Law Commons^™

Too Much Of A Good Thing? Public Access To Medical Research After Paws V. U.W., Russell K. Yoshinaka

Washington Law Review

In Progressive Animal Welfare Society v. University of Washington, the Washington State Supreme Court held that Washington's Public Disclosure Act mandated public access to unfunded medical research grant proposals submitted by researchers to public institutions within the state. This holding conflicts with federal policy and the current national standard of maintaining full confidentiality of research grant proposals until after research actually is funded. This Note examines the harmful impact that this decision will have on medical research conducted in Washington and the implications for Washington's biotechnology industry. It recommends that both the Washington legislature and Congress act to ensure that …