Few lawmakers at the state or national level have science backgrounds, yet they make policy decisions based upon scientific discoveries and information. We trust our representatives and senators to make these decisions every day both here in Madison and in Washington, D.C. Where do the legislators find their information to make important decisions on our behalf?
Some lawmakers draw on personal experience in technical fields when making policy decisions. Outgoing U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-TN, is a surgeon. Dr. Frist shocked the country when he went against his party and supported legislation to expand federal financing for embryonic stem cell research. ""It's not just a matter of faith, it's a matter of science,"" Frist said.
In Wisconsin, Senate Minority Leader Judy Robson, D-Beloit, the first and only registered nurse to be a Wisconsin state senator, advocates nursing as a science as well as integral to the advancement of the legislature. ""[Robson] is certainly regarded as an expertise on issues relating to health and health care ... members look to her for explanations of medical terminology and procedures,"" said Nadine Gratz, a member of Robson's staff.
For those without experience in the applicable fields, reference services are often used. According to U.S. Senator Herb Kohl's chief of staff, Joylynn Giles, ""One of the main resources for Congress members and their staff to gather information and research is the Congressional Research Service.""
CRS, which is a department of the Library of Congress, works exclusively as a nonpartisan analytical, research and reference arm for Congress. CRS serves Congress throughout the legislative process by providing comprehensive and reliable legislative research, analysis and information services that are timely, objective, non-partisan and confidential, thereby contributing to an informed national legislature.
The majority of state legislators consult the Legislative Reference Bureau, which has experts in almost every field. This state bureau is similar to the Congressional Research Service on the national level.
Perhaps the most relevant and familiar way Congress is using science to protect the American people is in the continuing fight against terrorism. Since September 11, the American people have been continuously reminded that Congress is doing its best to protect them.
However, there are gaps—especially when considering terrorism by means of science. When former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson retired from the Department of Health and Human Services in 2004, he resigned with chilling confessions at his farewell news conference: ""For the life of me, I cannot understand why the terrorists have not attacked our food supply, because it is so easy to do.""
A 2003 General Accounting Office report to Congress on bioterrorism explains his discomfort. ""The high concentration of our livestock industry and the centralized nature of our food-processing industry"" make them ""vulnerable to terrorist attack."" In this age of chemical weapons and bioterrorism, science in the legislature plays an important role in our safety and protection.
