Policy & Advocacy
SPARC advocates for policies at the local, national, and international level that promote openness in research and education. Listed below are SPARC's active policy priorities. Click here to see previous policies SPARC has advocated for.
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$5 Million Open Textbook Pilot Grant Program in FY18 Omnibus
Open Education
Congress funded a $5 million open textbook grant program in the FY18 omnibus appropriations bill, which is now being implemented by the Department of Education. This significant investment is an important milestone for the OER movement.
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FASTR: Fair Access to Science & Technology Research Act (H.R. 3427 / S. 1701)
Open AccessThe FASTR Act would require federal agencies with annual research budgets of $100 million to provide the public with online access to this research no later than six months after publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
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The OPEN Government Data Act (S. 760 / H.R. 1770)
Open DataThe Open, Permanent, Electronic, and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act is a bipartisan bill to codify President Obama’s Executive Order making “open and machine readable” the default for all government data, and has been introduced into both the U.S. House and Senate.
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The Affordable College Textbook Act (H.R. 3840 / S. 1864)
Open EducationThe Affordable College Textbook Act seeks to reduce the cost of textbooks at U.S. colleges and universities by expanding the use of open textbooks.
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AB 2192, a bill to modify The California Taxpayer Access to Publicly Funded Research Act
Open AccessAB 2192 would ensure that articles reporting on California state research funding are publicly available to all.
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Environmental Protection Agency Rule on ‘Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science’
Open Access · Open DataEPA seeking public comments on a controversial new proposed rule on 'Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science'
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Higher Education Act (HEA) Reauthorization
Open EducationThe Higher Education Act is the federal law that governs higher education and could be amended through reauthorization to promote OER at institutions of higher education.
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The Well-Informed, Scientific, and Efficient (WISE) Government Act
Open AccessThe WISE Government Act (H.R. 6501) would prohibit non-disclosure clauses in federal agency contracts with journal publishers and provide an avenue for the government to systematically collect—and share—information on how much each agency is paying for subscriptions to these materials.
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Restoring Net Neutrality
Open Access · Open Data · Open EducationThe Congressional Review Act gives Congress the power to reinstate the Open Internet Order and ensure net neutrality essential for Open Access, Open Data, and Open Education.
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The STEM Research and Education Effectiveness and Transparency Act (H.R. 4375)
The STEM Research and Education Effectiveness and Transparency Act calls for a report on broadening participation in NSF research & education programs as well as data collection from U.S. Federal science agencies on current practices in STEM research grants.
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