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This resolution calls for the development of international standards regarding the ethical clinical use of genome-edited human embryos.

Engineering Biology Research and Development Act of 2019 This bill directs * the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to implement a National Engineering Biology Research and Development Initiative; * the OSTP to designate an interagency committee to coordinate the initiative; * the President to establish an Initiative Coordination Office; * the OSTP to designate or establish an advisory committee on engineering biology research and development; * the National Science Foundation (NSF) to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a review and make recommendations with respect to the ethical, legal, environmental, and other appropriate societal issues related to engineering biology research and development; and * the NSF and certain other federal agencies, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), to carry out specified research activities as part of the initiative.

This resolution commends biomedical researchers and other research entities for their work to improve the health of communities and encourages a continued commitment to biomedical research.

Protecting Cures Act of 2020 This bill prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from withholding funding, because of ethical considerations, for research activities that use human fetal tissue, provided that the research activities have been recommended for approval by an institutional review board and otherwise comply with existing laws concerning human fetal tissue. The bill also establishes that this research is not unethical by deeming the 1988 report of the Human Fetal Tissue Transplantation Research Panel as meeting relevant statutory requirements with respect to approving the ethical status of such research.

White House Ethics Transparency Act of 2019 This bill creates transparency requirements for ethics waivers (i.e., waivers from the requirement to sign an ethics pledge) issued to executive branch appointees. Specifically, such ethics waivers must be transmitted to the Office of Government Ethics and made publicly available online.

This resolution supports the development of guidelines for the ethical development of artificial intelligence, with aims including engagement among industry, government, academia, and civil society.

Ethics in Public Service Act This bill codifies certain provisions of an executive order requiring political appointees in the executive branch to sign an ethics pledge.

Executive Branch Comprehensive Ethics Enforcement Act This bill expands the duties and authorities of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE). Among other things, the bill authorizes the OGE to * issue subpoenas during investigations; and * order corrective actions (e.g., divestiture) and issue administrative remedies (e.g., suspension or demotion). Additionally, the OGE shall be the central repository of all laws, rules, and regulations relating to conflicts of interest and other ethics issues, recusals, waivers, and exemptions of such laws, rules, and regulations. The OGE shall make available to the public all financial disclosure reports and records relating to conflicts of interest and other ethics issues that are determined to be public information. The OGE must provide ethics education and training to all designated and alternate designated agency ethics officials, who must register with, and report to, the OGE and their appointing authority.

Executive Branch Comprehensive Ethics Enforcement Act of 2019 This bill expands the duties and authorities of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) and reauthorizes the OGE through FY2023. Among other things, the bill authorizes the OGE to * issue subpoenas during investigations, and * order corrective actions (e.g., divestiture) and issue administrative remedies (e.g., suspension or demotion). The OGE must provide ethics education and training to all designated and alternate designated agency ethics officials, who must register with, and report to, the OGE and their appointing authority. Agency ethics officials must provide specified ethics records to the OGE in a searchable, sortable, and downloadable format; such information must be published on the OGE's website.

Safe Responsible Ethical Scientific Endeavors Assuring Research for Compassionate Healthcare Act or the Safe RESEARCH Act This bill prohibits the use of tissue from an induced abortion in research conducted or supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Research with human fetal tissue or alternatives to human fetal tissue (e.g., stem cells) conducted or supported by the NIH must meet requirements currently applied only to research on the transplantation of human fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes, including requirements for the informed consent of the donor and researcher. Research conducted or supported by the NIH may use human fetal tissue only if the tissue was obtained in accordance with state law regulating anatomical gifts. Currently, executive branch officials may not prohibit the NIH from conducting or supporting research on the transplantation of human fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes. The bill repeals that limitation on executive branch officials. The bill repeals a requirement that the NIH fund certain proposals for research on the transplantation of human fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes.

Transition Team Ethics Improvement Act This bill establishes ethics requirements for a President-elect's transition team. The bill requires a President-elect to submit to Congress a report with a list of any individual (1) for whom an application for a security clearance was submitted, by 10 days after its submission; or (2) provided a security clearance, by 10 days after it was provided. The Federal Transition Coordinator must negotiate a memorandum of understanding with the transition representative of each eligible candidate by October 1 (currently November 1) of a year during which a presidential election occurs. Each memorandum of understanding shall include an agreement that the eligible candidate will implement and enforce an ethics plan to guide the conduct of the transition beginning on the date on which the candidate becomes the President-elect. The ethics plan shall include * a description of the ethics requirements that will apply to all transition team members; * a description of how the transition team will address the role on the team of registered lobbyists, former registered lobbyists, persons registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, foreign nationals, other foreign agents, and transition team members with sources of income or clients that are not disclosed to the public; * a Code of Ethical Conduct, to which each transition team member will sign and be subject to, that reflects the content of the ethics plans and that meets other specified requirements; and * a description of how the transition team will enforce the Code of Ethical Conduct.

Transition Team Ethics Improvement Act This bill establishes ethics requirements for a President-elect's transition team. The bill requires a President-elect to submit to Congress a report with a list of any individual (1) for whom an application for a security clearance was submitted, by 10 days after its submission; or (2) provided a security clearance, by 10 days after it was provided. The Federal Transition Coordinator must negotiate a memorandum of understanding with the transition representative of each eligible candidate by October 1 (currently November 1) of a year during which a presidential election occurs. Each memorandum of understanding shall include an agreement that the eligible candidate will implement and enforce an ethics plan to guide the conduct of the transition beginning on the date on which the candidate becomes the President-elect. The ethics plan shall include * a description of the ethics requirements that will apply to all transition team members; * a description of how the transition team will address the role on the team of registered lobbyists, former registered lobbyists, persons registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, foreign nationals, other foreign agents, and transition team members with sources of income or clients that are not disclosed to the public; * a Code of Ethical Conduct, to which each transition team member will sign and be subject to, that reflects the content of the ethics plans and that meets other specified requirements; and * a description of how the transition team will enforce the Code of Ethical Conduct.

Ensuring Transparent Honest Information on COVID-19 Act or the ETHIC Act This bill retroactively requires states and other jurisdictions to report specified COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a condition of receiving certain COVID-19 funding. It also directs the CDC and others to take additional actions to address public health data systems, public health infrastructure, and health disparities. Specifically, the bill directs the CDC to improve its data systems, develop relevant data and technology systems, and expand its public health infrastructure. The CDC must also award grants to government health departments to modernize their data systems, infrastructure, and collection of health disparities data. Furthermore, the Department of Health and Human Services must commission a study from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on public health data infrastructure, and the Indian Health Service must, as advised by a panel of tribal representatives, conduct research on health inequities among tribal populations, including inequities related to COVID-19.

Humane and Existing Alternatives in Research and Testing Sciences Act of 2019or the HEARTS Act of 2019 This bill directs the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to promote nonanimal research methods. Specifically, NIH must (1) provide incentives for nonanimal research and (2) require the evaluation of viable nonanimal methods before approving animal-based research. Additionally, NIH applications for research grants must include (1) harm-benefit analyses for animal-based research proposals and (2) assurance that nonanimal methods for such research are not available.

Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act of2019 This bill prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from conducting or supporting any research that involves the use of human fetal tissue from an induced abortion. The bill also prohibits soliciting or acquiring a donation of human fetal tissue from an induced abortion, other than for purposes of an autopsy or burial. The bill applies requirements on the research of transplantation of fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes to research on fetal tissue in general.

This bill codifies certain provisions of an executive order requiring political appointees in the executive branch to sign an ethics pledge.

This resolution provides amounts for the expenses of the House Committee on Ethics for the 116th Congress.

Henrietta Lacks Enhancing Cancer Research Act of 2019 This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to complete a study reviewing how federal agencies address barriers to participation in federally-funded cancer clinical trials by individuals from underrepresented populations and provide recommendations for addressing such barriers.

Supreme Court Ethics Act This bill establishes a new statutory requirement for the Judicial Conference of the United States (Judicial Conference) to issue a judicial code of conduct for judges and justices of U.S. courts (including Justices of the Supreme Court). Currently, the Judicial Conference issues a code of conduct for judges of U.S. courts (but not for Justices of the Supreme Court).

Supreme Court Ethics Act This bill establishes a new statutory requirement for the Judicial Conference of the United States (Judicial Conference) to issue a judicial code of conduct for judges and justices of U.S. courts (including Justices of the Supreme Court). Currently, the Judicial Conference issues a code of conduct for judges of U.S. courts (but not for Justices of the Supreme Court).

Space Research Innovation Act This bill directs the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to (1) establish a university-affiliated research center to facilitate NASA capabilities, and (2) use the research center to fund analyses and engineering support related to cis-lunar and deep-space missions and interplanetary research. The bill lists the following entities as eligible to participate in the research center: (1) an institution of higher education, (2) an operator of a federally funded research and development center, and (3) a nonprofit or not-for-profit research institution.

Medical Marijuana Research Act of 2019 This bill establishes a new, separate registration process to facilitate medical marijuana research. Specifically, it directs the Drug Enforcement Administration to register (1) practitioners to conduct medical marijuana research, and (2) manufacturers and distributors to supply marijuana for such research. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services must continue to produce marijuana through the National Institute on Drug Abuse Drug Supply Program and offer to sell immature plants and seeds to researchers until manufacturers and distributors can provide a sufficient supply of marijuana for medical research.

Humane Research and Testing Act of 2020 This bill establishes the National Center for Alternatives to Animal Research and Testing within the National Institutes of Health to promote alternatives to animal research and testing and to reduce the number of animals used in such research and testing. It also requires federal departments or agencies and federally funded research entities that use animals for research and testing to develop plans to reduce the use of animals in their activities and annually report the number of animals that they use to the center. The center must make this information publicly available.

Scientific Integrity Act This bill revises provisions regarding the release of scientific research results by federal agencies. The bill prohibits specified federal employees and contractors of an agency that funds, conducts, or oversees scientific research from engaging in scientific or research misconduct or manipulating communication of scientific or technical findings. A covered individual may disseminate scientific or technical findings by (1) participating in scientific conferences; and (2) seeking publication through peer-reviewed, professional, or scholarly journals. The bill specifies the kinds of scientific community activities covered individuals may participate and engage in, including the reviewing of public statements and responding to media interview requests. Each covered agency must * develop, adopt, and enforce a scientific integrity policy and also must submit it to the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and Congress; * appoint a Scientific Integrity Officer; and * adopt and implement an administrative process and administrative appeal for dispute resolution and a training program that, among other things, provides regular scientific integrity and ethics training to employees and contractors. OSTP must collate, organize, and publicly share all information it receives under each scientific integrity policy on its website.