CA AB609

Enacts the California Taxpayer Access to Publicly Funded Research Act, effective until January 1, 2020, requiring public access to research funded by the State Department of Public Health.

Mandates that grantees receiving State Department of Public Health research grants make peer-reviewed manuscripts publicly available within 12 months of publication through approved databases such as PubMed Central, UC eScholarship Repository, or the California Digital Open Source Library.

Requires grantees to include specific terms and conditions in research grants, including reporting final disposition of research and ensuring publishing agreements comply with public access requirements.

Authorizes grantees to use grant funds for publication costs, including color charges, page charges, and digital distribution fees.

Exempts grantees with existing publication requirements that meet or exceed these standards and does not apply to research grants issued before January 1, 2015.