My Letter to Congress: H.R.3699 Research Works Act 
Contact Congress
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Sen. Barbara Boxer [D, CA] Vote on Passage of H.R.3699: Not Voted Yet -
Rep. Anna Eshoo [D, CA-14] Vote on Passage of H.R.3699: Not Voted Yet -
Sen. Dianne Feinstein [D, CA] Vote on Passage of H.R.3699: Not Voted Yet
I receive government funds through the National Science Foundation to carry out my research, and to train the next generation of researchers. I believe that by accepting public funding, I also accept a duty to work in the public interest, and to make my data and results available to the public.
In contrast, the Research Works Act seems to prohibit the executive from best deciding how public knowledge created with public funds should be made available to the public who paid for it.
No-one benefits except established commercial publishers. If (as I believe) they do add value to academic publishing, they should be able to successfully compete against open-access journals. We do not need to legislate a competitive barrier favoring established commercial interests over all other taxpayers. We should not hinder other researchers and entrepreneurs.
I urge you to vote against H.R.3699, and I look forward to voting for you in the next election knowing that you have done the right thing.
Sincerely,
Simon Klemperer
Professor of Geophysics
Stanford University
Sincerely,
Simon Klemperer
Thank you for taking the time to write and share your views with me. Your comments will help me continue to represent you and other Californians to the best of my ability. Be assured that I will keep your views in mind as the Senate considers legislation on this or similar issues.
If you would like additional information about my work in the U.S. Senate, I invite you to visit my website, http://boxer.senate.gov. From this site, you can send a message to me about current events or pending legislation, access my statements and press releases, request copies of legislation and government reports, and receive detailed information about the many services that I am privileged to provide for my constituents. You may also wish to visit http://thomas.loc.gov to track current and past federal legislation.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I appreciate hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
Please do not respond to this message. If you would like to comment on legislation, please visit my website and use the correspondence form at https://www.boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/policycomments.cfm.
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