PSI Sci
New here? Follow the money and the votes · Not sure of your district? Find your U.S. House member · Find your state legislators

H.R. 3157: Public Access to Public Science Act

Before you vote › Federal bills

H.R. 3157: Public Access to Public Science Act

113th Congress · introduced 2013-09-20 · Science, Technology, Communications · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Research and Technology.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2013-09-20 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. [R-WI-5] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Research and Technology. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Public Access to Public Science Act

Plain summary

Public Access to Public Science Act - Directs each of the covered agencies (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA], National Science Foundation [NSF], National Institute of Standards and Technology [NIST], and National Weather Service [NWS]) to formulate and implement a public access policy to make covered works publicly available, without charge, on the day after the end of an embargo period. Defines: (1) "covered work" as any peer-reviewed research results published in scholarly publications, with certain exceptions, that are based on research funded in whole or in part by a covered agency; and (2) "embargo period" as the period of time no more than 12 months after the initial date of publication of a covered work, unless modified. Specifies that the public access policy shall: (1) allow the public to read, download, and analyze by machine covered works in digital form; (2) facilitate easy public search of, analysis of, and access to covered works; (3) encourage public-private collaboration; (4) ensure that attribution to authors, journals, and original publishers is maintained; and (5) ensure that publications and metadata are stored in an archive. Requires a covered agency's public access policy to ensure full public access to covered works' metadata, without charge, upon first publication. Requires each covered agency, in coordination with specified stakeholders, to provide a mechanism for a stakeholder to petition to change the embargo period for specific covered works by presenting evidence that the public will be substantially and uniquely harmed under the agency's public access policy related to that work.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Public Access to Public Science Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. [R-WI-5] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong113-hr3157 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113