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Outreach & Initiatives > Science Policy

Letters Signed & Sent


For older Funding letters, see Science Policy Archives

  • Policy:

    • ASA signs letters in support of Census Bureau
      • ASA signs letter of support for H.R. 4945/S. 3167: "Census Oversight Efficiency and Management Reform Act of 2010" to make the U.S. Census Bureau more autonomous and to make its director’s term a fixed, five-year appointment, 3/26/10 (updated 4/19/10); 12/10/10 (updated 12/13/10).
      • The ASA sent letters to Congresswoman Maloney and Senator Carper in support of H.R. 7069/H.R. 1254 to make the Census Bureau independent and its director’s term a fixed, five-year appointment. Congresswoman Maloney: 12/11/2008, 3/16/09; Senator Carper: 12/11/2008, 3/16/09.
      • Urging quick appointment of Census Director in new administration: 11/14/08; 11/19/08; 2/2/09; 3/10/09
      • ASA supports nomination of Robert M Groves for Census Director: 4/2/09; 4/9/08; and urges quick confirmation, 5/19/09, 6/12/09.
      • ASA signs onto letter opposed Vitter-Bennett appropriation amendment to add last-minute question to Decennial Census questionnaire 10/12/09
    • Other Statistical Agencies
      • ASA President sends letter to Education Secretary Arne Duncan regarding the National Center for Education Statistics Commissioner, 7/1/09, and regarding NCES stature, authority and autonomy, 11/2/09.
      • ASA President sends letter to Attorney General Holder regarding Bureau of Justice Statistics, 5/18/09; and its director 5/12/09; and letter to Senate Judiciary Committee in support of nomination of James P. Lynch for BJS Director, 11/10/09
      • ASA sends letter regarding ramifications of IT consolidation at IRS on IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) Division (April, 2009): Treasury Secretary Geithner; IRS Commissioner Shulman; NEC Director Summers; OMB Director Orszag.
      • ASA sends letter regarding selection of next IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) Division director, 4/15/2009.
      • ASA President sends letter to DOT official on make-up of Advisory Committee on Transportation Statistics, 5/28/10.
    • ASA submits the comments of the ASA Privacy and Confidentiality Committee the OSTP request for information, "Public Access to Digital Data Resulting from Federally Funded Scientific Research," 1/12/11.
    • ASA submits the comments of the ASA Privacy and Confidentiality Committee on "Common Rule" advanced notice of proposed rulemaking, 10/19/11.
    • ASA sends letter in support of Senator Franken STEM Master Teacher Corps initiative, 10/17/11.
    • ASA has written to the U.N. Special Rapporteur regarding mistreatment of statisticians in Argentina, 8/12/11. See also the letter of inquiry from ASA Committee on Scientific Freedom and Human Rights, 4/1/11. See also the 10/18/11 ASA press release on this effort and the following letters to UN from other statistical associations: Société Française de Statistique, 9/23/11; International Statistical Institute, 9/29/11; Korean Statistical Society, 10/3/11; Royal Statistical Society, 10/25/11. The Institute of Mathematical Statistics also wrote a letter to the UN on 10/4/11. The previous ASA letter addressing the situation can be found here: 11/18/09.
    • ASA Executive Director signs onto letter defending role of science in Environmental Protection Agency decisionmaking, 7/25/11.
    • ASA President Elect and Executive Director submit comments on Office of Government Ethics Proposed Rule to better facilitate the service of federal scientists in professional society leadership and governance, 6/28/11; Group sign-on letter 6/30/11.
    • ASA signs letters to Senators opposing S. 679’s removal Senate confirmation of BJS and NCES heads, 6/20/11 Reid; 6/20/11 McConnell
    • ASA signs letter in support of proposed amendment of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), 5/23/11.
    • ASA signs letter opposing NIH grant restrictions, 4/4/11, 7/26/11
    • ASA president sends letters to Senate Committee chairmen on forensic science reform: Leahy 3/31/2011; Rockefeller 3/31/2011. See also 2010 ASA Board Statement on Forensic Science and June 2010 letter to Chairman Leahy; Rockefeller & Hutchison 12/20/2011.
    • ASA President sends letter to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner regarding Office of Financial Research, 11/16/10.
    • ASA leadership signed a letter to the Vermont Secretary of State urging that the voting precincts to be audited be selected after the November 2 elections, 10/21/10.
    • ASA signed onto a letter to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) urging PCAST to reconsider its exclusion of behavioral and social sciences in its recent K-12 STEM education report, Prepare and Inspire; 10/18/10.
    • ASA and ASA president sign letters to National Academies’ Board on Science Education Committee on New Science Education Standards Framework: 7/30/10; 7/31/10.
    • ASA President signs letter to Canadian Minister of Industry Tony Clement urging that decision to replace the long census form with a voluntary survey next year be reconsidered, 7/9/10, 7/26/10, (Reply of Minister Tony Clement to letter from the Chair of the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies.)
    • ASA President sends letter to Senate Judiciary Committee commenting on draft outline for forensic science reform legislation, 6/10/10
    • ASA Presidents sign letters to NC Senators asking for their help to promote statistical literacy: 5/20/10
    • ASA signs onto letter to President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) urging they take the lead in affirming the behavioral and social sciences as an important part of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, 4/19/10
    • ASA President sends letter with ASA’s review of the Common Core K-12 Standards, 1/25/10, 4/2/10. See also the ASA letter commenting on the September 21, 2009 draft of the Common Core College and Career Readiness Standards for Mathematics, 10/21/09.
    • ASA President signs letter regarding risk-limiting audits in California legislation, 3/19/10.
    • ASA signs STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Education Coalition letter
      • To promote STEM Education through Math and Science Partnership program improvements in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 10/18/11.
      • promoting STEM Education in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 6/20/11.
      • to promote STEM in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization (ESEA), Congress 3/26/10
      • to President Obama on importance of STEM Education, 12/22/08; 5/27/09, and with pledge to support Administration's STEM education efforts, 11/20/09.
      • offering strategic recommendations for the NSF HER Directorate programs, 10/9/08.
      • thanking Congressional leaders for Higher Education Opportunity Act, 9/10/08; National Service Legislation, 4/27/09.
    • ASA nominated ASA members for various advisory committees (AC) and positions: NSF MPS AC, NSF EHR AC, NSF SBE Director, National Assessment Governing Board, FDA Science Board, Census Advisory Committee on the Hispanic Population
    • ASA joins dozens of groups to sign letter to top officials in the Obama administration urging them to end the federal government’s practice of denying visas to foreign scholars, writers, artists, and activists based on ideology. 3/18/09; 2/26/10

For older Policy letters, see Science Policy Archives