Washington DC
THE US National Academy of Sciences will be granted an exemption from laws
that require committees advising the government to meet in public.
A new bill, passed by the House of Representatives last week and expected to
win the backing of the Senate, frees the academy from a ruling on a lawsuit
filed by animal rights groups that demanded access to academy advisory committee
meetings (This Week, 15 November, p 14).
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But the new legislation does require more transparency. Fact-finding meetings
will have to be open to the public, and minutes of closed meetings deliberating
on advice will have to be released. In addition, the outside experts who review
a final report will have to be named.
鈥淲e are delighted with the legislation,鈥� says academy president Bruce
Alberts, who feared that opening all meetings to the public could lead to
committee members being influenced by pressure groups during their
deliberations.
