Past SPARC Policy Priorities
SPARC advocates for policies at the local, national, and international level that promote openness in research and education. Listed below are previous SPARC policy priorities that are no longer active or have already passed. Click here to return to SPARC's active policy priorities.
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2024 U.S. Department of Education Negotiated Rulemaking
Open EducationDefeated: The Biden Administration ended its negotiated rulemaking on Cash Management in December 2024 without adopting proposed changes that would have required student opt-in authorization for inclusive access textbook billing. Negotiators failed to reach consensus in March...
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The American Science Acceleration Project (ASAP)
Open AccessThe sponsors of the American Science Acceleration Project (ASAP), a bipartisan Senate initiative that aims to make American science "ten times faster" by 2030, issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking recommendations on mechanisms to help achieve ASAP’s main objectives. SPARC's full...
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NASA’s Updated Scientific Information Policy for Science Mission Directorate (SMD)
Open Access · Open DataOn December 8, NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) released an important update to its comprehensive Scientific Information Policy (SPD-41a) to provide guidance on the open sharing of publications, data, and software .
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$5 Million for Open Textbooks in FY18 Omnibus
Open EducationEnacted: Congress created the federal Open Textbook Pilot grant program that funds open textbook creation and expansion at colleges and universities, administered by the U.S. Department of Education. A $5 million appropriation was provided in FY18.
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FASTR: Fair Access to Science & Technology Research Act
Open AccessThe Fair Access to Science and Technology Research (FASTR) Act was filed with bipartisan support in both the U.S. House and Senate in the 113th, 114th, and 115th Congresses and would have codified a 2013 White House Directive requiring public access to government-funded research following an...
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California’s Zero Textbook Cost Degree Program
Open EducationEnacted: Governor Newsom signed a $115 million expansion of California's Zero Textbook Cost degree program for community colleges, the largest state investment in OER to date.
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Stopping the Cengage/McGraw-Hill Merger
Successfully blocked: The proposed Cengage/McGraw-Hill merger, which would have combined the second and third largest higher ed publishers, was terminated in May 2020 after the companies failed to reach a divestiture agreement with the DOJ. SPARC submitted a 49-page antitrust...
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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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Oppose Section 552 That Will Block Taxpayer Access to Research
Open AccessThe U.S. House of Representatives released an appropriations bill containing language that would block implementation of the 2022 updated OSTP policy guidance (the Nelson Memo) that would ensure immediate, free access to taxpayer-funded research.
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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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