The Society has joined several other scientific and technological societies in sending a letter to officials at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), all members of Congress, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) urging them to exempt the science and technology community from Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M-12-12, which sets forth limitations on federal employee participation in conferences. In the letter, SOT and the other signatories indicate that, "As OMB Memorandum M-12-12 is currently being interpreted and implemented, it is having the unintentional consequence of restricting the open exchange of ideas among scientists, engineers, and technologists, and thereby adversely affecting important national interests by throttling back on the US innovation engine."
SOT and others request that the Administration "affirm support of these open exhanges of information and amend OMB guidance to specifically exempt federal employee travel to conferences, seminars, and meetings where attendance promotes agency interests as well as the professional development and competency of government scientists, engineers, or other specialized experts." The signatories also request that OMB clarifly that the Memorandum's definiton of meetings "does not cover meetings involving Federal Advisory Committees, the National Academies, standards-setting bodies, industry-government workshops and conferences, or official international engagements." In addition, SOT and the other signatories make the point that the "directives in M-12-12 stand in stark contrast with the December 17, 2010, OSTP memorandum on 'Scientific Integrity,' which calls for agencies "to encourage presentation of research findings at professional meetings" and "allow full participation in professional and scholarly societies, committees, task forces, and other specialized bodies of professional societies." To access a copy of the full letter, please visit the SOT website.