Update: The New York Taxpayer Access to Publicly Funded Research Legislation (A180-2013 and S4050-2013) was introduced into the New York State Assembly on January 9, 2013 by Assembly Member Andrew Hevasi, and into the New York State Legislature on March 6, 2013 by Sens. Robach and Grisanti. The bill did not advance in the 2013 legislative session.
WHAT DOES THE LEGISLATION REQUIRE?
The legislation would require any New York State executive branch agency, commission or authority that funds direct research to establish a public access policy that would provide access to articles reporting on research funded by the state.
These policies would require funded researchers to submit an electronic copy of articles resulting from that grant and accepted for publication to the agency for deposit into a publicly accessible online database. These articles would be made publicly accessible as soon as practicable, but no later than six months after publication. An online bibliography of all the research papers made publically accessible under this policy would be produced, and each entry would be linked to the corresponding free online text.
These articles would be housed in a digital repository that provides for their free accessibility and long-term preservation. The repository must be maintained by the agency, by another repository approved by the agency.
WHY THIS BILL?
The value research is only maximized with wide use of the results of that research. Unfortunately, most research results are not available to all of these potential users because the vast majority of research funded with public dollars is available only with costly journal subscriptions, institutional licenses, or per article purchases.
New York’s taxpayers fund this research, and they have a right to expect that the results are available, and that they themselves have access to published results. To remain at the forefront of cutting-edge discoveries and innovations, we must make sure that this information is available to those who can translate this knowledge into public benefits.
SPARC Resources on The New York Taxpayer Access to Publicly Funded Research Legislation (A180-2013 and S405-2013)
