I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3630

To make available on the Internet, for purposes of access and retrieval 

by the public, certain information available through the Congressional 

Research Service Web site. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 21, 2003

Mr. SHAYS (for himself, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, and Mr. 

GREEN of Wisconsin) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on House Administration 

A BILL

To make available on the Internet, for purposes of access 

and retrieval by the public, certain information available 

through the Congressional Research Service Web site.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Congressional Re5 search Accessibility Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. AVAILABILITY OF CERTAIN CRS INFORMATION. 

7 (a) AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION.—

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Con9 gressional Research Service shall make available 
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1 through a centralized, searchable, electronic data2 base, for purposes of access and retrieval by the 

3 public as described in section 3, all information de4 scribed in paragraph (2) that is available through 

5 the Congressional Research Service Web site. 

6 (2) INFORMATION TO BE MADE AVAILABLE.—

7 The information to be made available under para8 graph (1) is as follows: 

9 (A) Congressional Research Service Issue 

10 Briefs. 

11 (B) Congressional Research Service Re12 ports that are available to Members of Congress 

13 through the Congressional Research Service 

14 website. 

15 (C) Congressional Research Service Au16 thorization of Appropriations Products and Ap17 propriations Products. 

18 (b) LIMITATIONS.—

19 (1) CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.—Subsection 

20 (a) does not apply to—

21 (A) any information that is confidential, as 

22 determined by—

23 (i) the Director, or 
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1 (ii) the head of a Federal department 

2 or agency that provided the information to 

3 the Congressional Research Service; or 

4 (B) any document that is the product of 

5 an individual, office, or committee research re6 quest. 

7 (2) REDACTION AND REVISION.—In carrying 

8 out this section, the Director of the Congressional 

9 Research Service may—

10 (A) remove from the information required 

11 to be made available under subsection (a) the 

12 name and phone number of, and any other in13 formation regarding, an employee of the Con14 gressional Research Service; 

15 (B) remove from the information required 

16 to be made available under subsection (a) any 

17 material for which the Director determines that 

18 making it available under subsection (a) may 

19 infringe the copyright of a work protected 

20 under title 17, United States Code; and 

21 (C) make any changes in the information 

22 required to be made available under subsection 

23 (a) that the Director determines necessary to 

24 ensure that the information is accurate and 

25 current. 
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1 (c) TIME.—The Director of the Congressional Re2 search Service shall make available all information re3 quired under this section no earlier than 30 days and no 

4 later than 40 days after the date on which the information 

5 is first made available to Members of Congress through 

6 the Congressional Research Service Web site. 

7 (d) MANNER.—The Director of the Congressional Re8 search Service shall make information required to be made 

9 available under this section in a manner that—

10 (1) is practical and reasonable; and 

11 (2) does not permit the submission of comments 

12 from the public. 

13 SEC. 3. METHOD OF ACCESS. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Public access to information made 

15 available under this Act shall be provided through the 

16 websites maintained by Members and committees of the 

17 House of Representatives. The Director of the Congres18 sional Research Service and the Chief Administrative Offi19 cer of the House of Representatives shall work together 

20 to carry out this subsection. 

21 (b) EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR CRS REPORTS

22 ONLINE.—The Director of the Congressional Research 

23 Service is responsible for maintaining and updating the 

24 information made available on the Internet under section 
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1 2, and shall have sole discretion to edit that information 

2 under this Act. 

3 (c) FURTHER APPROVAL NOT REQUIRED.—Notwith4 standing any other provision of law to the contrary, the 

5 Director of the Congressional Research Service shall make 

6 the information required to be made available under sec7 tion 2 without the prior approval of the Committee on 

8 Rules and Administration of the Senate, the Committee 

9 on House Administration of the House of Representatives, 

10 or the Joint Committee on Printing.

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