Improving Justice Programs through Science Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.4876 | Sponsor: Rep. Dean, Madeleine (D-PA)
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Improving Justice Programs through Science Act of 2021
This bill reestablishes the Science Advisory Board within the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Specifically, it provides statutory authority for the board. Previously, the board was created in 2010 by DOJ and terminated in 2018.

To establish a Science Advisory Board at the Department of Justice, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Improving Justice Programs 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 following:

``SEC. 110. SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD.

    ``(a) Establishment.--There is established within the Office a 
Science Advisory Board (in this section referred to as the `Board')--
            ``(1) which shall be composed of 26 senior representatives 
        of academic institutions, including primary and secondary 
        educational institutions, institutions of higher education, 
        advanced technology education, and other related entities, and 
        criminal justice 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 communities 
                on research-based policies; and
                    ``(B) advise the Attorney General with respect 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.
    ``(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 departmental 
        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 General, in 
                consultation with the Assistant Attorney General of the 
                Office and considering recommendations from--
                            ``(i) the Director of the National 
                        Institute 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 
                        Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention;
                    ``(B) include senior representatives with a balance 
                of backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints that will 
                include the expertise of scientific, 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 recommended 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;
                            ``(vii) sociology;
                            ``(viii) psychology;
                            ``(ix) political science; and
                            ``(x) other relevant sciences.
            ``(2) Terms.--The term of each member appointed under 
        paragraph (1) shall be 4 years.
            ``(3) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the membership 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
            ``(2) make recommendations to the Assistant Attorney 
        General;
            ``(3) provide advice and recommendations concerning support 
        for research, statistics, and grant programs of the Office;
            ``(4) serve as a point of contact with the academic 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 proposed 
        interdisciplinary projects across the sciences; and
            ``(7) advise on policy development, program implementation 
        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
            ``(3) any--
                    ``(A) governing Federal statute or regulation; 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 Attorney General shall submit to 
the Committee on the Judiciary 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.
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