NIH has released a document detailing the outreach efforts it undertook before releasing the current Public Access Policy.

Excerpt:
The current Public Access Policy is the culmination of years of effort and community interaction. Prior to passage of Section 218, NIH undertook extraordinary public outreach concerning the issue of public access to the published results of NIH-funded research. These outreach efforts included a review of over six thousand public comments and the establishment of an independent advisory group to review NIH's implementation of a voluntary Public Access Policy. Additionally, as part of the process to implement Section 218 in a transparent and participatory manner, NIH formally sought public input through an open meeting and a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public comment. This open meeting occurred on March 20, 2008 and was designed to ensure that a discussion of stakeholder issues could occur. The feedback from the open meeting helped define questions for an RFI, which was published on the NIH web site on March 28, 2008 and in the Federal Register on March 31, 2008. The RFI was designed to seek input on the NIH Public Access Policy, as it was revised to incorporate Section 218, and the responses to frequently asked questions (FAQs) concerning it. The RFI was open for sixty days following publication in the Federal Register, from March 28 to May 31, 2008.

For the full report see:
http://publicaccess.nih.gov/analysis_of_comments_nih_public_access_policy.pdf

For other articles and responses to the NIH Policy:
http://www.arl.org/sparc/media/index.shtml#advocacy

Kicking the Doorstop on Open Access: Opponents are back with Legislation to Reverse NIH Policy

by Rick Weiss

All victories in Washington are temporary, the pundits say. And if the publishers of scientific journals have their way, then that truism will rise up and save them in the waning days of this Congress.

The publishers, you see, were the losers earlier this year in a long-running battle over what is known in the scientific publishing industry as "open access." But they've been quietly building a legislative Phoenix that they hope to ride to victory this year.

For the full story see:
http://www.scienceprogress.org/2008/09/kicking-the-doorstop-on-open-access/

The NIH Public Access Policy ensures that the public has access to the published results of NIH funded research. It requires scientists to submit final peer-reviewed journal manuscripts that arise from NIH funds to the digital archive PubMed Central upon acceptance for publication. To help advance science and improve human health, the Policy requires that these papers are accessible to the public on PubMed Central no later than 12 months after publication.

For information on how to comply:
National Institute of Health – Access Policy