Senators Cornyn and Lieberman yesterday introduced the Federal Research Public Access Act. If passed, this bill will mean free access to the results of research funded by 11 U.S. federal agencies for everyone – no later than 6 months after publication.
The following agencies would be included: 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.
This will make an enormous difference in access to the chemical literature, and not only for students and faculty throughout the U.S. For chemists and CWB volunteers around the world, this could mean the difference between ready access to the latest knowledge in areas like environment science and medical, and no access. For those who might be in a position to develop chemistry education programs in developing countries, this initiative will provide a needed resource to help this to happen.
Please follow the link above to the Alliance for Taxpayer Access web site for information on how to support this bill.