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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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 “Pro Codes” Act (H.R. 6769)
SPARC opposes the "Pro Codes" Act that seeks to to undermine the public's ability to print, copy, or download legal text.
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Executive Directive on Public Access
Open Access · Open DataOn February 22, 2013, the White House issued an executive directive ensuring public access to both articles and data resulting from public funds.
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Past SPARC Policy Priorities
Open Access · Open Data · Open EducationThis page lists previous SPARC policy priorities that have already passed or are no longer active.
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Request for Information on the Department of Education’s Learning Agenda
Open EducationThe Department of Education seeks public input to help identify priority questions to guide the Department's evidence-building activities.
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U.S. National Cancer Moonshot Initiative
Open Access · Open DataFormer Vice-President Joe Biden is leading a newly established National Cancer Moonshot Initiative to accelerate cancer research.
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Passed into Law: 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. It passed Congress on December 31, 2018 and was signed into law on January 14,...
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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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H.R. 150 / S. 1829, the Grant Reporting Efficiency and Agreements Transparency (GREAT) Act
Open Access · Open DataThis legislation aims to simplify and harmonize federal grant recipient reporting obligations around a standard taxonomy.
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H.R.5049, the Well-Informed, Scientific, and Efficient (WISE) Government Act
Open AccessThis bill would prohibit non-disclosure clauses in federal agency contracts with journal publishers and provide a way for the government to collect information on how much each agency is paying for subscriptions to these materials.
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