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ACTION ALERT
January 12, 2012

Contact Your Representative Today
Urge them to Oppose H.R. 3699

 

Background Information:

On December 16, 2011, Representatives Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) introduced "The Research Works Act" which would turn back the NIH Public Access Policy. The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

What You Can Do Now:

Please contact your House Member, especially if they sit on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and urge them to oppose H.R. 3699. Following are talking points* that you may wish to utilize in your communication:

  • The bill would prohibit federal agencies from conditioning their grant funding to require that all members of the public be guaranteed online access to the research findings that their tax dollars fund;
  • The bill would reverse the NIH Public Access Policy and stifle critical advancements in life-saving research and scientific discovery;
  • The NIH Public Access Policy currently provides millions of Americans with access to vital health care information from the NIH PubMed Central database;
    • Under this policy, more than 90,000 new biomedical manuscripts are deposited for public accessibility each year
  • H.R. 3699 would prohibit the deposit of these manuscripts, seroiusly impeding the ability of researchers, physicians, healthcare professionals and patients from accessing and using this health-related information in a timely manner;
  • H.R. 3699 would also affect scientific research coming from other federal agencies including information on energy, the environment, climate change, and other areas that impact the well being of th epublic
  • Address how our library and community have benefited from the NIH Public Access Policy

To find your House members, go to http://www.house.gov/. Members of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform can be found on the Committee web site. Phone numbers and email addresses for all congressional offices are also listed on the house website. Calling works best, but you may also communicate via email.

Tips for communicating with congressional offices:

1. Identify yourself as a constituent and ask to speak with the House member’s Health Care Legislative Assistant.
2. Tell the aide that you are a health sciences librarian who understands and benefits from the programs and services of the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, including the NIH Public Access Policy.
3. Ask the senator to oppose H.R. 3699.
4. Briefly explain why the policy is important to you.
5. Give the aide your contact information and ask to be informed about the actions of the legislator on these key issues.

If you have questions or need additional information, contact Mary Langman at langman@mlahq.org.

 

*Talking points developed by the Alliance for Taxpayer Access.

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