Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act

{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}

{{Infobox U.S. legislation

| name = Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act

| fullname = A bill to provide for Federal agencies to develop public access policies relating to research conducted by employees of that agency or from funds administered by that agency.

| acronym = FASTR

|introducedby = Sens. Ron Wyden, John Cornyn, Reps. Zoe Lofgren, Mike Doyle, Kevin Yoder

|introduceddate = March 18, 2015

}}

The Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act (FASTR) is a bill in the United States that would mandate earlier public release of taxpayer-funded research. The bill has been introduced in 2013,{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/350|title=S.350 - Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act of 2013|date=2013-02-14|website=Congress.gov|access-date=October 20, 2017}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/708|title=H.R.708 - Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act of 2013|date=2013-02-14|website=Congress.gov|access-date=October 20, 2017}} 2015,{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/779|title=S.779 - Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act of 2015|website=Congress.gov|date=8 March 2016 |access-date=October 20, 2017}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/1477|title=H.R.1477 - Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act of 2015|date=2015-03-19|website=Congress.gov|access-date=October 20, 2017}} and 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/1701/|title=S.1701 - Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act of 2017|website=Congress.gov|date=2 August 2017 |access-date=October 20, 2017}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/3427|title=H.R.3427 - Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act of 2017|date=2017-07-26|website=Congress.gov|access-date=October 20, 2017}} Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced the Senate version, while the bill was introduced to the House by Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Mike Doyle (D-Penn.) and Kevin Yoder (R-Kans.). The bill is a successor to the Federal Research Public Access Act (FRPAA), which had been introduced in 2006, 2010, and 2012.

Senator Wyden advocated for the passage of the bill by arguing that "taxpayer funded research should never be hidden behind a paywall."{{cite web|url=http://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-bill-makes-taxpayer-funded-research-available-to-the-public |title=Wyden Bill Makes Taxpayer Funded Research Available to the Public |publisher=Wyden.senate.gov |date=2013-02-14 |access-date=2013-05-28}}

FASTR has been described as "The Other Aaron's Law", named for open-access activist Aaron Swartz who died in a dramatic case in support of open access research in January 2013.{{cite web|last=Peterson |first=Andrea |url=http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/02/16/1596891/fastr-open-access-aaron-swartz/ |title=The Other Aaron's Law: How FASTR Could Help Americans Access The Research They Paid For |publisher=Think Progress |date=2013-02-16 |access-date=2013-05-28}}

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs unanimously approved the bill on July 29, 2015. It was the first time that the bill or any of its predecessors had gained committee approval and been forwarded to a full house of Congress.{{Cite web|title = Senate panel approves public access bill|url = https://www.science.org/content/article/senate-panel-approves-public-access-bill|website = ScienceInsider|access-date = 2016-02-16|date = 2015-07-29|last = Kaiser|first = Jocelyn|publisher = AAAS}}

The bill is often compared to and discussed in conjunction with the Public Access to Public Science (PAPS) Act, also introduced in 2013.

As of 2024 the bill has not been enacted, partially due to lobbying by anti-open access publishers and trade groups such as Elsevier and the Association of American Publishers.{{Cite web |title=Notes on the Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act - Harvard Open Access Project |url=https://cyber.harvard.edu/hoap/Notes_on_the_Fair_Access_to_Science_and_Technology_Research_Act |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=cyber.harvard.edu}}{{Cite web |title=How should scientific publishing fit into a "world digital library"? |url=https://pubs.aip.org/physicstoday/Online/11658/How-should-scientific-publishing-fit-into-a-world |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=pubs.aip.org}}