This provides a collection of memos, mandates, and acts that support moving towards open science practices.
2013 Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research Also known here at NIST as the OSTP Memo, it calls for all Federal agencies with research and development expenditures above $100 million to develop a Public Access Plan to support increased public access to the results of this research – specifically data produced in the course of that research. A summary of how this is impacting science is here
Managing Government Information as an Asset throughout its Life Cycle to Promote Interoperability and Openness (2013) This memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) addresses the mechanisms which are being built to assist agencies in achieving open access. It announces “Project Open Data,” an initiative which encourages strengthening data management practices, building systems to support interoperability, and adopting open formats, standards, licenses.
Digital Accountabiity and Transparency Act of 2014. This is more about transparency and spending than research outputs.
Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018
1995 The Paperwork Reduction Act (44 USC 35) has as one of its key purposes to “ensure the greatest possible public benefit from and maximize the utility of information created, collected, maintained, used, shared and disseminated by or for the federal government.”
2009 Open Government Directive M10-06 issued on January 21, 2009 directing executive departments and agencies, “to publish government information online, improve the quality of government information, create and institutionalize a culture of open government, and create an enabling policy framework for open government.”
2010 The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 Pub. L. 111-358,Section 103, outlines the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director’s “responsibility to coordinate Federal science agency research and policies related to the dissemination and long-term stewardship of the results of unclassified research, including … peer-reviewed scholarly publications, supported wholly, or in part, by funding from the Federal science agencies.”
2013 Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies: Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research Dated February 22, 2013.
2016 The Freedom of Information Act FOIA; 5 USC 552 provides for public access to the records of the federal government.
The Copyright Law 17 USC 105 provides that “copyright protection under this title is not available for any work of the United States Government.”
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130 specifies that “[t]he open and efficient exchange of scientific and technical government information … fosters excellence in scientific research and effective use of federal research and development funds.”
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-110 (section 36) specifies “The Federal awarding agency(ies) reserve a royalty-free, nonexclusive and irrevocable right to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the work for Federal purposes, and to authorize others to do so.