WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) today announced the appointment of 37 members to the National Commission on Forensic Science. The Commission, co-chaired by Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole and Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Patrick D. Gallagher, will help to improve the practice of forensic science.

Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, welcomed the announcement, saying, “I have high expectations for the Commission’s work and am reassured by the balance struck between members from the scientific, criminal justice and stakeholder communities. We need the best from all areas to accomplish the vital task of strengthening the science and standards underlying forensic disciplines used in our justice system.”  

The Commission membership was selected from more than 300 candidates and includes a Nobel Laureate in chemistry and a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Rockefeller was particularly pleased to see Dr. Suzanne Bell, a professor in forensic and analytical chemistry at West Virginia University, appointed to the Commission.

Following the release of the 2009 National Academies report, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward, Rockefeller has focused on supporting basic research in forensic science and on improving standards of practice.  He has convened three Commerce Committee hearings to highlight the need for scientific research, enforceable national standards, and Federal government leadership to validate and standardize forensic disciplines nationwide. Last Congress, Rockefeller introduced the Forensic Science and Standards Act of 2012. Though his legislation has not yet been enacted, the establishment of this Commission implements a provision in Rockefeller’s bill which calls for the creation of this entity.

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