From Current Cites:
Sternstein, Aliya. “Bill Demands Free Public Access to Science Reports” Federal Computer Week 20(15)(15 May 2006): 56. – It only makes sense, right? Taxpayers should have free access to the science research that they’ve paid for. Well, that access would be guaranteed if a bill introduced by Sens. John Coryn (R-TX) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT) — the Federal Research Public Access Act of 2006 — makes it into law. Says the article, “It mandates that agencies with annual research budgets of more than $100 million to implement a public access policy granting swift access to research supported by those agencies.” Basically. this means that articles reporting on publicly funded research must be made freely available online six months after publication in a scholarly journal. Some 11 agencies are covered: the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security and Transportation; the Environmental Protection Agency; NASA; and the National Science Foundation. The article notes that “some publishers believe the six-month provision will disrupt their business models, and they remain skeptical that legislation is needed.” The Association of American Publishers (AAP), which opposes the bill, “is urging that an independent study be conducted to measure the bill’s potential impact on scientific quality, the peer-review process, and the financial standing of journals…” – SK
