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SM 15

USE OF CITIZEN SCIENTISTS

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Pete Campos

SM 15 is a memorial recognizing citizen scientists and urging policy-makers to consider their work; it creates no binding duties, funding, or rules and is postponed indefinitely.

action postponed indefinitely
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Bill Summary · SM 15

Summary of SM 15 — USE OF CITIZEN SCIENTISTS

Overview

  • Bill Number: SM 15
  • Title: USE OF CITIZEN SCIENTISTS
  • Classification: Memorial (non-binding; expresses sentiment or wishes)
  • Introduced: February 20, 2025
  • Status: Action postponed indefinitely (as of June 3, 2025)
  • Subject: Memorials, OTHER
  • Legislative Actions:
    • 2025-02-20: Sent to Senate Rules Committee & Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee
    • 2025-06-03: Action postponed indefinitely

Purpose and Intent

  • As a memorial, SM 15 is intended to express the Senate’s stance regarding the use of citizen scientists rather than to create binding legal obligations, funding, or regulatory requirements.
  • Based on the title, the measure appears to acknowledge or highlight the role of citizen scientists in research and public-interest science, and to encourage consideration of their contributions in policy discussions. The exact language and specific requests (if any) would be found in the text of the bill, which is not provided here.

Key Provisions and Changes

  • Text not provided in the summary, but as a memorial, the bill would typically:
    • Express the Senate’s support or recognition of citizen scientists.
    • Call for consideration of best practices, ethical guidelines, or collaboration between citizen scientists and formal researchers.
    • Encourage relevant state agencies, educational institutions, or policymakers to engage with citizen science efforts.
  • No mandatory duties, funding appropriation, or regulatory authority is expected with memorials; any substantive actions would come from other statutes or future legislation.

Who and What Would Be Affected

  • Primary effect: Symbolic acknowledgment by the Senate.
  • Potentially affected groups:
    • Citizen scientists and community-based researchers
    • Schools, universities, and science organizations that involve non-professional scientists
    • State science policymakers and regulatory bodies
    • The general public, by signaling support for participatory science

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Introduced on February 20, 2025, and referred to the Senate Rules Committee and Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee.
  • On June 3, 2025, the measure was placed on a path of action “postponed indefinitely,” meaning it is effectively shelved and unlikely to advance unless revived.
  • As a memorial, even if revived, it would primarily influence dialogue and goodwill rather than create enforceable policy or fiscal obligations.

Notes

  • The text of SM 15 is not included in the provided materials; the above interpretation relies on the bill’s memorial classification and title.
  • If the text becomes available, the summary can be updated to reflect specific language, recommendations, or calls to action included in the measure.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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