I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4876 
To establish a Science Advisory Board at the Department of Justice, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 30, 2021 
Ms. DEAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To establish a Science Advisory Board at the Department 
of Justice, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Improving Justice Pro-
grams through Science Act of 2021’’. 
SEC. 2. SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD. 
(a) AMENDMENT.—Part A of title I of the Omnibus 
Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 
10101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘SEC. 110. SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 
the Office a Science Advisory Board (in this section re-
ferred to as the ‘Board’)— 
‘‘(1) which shall be composed of 26 senior rep-
resentatives of academic institutions, including pri-
mary and secondary educational institutions, institu-
tions of higher education, advanced technology edu-
cation, and other related entities, and criminal jus-
tice and juvenile justice professionals, appointed in 
accordance with subsection (c); and 
‘‘(2) the purpose of which shall be to— 
‘‘(A) foster sustained dialogue between the 
academic and criminal and juvenile justice com-
munities on research-based policies; and 
‘‘(B) advise the Attorney General with re-
spect to— 
‘‘(i) relevant developments in criminal 
and juvenile justice research; 
‘‘(ii) the implications of developments 
described in clause (i) for Federal, State, 
and local criminal and juvenile justice 
agencies; and 
‘‘(iii) any other matters as requested 
by the Attorney General. 
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‘‘(b) CHARTER.—There shall be a charter to govern 
the structure and mission of the Board, which shall— 
‘‘(1) direct the Board to focus on the depart-
mental application of science and evidence under the 
guidance of the Attorney General; and 
‘‘(2) be reviewed and updated every 4 years, as 
appropriate. 
‘‘(c) MEMBERS.— 
‘‘(1) APPOINTMENT.—The 26 members of the 
Board shall— 
‘‘(A) be appointed by the Attorney Gen-
eral, in consultation with the Assistant Attorney 
General of the Office and considering rec-
ommendations from— 
‘‘(i) the Director of the National In-
stitute of Justice; 
‘‘(ii) the Director Bureau of Justice 
Statistics; 
‘‘(iii) the Director of the Office for 
Victims of Crime; 
‘‘(iv) the Director of the Office of Sex 
Offender 
Sentencing, 
Monitoring, 
and 
Tracking; and 
‘‘(v) the Director of the Office of Ju-
venile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; 
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‘‘(B) include senior representatives with a 
balance of backgrounds, experiences, and view-
points that will include the expertise of sci-
entific, criminal justice, and juvenile justice 
professionals; 
‘‘(C) include not fewer than 8 researchers 
in the field of statistics, evaluation, social 
sciences, or physical and biological sciences, 
which may include those researchers rec-
ommended 
by 
the 
National 
Academy 
of 
Sciences; 
‘‘(D) be selected to achieve a balance of 
backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints that 
will include the expertise of scientific, criminal 
justice, and juvenile justice practitioners; and 
‘‘(E) include not less than three-fifths of 
the members who hold terminal degrees in their 
field, have published researcher, and are leading 
research in areas, including— 
‘‘(i) criminology; 
‘‘(ii) criminal justice; 
‘‘(iii) juvenile justice; 
‘‘(iv) tribal justice; 
‘‘(v) statistics; 
‘‘(vi) economics; 
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‘‘(vii) sociology; 
‘‘(viii) psychology; 
‘‘(ix) political science; and 
‘‘(x) other relevant sciences. 
‘‘(2) TERMS.—The term of each member ap-
pointed under paragraph (1) shall be 4 years. 
‘‘(3) VACANCIES.—Any vacancy in the member-
ship of the Board shall— 
‘‘(A) not affect the powers of the Board; 
‘‘(B) be filled in the same manner as the 
original appointment; and 
‘‘(C) be only for the remainder of the term 
of the original appointment. 
‘‘(4) CHAIRPERSON.—The Attorney General, 
with the advice and recommendation of the Assistant 
Attorney General, shall appoint 1 member of the 
Science Advisory Board to serve as the Chairperson 
of the Board. 
‘‘(d) MEETINGS.—The Board shall— 
‘‘(1) meet on a regular basis to discuss science, 
research, and ongoing criminal and juvenile justice 
departmental activities, including coordination with 
other Federal, State, local, tribal, territorial, and 
private sector partners; and 
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‘‘(2) make recommendations to the Assistant 
Attorney General; 
‘‘(3) provide advice and recommendations con-
cerning support for research, statistics, and grant 
programs of the Office; 
‘‘(4) serve as a point of contact with the aca-
demic and practitioner communities to inform the 
Office of the impact of the research, statistics, and 
grant programs of the Office on both the academic 
community and the criminal and juvenile justice 
fields; 
‘‘(5) offer broad input into long-range plans 
and partnership opportunities; 
‘‘(6) serve as a forum for consideration of pro-
posed interdisciplinary projects across the sciences; 
and 
‘‘(7) advise on policy development, program im-
plementation and evaluation, and identify research 
needs and opportunities. 
‘‘(e) SUPPORT.—The Attorney General shall ensure 
that the Board complies with the requirements under— 
‘‘(1) the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 
U.S.C. App.); 
‘‘(2) section 552b of title 5 (commonly known 
as the ‘Government in the Sunshine Act’); and 
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‘‘(3) any— 
‘‘(A) governing Federal statute or regula-
tion; or 
‘‘(B) relevant policy or procedure of the 
Department of Justice.’’. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the At-
torney General shall submit to the Committee on the Judi-
ciary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary 
of the House of Representatives a report on the status 
and activities of the Science Advisory Board established 
under section 110 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control 
and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as added by subsection (a) 
of this Act. 
Æ 
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