Equal Access to Congressional Research Service Reports Act of 2017
This bill directs the Government Publishing Office (GPO) to establish, maintain, and ensure the automatic updating of a public website containing Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports, and an index, that are searchable, sortable, and downloadable (including in bulk), for which no fee may be charged.
The CRS Reports on the website shall include CRS Authorization of Appropriations Products, Appropriations Products, and any other written CRS product containing CRS research or analysis that is available for general congressional access on the CRS Congressional Intranet.
The website shall exclude:
Before transmitting a CRS Report to the GPO for publication on the website, CRS may remove the name of, and any contact information for, any CRS employee.
The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 is amended to require CRS to comply with this bill.
[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2335 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2335
To direct the Director of the Government Publishing Office to provide
members of the public with Internet access to Congressional Research
Service reports, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 3, 2017
Mr. Lance (for himself and Mr. Quigley) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on House Administration
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Director of the Government Publishing Office to provide
members of the public with Internet access to Congressional Research
Service reports, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Equal Access to Congressional
Research Service Reports Act of 2017''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
(a) CRS Product.--In this Act, the term ``CRS product'' means any
final work product of CRS in any format.
(b) CRS Report.--
(1) In general.--In this Act, the term ``CRS Report'' means
any written CRS product, including an update to a previous
written CRS product, consisting of--
(A) a Congressional Research Service Report;
(B) a Congressional Research Service Authorization
of Appropriations Product and Appropriations Product;
or
(C) subject to paragraph (2)(C), any other written
CRS product containing CRS research or CRS analysis
which is available for general congressional access on
the CRS Congressional Intranet.
(2) Exclusions.--The term ``CRS Report'' does not include--
(A) any CRS product that is determined by the CRS
Director to be a custom product or service because it
was prepared in direct response to a request for custom
analysis or research and is not available for general
congressional access on the CRS Congressional Intranet;
(B) any Congressional Research Service Report or
any Congressional Research Service Authorization of
Appropriations Product and Appropriations Product
which, as of the effective date of this Act, is not
available for general congressional access on the CRS
Congressional Intranet; or
(C) a written CRS product that has been made
available by CRS for publication on a public website
maintained by the GPO Director (other than the Website)
or the Library of Congress.
(c) Other Definitions.--In this Act--
(1) the term ``CRS'' means the Congressional Research
Service;
(2) the term ``CRS Congressional Intranet'' means any of
the websites maintained by CRS for the purpose of providing to
Members and employees of Congress access to information from
CRS;
(3) the term ``CRS Director'' means the Director of CRS;
(4) the term ``GPO Director'' means the Director of the
Government Publishing Office;
(5) the term ``Member of Congress'' includes a Delegate or
Resident Commissioner to Congress; and
(6) the term ``Website'' means the website established and
maintained under section 3.
SEC. 3. AVAILABILITY OF CRS REPORTS THROUGH GPO WEBSITE.
(a) Website.--
(1) Establishment and maintenance.--The GPO Director, in
consultation with the CRS Director, shall establish and
maintain a public website containing CRS Reports and an index
of all CRS Reports contained on the website, in accordance with
this section.
(2) Format.--On the Website, CRS Reports shall be
searchable, sortable, and downloadable, including downloadable
in bulk.
(3) Free access.--Notwithstanding section 4102 of title 44,
United States Code, the GPO Director may not charge a fee for
access to the Website.
(b) Updates; Disclaimer.--The GPO Director, in consultation with
the CRS Director, shall ensure that the Website--
(1) is updated contemporaneously, automatically, and
electronically to include each new or updated CRS Report
released on or after the effective date of this Act;
(2) shows the status of each CRS Report as new, updated, or
withdrawn; and
(3) displays the following statement in reference to the
CRS Reports included on the Website: ``These documents were
prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS
serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees
and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of
and under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS
Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public
understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to
Members of Congress in connection with CRS's institutional
role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government,
are not subject to copyright protection in the United States.
Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its
entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report
may include copyrighted images or material from a third party,
you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder
if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.''.
(c) Furnishing of Necessary Information and Technology.--The CRS
Director shall consult with and provide assistance to the GPO Director
to ensure--
(1) that the GPO Director is provided with all of the
information necessary to carry out this Act, including all of
the information described in subparagraphs (A) through (E) of
section 4(a)(1), in such format and manner as the GPO Director
considers appropriate; and
(2) that CRS makes available and implements such technology
as may be necessary to facilitate the contemporaneous,
automatic, and electronic provision of CRS Reports to the GPO
Director as required under this Act.
(d) Nonexclusivity.--The GPO Director may publish other information
on the Website.
(e) Additional Techniques.--The GPO Director and the CRS Director
may use additional techniques to make CRS Reports available to the
public, if such techniques are consistent with this Act and any other
applicable laws.
(f) Additional Information.--The CRS Director is encouraged to make
additional CRS products that are not custom products or services
available to the GPO Director for publication on the Website, and the
GPO Director is encouraged to publish such CRS products on the Website.
(g) Expansion of Contents of Annual Report to Congress To Include
Information on Efforts To Make Additional Products Available on
Website.--Section 203(i) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946
(2 U.S.C. 166(i)) is amended by striking the period at the end and
inserting the following: ``, and shall include in the report a
description of the efforts made by the Director to make additional
Congressional Research Service products that are not custom products or
services available to the Director of the Government Publishing Office
for publication on the website established and maintained under the
Equal Access to Congressional Research Service Reports Act of 2017.''.
SEC. 4. WEBSITE CONTENTS.
(a) Specific Requirements for Reports Posted on Website.--
(1) Responsibilities of gpo director.--With respect to each
CRS Report included on the Website, the GPO Director shall
include--
(A) the name and identification number of the CRS
Report;
(B) an indication as to whether the CRS Report is
new, updated, or withdrawn;
(C) the date of release of the CRS Report;
(D) the division or divisions of CRS that were
responsible for the production of the CRS Report; and
(E) any other information the GPO Director, in
consultation with the CRS Director, considers
appropriate.
(2) Responsibilities of crs director.--With respect to each
CRS Report included on the Website, the CRS Director shall,
prior to transmitting the Report to the GPO Director--
(A) at the discretion of the CRS Director, remove
the name of and any contact information for any
employee of CRS; and
(B) include in the CRS Report the following written
statement: ``This document was prepared by the
Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as
nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees
and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the
behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon
for purposes other than public understanding of
information that has been provided by CRS to Members of
Congress in connection with CRS's institutional role.
CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government,
are not subject to copyright protection in the United
States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and
distributed in its entirety without permission from
CRS. However, as this CRS Report may include
copyrighted images or material from a third party, you
may need to obtain the permission of the copyright
holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted
material.''.
(b) Specific Requirements for Index on Website.--The GPO Director
shall ensure that the index of all CRS Reports published on the Website
is--
(1) comprehensive;
(2) contemporaneously updated;
(3) searchable;
(4) sortable;
(5) maintained in a human-readable format;
(6) maintained in a structured data format;
(7) downloadable; and
(8) inclusive of each item of information described in
subsection (a)(1) with respect to each CRS Report.
SEC. 5. CONFORMING AMENDMENT TO DUTIES OF CRS.
Section 203(d) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2
U.S.C. 166(d)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (7);
(2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (8) and
inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(9) to comply with the requirements of, and provide
information and technological assistance consistent with, the
Equal Access to Congressional Research Service Reports Act of
2017.''.
SEC. 6. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.
(a) No Effect on Speech or Debate Clause.--Nothing in this Act may
be construed to diminish, qualify, condition, waive, or otherwise
affect the applicability of clause 1 of section 6 of article I of the
Constitution of the United States (commonly known as the ``Speech or
Debate Clause'') or any other privilege available to Congress or
Members, offices, or employees of Congress with respect to any CRS
Report made available online under this Act.
(b) Confidential Communications.--Nothing in this Act may be
construed to waive the requirement that any confidential communication
by CRS to a Member, office, or committee of Congress shall remain under
the custody and control of Congress and may be released only by
Congress and its Houses, Members, offices, and committees, in
accordance with the rules and privileges of each House and the
requirements of this Act.
(c) Dissemination of CRS Products.--Nothing in this Act may be
construed to limit or otherwise affect the ability of a Member, office,
or committee of Congress to disseminate CRS products on a website of
the Member, office, or committee or to otherwise provide CRS products
to the public, including as part of constituent service activities.
SEC. 7. EFFECTIVE DATE.
(a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection (b), this Act and
the amendments made by this Act shall take effect 90 days after the
date on which the GPO Director submits the certification described in
subsection (b)(2).
(b) Provision of Information and Technology.--
(1) CRS deadline.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the CRS Director shall provide the GPO
Director with the information and technology necessary for the
GPO Director to begin the initial operation of the Website.
(2) Certification.--Upon provision of the information and
technology described in paragraph (1), the GPO Director shall
submit to Congress a certification that the CRS Director has
provided the information and technology necessary for the GPO
Director to begin the initial operation of the Website.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
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