DOJ) shall establish a National Commission on Forensic Science to advise the agencies participating in the unified federal research strategy and review recommendations on standards development in forensic science.

DOJ shall:

  • encourage the broad adoption of forensic science standards, requiring each DOJ laboratory, and encouraging other federal forensic laboratories, to adopt these standards;
  • promote accreditation and certification based on forensic science standards; and
  • promote recommendations made by the National Commission on Forensic Science.
What's happening now July 14, 2016

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1