Yes, this is big, even if we cleared this hurdle only to face a Bush veto.
When the same language was adopted by the House (July 19, 2007), it only received 276 votes, when it needed 290 to be veto-proof. Hence, it's not at all clear that the full Congress will be able to override a Bush veto, something both sides know very well. However, as we go into post-veto strategies, we're much better off with this language having passed both houses than having passed only one. More later.
Posted by
Peter Suber at 10/23/2007 09:24:00 PM.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
I recommend the OA tracking project (OATP) as the best way to stay on top of new OA developments. You can read the OATP feed on a blog-like web page or subscribe to it by RSS, email, or Twitter. You can also help build the feed by tagging new developments you encounter.