HR 3762 IHCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To provide members of the public with Internet access to certain Congressional Research Service publications, and for other purposes.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

October 8, 2009CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Mr. KRATOVIL (for himself and Mr. LANCE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House AdministrationCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To provide members of the public with Internet access to certain Congressional Research Service publications, and for other purposes.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.

(a) Short Title- This Act may be cited as the ‘Congressional Research Service Electronic Accessibility Act of 2009’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Findings- Congress finds the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) The Congressional Research Service, a special reference unit within the Library of Congress, offers invaluable research and analysis to Members of Congress on all current and emerging issues of national policy.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) The Congressional Research Service staff of approximately 700 employees, including lawyers, economists, reference librarians, and social, natural, and physical scientists, are governed by requirements for accuracy, objectivity, balance, and nonpartisanship.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) The Congressional Research Service has a responsibility to ensure that Members of the House and Senate have available the best possible information and analysis on which to base the policy decisions the American people have elected them to make.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(4) It is often burdensome, difficult, and time-consuming for citizens to obtain access to objective and nonpartisan policy analysis on issues affecting their interests.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(5) It will enhance our democracy to provide citizens with access to unbiased and accurate CRS documents on legislation and other critical issues before Congress.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(6) Allowing public access to CRS will empower citizens and enable Members of Congress to become even more effective ‘representatives’ of the public’s concerns and goals.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 2. AVAILABILITY OF CERTAIN CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE INFORMATION.

(a) Establishment and Maintenance of Database of Information-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) IN GENERAL- The Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of Senate, working jointly and in consultation with the Director of the Congressional Research Service, shall establish and maintain a centralized, searchable, electronic database consisting of--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) all of the information described in paragraph (2) that is available to Members, officers, employees, and offices of the House of Representatives or Senate through the Congressional Research Service website; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) an index of the information described in subparagraph (A).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) INFORMATION DESCRIBED- The information described in this paragraph is as follows:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) Congressional Research Service Issue Briefs.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) Congressional Research Service Reports.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(C) Congressional Research Service Authorization of Appropriations Products and Appropriations Products.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Limitations-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION- Subsection (a) does not apply to--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) any information that is confidential, as determined by--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) the Director, orCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) the head of a Federal department or agency that provided the information to the Congressional Research Service; orCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) any document that is the product of a confidential research request made by a Member, officer, employee, or office of the House of Representatives or Senate.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) REDACTION AND REVISION- In carrying out this section, the Clerk and the Secretary, on the basis of information provided by the Director, may--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) remove from the information included in the database the name and phone number of, and any other information regarding, an employee of the Congressional Research Service;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) remove from the information included in the database any material for which the Director determines that including the information on the database may infringe the copyright of a work protected under title 17, United States Code; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(C) make any changes in the information included in the database that the Director determines necessary to ensure that the information is accurate and current.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(c) Prior Approval Not Required- Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the Director may take such actions as may be necessary to enable the Clerk and Secretary to establish and maintain the database under this section, including providing the information described in subsection (a)(2), without obtaining the prior approval of the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate, the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives, or the Joint Committee on Printing.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 3. METHOD OF PUBLIC ACCESS.

(a) Access Through Websites of Members and Committees- Each official public website of a Member of the House of Representatives or Senate, a committee of the House of Representatives or Senate, or a joint committee of the Congress shall permit members of the public to use the website to obtain the information contained in the database established under section 2, in the same manner and to the same extent as Members, officers, employees, and offices of the House of Representatives and Senate may obtain such information through the Congressional Research Service website.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Regulations- Subsection (a) shall be carried out--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) in the case of websites of Members and committees of the House of Representatives, in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) in the case of websites of Members and committees of the Senate, in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) in the case of any other website to which subsection (a) applies, in accordance with regulations promulgated jointly by the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 4. NO RESPONSE TO PUBLIC INQUIRIES REQUIRED.

Nothing in this Act shall be construed to require the Director to respond to any inquiry made by a member of the public with respect to any of the information contained in the database established and maintained under section 2 or made available the public on the Internet pursuant to section 3.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) the term ‘Clerk’ means the Clerk of the House of Representatives;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) the term ‘Director’ means the Director of the Congressional Research Service;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) the term ‘Member of the House of Representatives’ includes a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(4) the term ‘Secretary’ means the Secretary of the Senate.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink