The DC Digest

Duke in DC's Top News Today:

House CCP Select Committee Release Report on Economic Competition Strategy
House Dems Write Letter to GAO on Foreign Influence Investigations
Meta, IBM Launch New AI Alliance
House Republicans Write Letter Urging Ed Secretary to Enforce Antisemitism Executive Order
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The Highlights 📰

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

This will be our last newsletter of the year as Congress winds down and the holiday season continues. Wishing you the warmest Happy Holidays, and we'll see you in 2024!

Research

The latest updates on legislation and regulations that impact Duke's research enterprise.

HOUSE CCP SELECT COMMITTEE RELEASES REPORT ON ECONOMIC COMPETITION STRATEGY

The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) released a report last week highlighting numerous recommendations for addressing ongoing challenges in the U.S. economic relationship with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The bipartisan report, titled "Reset, Prevent, Build: A Strategy to Win America’s Economic Competition with the Chinese Communist Party," suggested ways the U.S. can address issues concerning the PRC, including through strengthening research security and critical technology development.

Reset, Prevent, Build

HOUSE DEMS WRITE LETTER TO GAO ON FOREIGN INFLUENCE INVESTIGATIONS

Several House Democrats came together on a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) last week seeking a review of ongoing efforts at the federal level to investigate alleged foreign influences in federally funded research. The signees seek to ensure that such investigations are conducted without bias and do not discriminate against those researchers as federal agencies continue efforts in research security.

Research(er) Security

Additional Federal Relations Items of Interest to Duke

META, IBM JOIN TOGETHER IN NEW AI ALLIANCE

Meta and IBM have come together to launch the new AI Alliance, which has brought together some 50 collaborators across the globe--including NASA, the NSF and more--to create a space for open and safe use and development of AI. According to AI Alliance, it seeks to "responsibly maximize benefits to people and society everywhere. The AI Alliance brings together a critical mass of compute, data, tools, and talent to accelerate open innovation in AI."

Allies in AI

HOUSE REPUBLICANS PEN LETTER ON ANTISEMITISM RULE DELAY

House Republicans from the Committee on Workforce and Education wrote to Education Department Secretary Miguel Cardona this week, urging him to better enforce the 2019 executive order to combat antisemitism. The release of a rule on civil rights regulations for antisemitism and other discrimination based on shared ancestry has been delayed by the Biden administration twice. The new proposed rule is now expected in December 2024.

Addressing Antisemitism

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES NEW EFFORTS TO LOWER HEALTHCARE, PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

The Biden Administration announced earlier this month that it is taking action to "promote competition in health care and support lowering prescription drug costs." That includes introducing the request for information (RFI) on the proposed guidance framework for considering the exercise of march-in rights. Under the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, the government retains certain rights on any products produced through a public-private partnership using federal funding. This allows the government to "march-in" and grant licensure to products that companies have previously refused to grant, which can affect whether prices affect a drug or invention's public accessibility. The new proposed framework would, for the first time, include pricing as a factor for consideration of march-in petitions

March-In Orders

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