Welcome

Over the years, SIOP and Lewis-Burke Associates LLC have collaborated to advance the SIOP’s interests in Washington DC and make I-O science and research accessible to federal and congressional policymakers.

As part of this effort, Lewis-Burke and the SIOP Government Relations Advocacy Team (GREAT) have partnered on this new monthly newsletter update to provide SIOP members updates the latest info on pressing federal news of interest to the I-O community, including updates on emerging workforce/workplace policies and funding opportunities.

Additional information on SIOP advocacy can be found in our quarterly TIP article  and on the Government Relations page of the SIOP website.  For questions regarding SIOP advocacy, please feel free to contact SIOP’s GREAT Chair, Alex Alonso, at alexander.alonso@shrm.org, or Bill Ruch of Lewis-Burke at bill@lewisburke.com.

Biden Administration Signs Numerous Workplace and Workforce Orders

After a chaotic election and certification process, Democrat Joe Biden was sworn in January 20, becoming the forty-sixth President of the United States.  After winning two runoff elections in Georgia earlier this January, the Democrats now control the Senate with a razor-thin 50-50 margin, with Vice President Kamala Harris being the tie-breaking vote.

The new Administration will present numerous opportunities for SIOP engagement as President Biden has pledged to elevate science in policymaking and made restoring the federal workforce a top priority.  Starting on his first day in office, President Biden has signed a flurry of executive orders (EOs) related to workforce and workplace issues, as well as other topics relevant to SIOP members, including:

  • Equity – Actions include: revoking the previous Administration’s EO on race and sex stereotyping, which would restrict federal agencies and contractors from supporting certain types of diversity and inclusion training (SIOP leadership released a statement last year in support of programs to improve diversity and inclusion in the workplace in response to the EO); strengthening workforce discrimination protections at federal agencies to include sexual orientation and gender identity; and mandating that federal agencies conduct equity assessments and effectively measure equity practices.
  •  Federal Workforce – Actions include: rescinding a number of the previous Administration’s EOs related to federal employee unions and civil service protections, including ending the new Schedule F classification that allowed agencies to strip certain employees of protections and fire them without cause, as well as instilling measures to increase collective bargaining and minimum wages, among other provisions.
  • Immigration – Actions include: preserving the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides legal status for undocumented individuals who came to the United States as children, and revoking the previous Administration’s travel ban that was criticized for targeting Muslim-majority countries.
  • Student Loans – Extending the pause on federal student loans payments through September 30, 2021, and calling on Congress to address student loan debt forgiveness in future legislation.

These are just some of the dozens of the executive actions taken by the new Administration with more expected in the weeks to come.  An updated list of EOs can be found on the new White House’s website here.

Funding Opportunity: I-O Eligible for Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) Program

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued a Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) for fiscal year 2021 competition of the Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) Program.  The GAANN program is looking to support graduate fellowships for students who demonstrate financial need and possess excellent academic records through grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) and academic departments.  An absolute priority of the notice is that the funded project must provide one or more fellowships in one of the identified “national areas of need,” or an interdisciplinary program involving at least two of these fields, or for a multidisciplinary project.  For the first time in several years, Industrial and Organizational Psychology is listed as a qualifying field.

According to the solicitation, any academic department of an IHE that “leads to a graduate degree in an area of national need” and has existed for 4 years, and/or “submits a joint application with one or more eligible non-degree-granting institutions that have formal arrangements for the support of doctoral dissertation research with one or more degree-granting institutions” is eligible to apply.  GAANN support should lead to the obtainment of the highest graduate degree awarded by the IHE in that area.  Applications will receive additional preference if the applicant meets the competitive preference priority that the applicant does not have an active GAANN grant by the deadline of the submission of applications.

The application deadline is March 1, 2021.  ED plans to fund up to 72 awards, with each award amount ranging between $101,460 and $405,840.  Project periods are expected to last up to 36 months.  For more details, the full NIA can be found here.

Publication Type
Washington InfO

Topic
Government Relations