In other open-access news, a bill that requires research funded by the NIH to be freely available within 12 months of publication is making its way in front of the US Senate (it is part of the fiscal year 2008 appropriation bill). A similar bill has already been passed in the House. Blogger Coturnix urges readers to contact their senators to "ensure that taxpayer-funded research is freely available to its funders -- the taxpayers."