The Federal Research Public Access Act of 2010 (FRPAA) has reportedly been introduced in the US House of Representatives by Rep. Mike Doyle and other co-sponsors. The proposed bill seeks to build on the purported success of the first US mandate for public access to the published results of publicly funded research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Once passed, the bill would require federal agencies with annual extramural research budgets of $100 million or more to provide the public with online access to research manuscripts stemming from funded research no later than six months after publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The introduction of the bill – HR 5037 - is seen to fuel a growing momentum toward openness, transparency and accessibility to publicly funded information.
Like the Senate bill introduced in 2009, HR 5037 is expected to unlock unclassified research funded by agencies including: Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation.
HR 5037 follows closely on the heels of a recent expression of interest in public access policies from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The OSTP issued a request for public comment on mechanisms that would leverage federal investments in scientific research and increase access to information that promises to stimulate scientific and technological innovation and competitiveness.
The introduction of HR 5037 has reportedly been welcomed by representatives of the higher education community. The Alliance for Taxpayer Access has called on organisations and individuals to write in support of the bill through the website at http://www.taxpayeraccess.org.
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