Current Work
Within the first six months of establishing the Office of Public Policy (OPP), CFI has made significant progress in blocking harmful legislation and established impressive working relationships with the House Oversight and Government Reform and Science and Technology committees.
Our participation in the Coalition Against Religious Discrimination was instrumental in defeating an amendment added surreptitiously to the bill reauthorizing Head Start, an acclaimed early childhood education program critical for assisting disadvantaged preschool children. The amendment would have allowed organizations that receive federal funds to administer the program to hire and fire employees or accept volunteers based on religious affiliation.
In addition to working in coalition to defeat discriminatory legislation, CFI/OPP is working with these House committees to craft language that will ensure federal policy is determined by using objective, reliable science. A committee of CFI representatives, including highly qualified volunteers, is researching state and federal laws that have halted previous cases of data suppression or modification. Both have been a hallmark of the current administration.
CFI staff offered policy recommendations on legislation dealing with scientific integrity, as outlined in CFI’s Protecting Scientific Integrity policy paper. The paper, which the congressional staff said was “incredibly useful,” was well received, and they asked CFI to return with follow-up research.
Additionally, CFI is identifying federal scientists whose research has been censored or altered by agency officials when the evidence contradicts the administration’s political agenda. This research is being used for upcoming investigations by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
As a result of CFI’s work on science policy, Government Affairs Director Toni Van Pelt and Legal Director Ronald Lindsay were invited to speak at the prestigious Brookings Institution on June 13, 2007. The seminar, Science & Technology: Politics and Issues was attended by educators and high-level scientists from federal agencies. The talk was well received, and the group was impressed with CFI’s programs that promote public understanding of science. After the meeting, one attendee asked CFI to speak at Thomas Jefferson High School, a local school that provides specialized education in science, math, and technology for selected students.
CFI’s voice of reason is spreading quickly across the capital. Some of the issues we have tackled have been brewing for years, while others, such as the Head Start amendment, were initiated with little time to respond. The Office of Public Policy is on Capitol Hill to alert freethinkers to actions aimed at restricting their rights. We are gaining strength and will continue to succeed with your financial and activist support.
However, we have much more to accomplish. The Supreme Court recently upheld a ban on the intact D&E abortion procedure, what opponents of reproductive freedom call the “partial-birth” abortion ban. This was the first time the Court approved the banning of a specific abortion procedure. Only Congress can override the ruling. We must continue to be vigilant and active if we are to have laws and policies supported by science, reason, and respect for individual freedom.
