1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Scientific Integrity Act . 2. Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) science and the scientific process should inform and guide public policy decisions on a wide range of issues, including improvement of public health, protection of the environment, and protection of national security; (2) the public must be able to trust the science and scientific process informing public policy decisions; (3) science, the scientific process, and the communication of science should be free from politics, ideology, and financial conflicts of interest; (4) policies and procedures that ensure the integrity of the conduct and communication of publicly funded science are critical to ensuring public trust; (5) Federal agencies that fund, conduct, or oversee research should promote and maximize the communication and open exchange of data and findings to other agencies, policymakers, and the public of research conducted by a scientist or engineer employed or contracted by a Federal agency that funds, conducts, or oversees scientific research; and (6) Federal agencies that fund, conduct, or oversee research should work to prevent the suppression or distortion of the data and findings. 3. Amendment to America COMPETES Act Section 1009 of the America COMPETES Act ( 42 U.S.C. 6620 ) is amended to read as follows: (a) Prohibited conduct No covered individual shall— (1) engage in dishonesty, fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, coercive manipulation, or other scientific or research misconduct; (2) suppress, alter, interfere with, or otherwise impede the timely release and communication of, scientific or technical findings; (3) intimidate or coerce an individual to alter or censor, or retaliate against an individual for failure to alter or censor, scientific or technical findings