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September 28, 2004
HOUSE EXTREMISTS MOVE TO BLOCK SCIENTISTS' TRAVEL TO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES
A provision added to this year's federal health care spending bill in the House of Representatives would put a 50-person limit on federal employees attending any international health, labor, or education conference -- it's intended to limit the number of scientists able to attend international AIDS conferences and other related scientific conferences.
Housing Works and other organizations around the country have signed on to a letter to oppose the amendment sponsored by Congressman Scott Garret (R-NJ) and added to the recently passed 2005 House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill.
Our letter to the U.S. Senate states:
"Limiting US participation in scientific meetings where researchers exchange the latest data and information in their fields is counterproductive to the interests of American science and all of us who benefit from it. Such restrictions stymie scientific inquiry and will adversely affect the public health of Americans and people around the world. Moreover, such limitations are contrary to the spirit of American democracy, which has always sought to promote freedom of speech, thought, and inquir...Decisions about attendance at scientific conferences should be left in the able hands of the scientists and directors of the NIH, CDC and other research agencies. The undersigned organizations urge the Senate and Appropriations Conferees to remove the Garrett amendment from the final text of the 2005 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill."
For more information, contact Jodi Jacobson of the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) jjacobson@genderhealth.org or check out www.genderhealth.org.