To provide for the establishment of a Center for Scientific and Technical Assessment.

Summary: Establishes: (1) a Center for Scientific and Technical Assessment to provide timely advice to Congress on scientific and technical aspects of public policy issues, administered by a Director; and (2) a Technical Assessment Board to provide guidance to the Director to ensure that the Center provides timely and useful responses to congressional requests.

Authorizes the Director to appoint, with the approval of the Comptroller General, a Deputy Director. Prohibits the Director and Deputy Director from engaging in any other business, vocation, or employment, or (except with the Comptroller General's approval) holding any office in, or acting in any capacity for, any organization, agency, or institution with which the Center makes any contract or other arrangement under this Act.

Permits: (1) any Member of Congress to make requests to the Board that the Center conduct an investigation and report to the requester, within a specified time period, on any matter relating to scientific and technical assessment (and sets priorities for requests); and (2) the Director to establish an advisory panel as necessary to support each technical assessment report.

Requires each report to be subject to peer review before delivery to the committee or Member requesting it. Provides for public release of unclassified reports, subject to a delay of up to two weeks at the request of the Board or a Member.

SECTION 1. CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT.

    (a) Establishment.--There shall be established a Center for 
Scientific and Technical Assessment (in this section referred to as the 
``Center'') to provide timely advice to the Congress on scientific and 
technical aspects of public policy issues. The Center shall be 
administered by a Director.
    (b) Technical Assessment Board.--
            (1) Establishment and purpose.--There shall be established 
        a Technical Assessment Board whose purpose shall be to provide 
        guidance to the Director of the Center to ensure that the 
        Center provides timely and useful responses to congressional 
        requests.
            (2) Membership.--The Technical Assessment Board established 
        under paragraph (1) shall consist of--
                    (A) 6 members of the Senate appointed by the 
                President Pro Tempore of the Senate, including 3 from 
                the majority party and 3 from the minority party;
                    (B) 6 members of the House of Representatives 
                appointed by the Speaker of the House of 
                Representatives, including 3 from the majority party 
                and 3 from the minority party;
                    (C) the Comptroller General; and
                    (D) the Director of the Congressional Research 
                Service and the Director of the Center, who shall be 
                nonvoting members.
        Service as a member on the Technical Assessment Board shall not 
        be construed under the rules of the House of Representatives or 
        the Senate as service as a member of a House of Representatives 
        or Senate Committee.
            (3) Vacancies.--Vacancies in the membership of the 
        Technical Assessment Board shall not affect the authority of 
        the remaining members to act, and such vacancies shall be 
        filled in the same manner as in the case of the original 
        appointment.
            (4) Chairman and vice chairman.--There shall be selected at 
        the beginning of each Congress a chairman and a vice chairman, 
        one of whom shall be a member of the Senate selected by the 
        members of the Technical Assessment Board who are members of 
        the Senate from among their number, and one of whom shall be a 
        member of the House of Representatives selected by the members 
        of the Technical Assessment Board who are members of the House 
        of Representatives from among their number. The chairmanship 
        and vice chairmanship shall alternate between the Senate and 
        the House of Representatives with each year. The chairman 
        during each odd-numbered year shall be a member of the House of 
        Representatives. The vice chairman shall act in the place of 
        the chairman in the absence of the chairman.
            (5) Authority to act.--The Technical Assessment Board 
        established under this subsection may sit and act at such 
        places and times as it chooses, including during the sessions, 
        recesses, and adjourned periods of Congress.
    (c) Director and Deputy Director.--
            (1) Director.--The Director of the Center shall be 
        appointed by the Comptroller General with the approval of the 
        Technical Assessment Board and shall serve for a term of 6 
        years unless sooner removed by the Technical Assessment Board. 
        The Director shall receive basic pay at the rate provided for 
        level III of the Executive Schedule under section 5314 of title 
        5, United States Code.
            (2) Powers and duties.--In addition to the powers and 
        duties vested by this section, the Director shall exercise such 
        powers and duties as may be delegated by the Technical 
        Assessment Board. The Director, with the permission of the 
        Comptroller General, shall have the authority to hire, remove, 
        or promote permanent staff and enter into contracts for 
        consultants, expert analysis, and peer reviewers described in 
        subsection (f). In consultation with the Technical Assessment 
        Board and with the approval of the Comptroller General, the 
        Director shall prepare the annual budget for the Center for 
        submission to Congress.
            (3) Deputy director.--The Director may appoint, with the 
        approval of the Comptroller General, a Deputy Director who 
        shall perform such functions as the Director may prescribe and 
        who shall be Acting Director during the absence or incapacity 
        of the Director or in the event of a vacancy in the office of 
        Director. The Deputy Director shall receive basic pay at the 
        rate provided for level IV of the Executive Schedule under 
        section 5315 of title 5, United States Code.
            (4) Conflicts of interest.--Neither the Director nor the 
        Deputy Director shall engage in any other business, vocation, 
        or employment than that of serving as such Director or Deputy 
        Director, as the case may be; nor shall the Director or Deputy 
        Director, except with the approval of the Comptroller General, 
        hold any office in, or act in any capacity for, any 
        organization, agency, or institution with which the Center 
        makes any contract or other arrangement under this section.
    (d) Congressional Requests.--
            (1) In general.--Any member of Congress may make requests 
        to the Technical Assessment Board that the Center conduct an 
        investigation and report to the requester, within a specified 
        time period, on any matter relating to scientific and technical 
        assessment.
            (2) Formal calls for requests.--The chairman of the 
        Technical Assessment Board established under subsection (b) 
        shall submit to all members of Congress formal calls for 
        requests under this subsection.
            (3) Prioritization.--Requests under paragraph (1) shall be 
        addressed by the Center in accordance with the following 
        priority order:
                    (A) Requests with bipartisan and bicameral support.
                    (B) Requests with bipartisan support.
                    (C) Requests from other members.
        The Director, with the approval of the Technical Assessment 
        Board, may determine the final priority for consideration of 
        and fulfilling requests among and within each category 
        described in subparagraphs (A) through (C).
    (e) Advisory Panels.--The Director may establish an advisory panel 
as necessary to support each technical assessment report provided by 
the Center. Such panels shall not be subject to the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.).
    (f) Peer Review.--Each report requested under this subsection shall 
be subject to peer review before delivery to the committee or member of 
Congress requesting the report. Such peer review shall consist of 
rigorous vetting, checking, criticism, and recommendations for 
improvement by independent, qualified experts in the various aspects of 
the subject of the request under study. Independent experts shall 
assess each Center report by considering the scientific method, factual 
accuracy, results, and conclusions put forward by the authors. The peer 
reviewers' comments shall be given to the report authors to allow for 
change, improvement, and modification of the report before delivery to 
the Director. After final review by the Director, and the approval of 
the Technical Assessment Board, the report shall be delivered to the 
committee or member of Congress requesting the report.
    (g) Public Release.--Except for classified reports, the Center, 
with the permission of the Technical Assessment Board, shall promptly 
release a report requested under subsection (d) to the public, except 
that such release shall be delayed by not more than 2 weeks at the 
request of the Technical Assessment Board or a member of Congress.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Comptroller General for carrying out this section 
$30,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2005 through 2007, to remain 
available until expended.