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WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Paul D. Tonko today reintroduced his Scientific Integrity Act, bipartisan legislation that sets clear, enforceable standards for federal agencies and federally-funded research to keep public science independent from political and special interest meddling.

Tonko is proud to introduce the legislation alongside Ranking Member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Don Beyer (D-VA), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA).

“Public science must be about the pursuit of truth—not about serving political objectives,” Congressman Tonko said. “As one of only a few engineers in Congress, I’ve worked for many years to ensure that scientific standards are upheld regardless of who sits in the White House. That’s why I introduced the Scientific Integrity Act, which provides much-needed protections for our federal scientists, helps repair public trust, and better enables us to address and solve the pressing challenges our communities face. I’m grateful to my colleagues in the House for their commitment to restore scientific integrity and advance this legislation and ensure that these standards are protected under the full force of law.”

Following President Biden’s inauguration in 2021, Tonko joined Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) and former Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) to send a letter calling on the administration to establish strong federal scientific integrity policies by implementing his Scientific Integrity Act.

The Scientific Integrity Act:

• Requires federal agencies that fund or direct public science to establish & maintain clear scientific integrity principles, formalizing and strengthening these policies with the force of law;
• Clarifies that science should determine policy, free from inappropriate politics, ideology, or financial conflicts of interest
• Holds public scientists to the highest standards while guaranteeing their rights and protections under the law.