As Congress begins conference negotiations to reconcile the America COMPETES Act (H.R. 4521) and the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (S. 1260), a group of 83 organizations, including AIBS, is urging lawmakers to oppose the inclusion of certain harmful provisions that would change current public access policies for peer-reviewed journals.
Specifically, the organizations oppose the inclusion of Section 2527(b) of the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act in the final conferenced legislation. “Section 2527(b), purportedly offered to improve ‘public accessibility of research funded by taxpayers,’ would instead undercut the public’s interest in scientific and scholarly integrity, which is key for progress across science, medicine, and academic scholarship,” the groups note in their letter to Congressional leadership.
“Current federal policy is delivering public access,” the groups argue. “Section 2527(b) would disrupt the current policy framework, which is working well precisely because it is flexible and collaborative.”
Stay current on the latest science policy news. Subscribe to our bi-weekly AIBS Public Policy Report.