GAO Report Calls for Independence and Balance on Federal Advisory Cmtes.

From a new GAO report, Federal Advisory Committees: Additional Guidance Could Help Agencies Better Ensure Independence and Balance (149 pages, pdf):

  • “Federal advisory committees have been called the “fifth arm of government” because of the significant role they play in advising federal agencies, the Congress, and the President on important national issues. To be effective, these advisory committees must be — and, just as importantly, be perceived as being — independent and balanced…Recently, some appointments to scientific and technical advisory committees have generated controversy because of the perception by some scientists and others that these appointments were based on ideology rather than expertise or were weighted to favor one group of stakeholders over others.”
  • For reference, see Leading Scientists Issue Report on Gov’t Control of Scientific Data
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    Posted in: Freedom of Information, Government Documents
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