The U.S Senate last night passed the FY08 Conference Report for LHHS.

Despite democratic efforts to tie the LHHS bill with a funding bill for veterans and military construction programs, Senate Republicans were successful in their efforts to split the bills.

The $152 billion LHHS bill, which includes public access provisions, will go back to the House for one more vote before going to the President later this week.The President has vowed to veto the bill, due to concerns over the higher funding levels. As neither the House nor the Senate has a veto proof majority, additional compromise will be necessary. The Congress is *also* moving a bill to extend the fiscal year through mid-December, providing additional time to negotiate a compromise. We'll continue to work with key policy makers to ensure that the NIH public access provisions are protected as this process moves along.

Heather Joseph, Executive Director, SPARC

-- Posted By Karen Butter to AAHSL Scholarly Communication Committee Blog at 11/08/2007 08:05:00 AM