Accountability and transparency: Public access to federally funded research data

On September 30, 1999, in its final revision to Circular A-110, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) made federally funded research data subject to the Freedom of Information Act. In this Essay Senator Richard Shelby arg ues that OMB's revision was a critical first step in improving the accounta bility and transparency in government decision-making and scientific resear ch. Senator Shelby further contends that the Freedom of Information Act is a viable and effective vehicle for making data available to the public with out compromising important issues of privacy, national security, and intell ectual property.