[Libs-Or] INFORMATION It’s FRPAA time! Pro-open access legislation introduced in House and Senate

[Diedre Conkling]

http://networkedblogs.com/tV1DQ It’s FRPAA time! Pro-open access
legislation introduced in House and Senate

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Corey Williams

Yesterday members in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of
Representatives introduced identical bills with bipartisan support aimed at
improving access to federally funded research. In the House, the Federal
Research Public Access Act of 2012 (or FRPAA) (H.R.
4004<http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:HR4004:>)
was introduced in the morning by Rep. Doyle (D-PA) and co-sponsored by
Reps. Yoder (R-KS) and Clay (D-MO), and referred to the House Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform. In the Senate, a bill by the same name (S.
2096 <http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:S2096:>) was introduced
late in the day by Sens. Cornyn (R-TX) and co-sponsored by Senators Wyden
(D-OR) and Hutchison (R-TX), and then referred to the Senate Committee on
Homeland Security and Government Affairs.

If passed, the Federal Research Public Access Act of 2012 would:

   - Require federal departments and agencies with an annual extramural
   research budget of $100 million to develop a policy to ensure researchers
   submit an electronic copy of the final manuscript accepted for publication
   in a peer-reviewed journal.
   - Ensure that the manuscript is preserved in a stable digital repository
   maintained by that agency or in another suitable repository that permits
   free public access, interoperability, and long-term preservation.
   - Require that each taxpayer-funded manuscript be made available to the
   public online and without cost, no later than six months after the article
   has been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Sound familiar? It should – these bills are essentially identical to FRPAA
legislation introduced in previous
Congresses<http://www.ala.org/advocacy/access/accesstoinformation/publiclyfundedresearch/s1373>dating
back to 2006. The ALA has a history of strong support for this type
of legislation – as they build on the success of the National Institutes of
Health (NIH) Public Access Policy implemented in 2008. If you recall, the
NIH Public Access Policy ensures that the public have access to the
published results of NIH funded research no later than 12 months after
publication. FRPAA legislation would be a big step in the right direction
by expanding the amount of research made available* and* providing access
to it to no later than 6 months after publication.

Rep. Doyle sums up the intent of the legislation by stating in his press
release<http://doyle.house.gov/press-releases-1/2012/02/doyle-introduces-bill-to-ensure-public-access-to-federally-funded-research.shtml>
,

Americans have the right to see the results of research funded with
taxpayer dollars….Yet such research too often gets locked away behind a
pay-wall, forcing those who want to learn from it to pay expensive
subscription fees for access.

Bottom line – our patrons, the American public, should not have to fund
federal research with their tax dollars and then have to pay for it
*again*to access it. The ALA has been a long-time, ardent supporter of
increasing
access to information of all types, including federally funded research.
Thus, the ALA is a strong supporter of FRPAA legislation and will advocate
for passage of these bills.

But wait, there’s more! FRPAA is also the perfect antidote to the bitter *
anti-*open access “pill” being pushed by Rep. Issa in the House with his
Research Works Act bill (H.R.
3699<http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:HR3699:>).
Rep. Issa’s bill, if passed, would nullify the NIH Public Access policy and
prevent any such similar policies from being implemented. Let’s shift the
conversation and focus our energy on legislation that *improves *access to
the public (i.e. taxpayers). Today’s (re)introduction of FRPAA legislation
is a positive and welcome addition to improving access to federally funded
research.

Corey Williams
Associate Director, Office of Government Relations
American Library Association



http://networkedblogs.com/tV1DQ



-- 
*Diedre Conkling**
Lincoln County Library District
P.O. Box 2027
Newport, OR 97365
Phone & Fax: 541-265-3066
Work email**: **diedre at lincolncolibrarydist.org*<diedre at lincolncolibrarydist.org>
*
Home email: **diedre08 at gmail.com* <diedre08 at gmail.com>

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