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Today, Representative Mike Doyle introduced H.R. 4004 – the Federal Research Public Access Act.

The legislation would require Federal Agencies to collect digital copies of peer-reviewed journal articles that result from research supported by their grants, to create and maintain a stable digital repository containing the articles, to make them publicly accessible online, and to produce an online bibliography of all the publicly accessible papers with hyperlinks to them.

Click here for the text of the Federal Research Public Access Act

In a Press Release, Rep. Doyle said that : “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.  The Federal Research Public Access Act will encourage broader collaboration among scholars in the scientific community by permitting widespread dissemination of research findings.  Promoting greater collaboration will inevitably lead to more innovative research outcomes and more effective solutions in the fields of biomedicine, energy, education, and health care.”

In the Senate, companion legislation is being introduced by Sens. Cornyn, Wyden and Hutchison.

A statement from the Alliance for Taxpayer Access notes that the bill “signals the growing momentum toward openness, transparency, and accessibility to publicly funded information.”  It quotes Stephen Friend, President and Co-Founder of Sage Bionetworks, saying “I applaud the sponsors of the Federal Research Public Access Act for their insight and commitment to ensuring the kind of access that scientists in the academic and commercial sector need in order to reap the full benefits of the public investment in biomedical research.”