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106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 654

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

FEBRUARY 9, 1999

Mr. SHAYS (for himself, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr.

SALMON, and Mr. CAMPBELL) 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 electronic database, for pur2 poses of access and retrieval by the public as de3 scribed in section 2, all information described in

4 paragraph (2) that is available through the Congres5 sional Research Service website.

6 (2) INFORMATION TO BE MADE AVAILABLE.—

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

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, other than any document described in

7 subsection (a)(2).

8 (2) REDACTION AND REVISION.—In carrying

9 out this section, the Director of the Congressional

10 Research Service may—

11 (A) remove from the information required

12 to be made available under subsection (a) the

13 name and phone number of, and any other in14 formation regarding, an employee of the Con15 gressional Research Service;

16 (B) remove from the information required

17 to be made available under subsection (a) any

18 material for which the Director determines that

19 making it available under subsection (a) may

20 infringe the copyright of a work protected

21 under title 17, United States Code; and

22 (C) make any changes in the information

23 required to be made available under subsection

24 (a) that the Director determines necessary to
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1 ensure that the information is accurate and

2 current.

3 (c) TIME.—The Director of the Congressional Re4 search Service shall make available all information re5 quired under this section no earlier than 30 days and no

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

7 is first made available to Members of Congress through

8 the Congressional Research Service website.

9 (d) MANNER.—The Director of the Congressional Re10 search Service shall make information required to be made

11 available under this section in a manner that—

12 (1) is practical and reasonable; and

13 (2) does not permit the submission of comments

14 from the public.

15 SEC. 3. METHOD OF ACCESS.

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

17 available under this Act shall be provided through the

18 websites maintained by Members and committees of the

19 House of Representatives. The Director of the Congres20 sional Research Service and the Chief Administrative Offi21 cer of the House of Representatives shall work together

22 to carry out this subsection.

23 (b) EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR CRS REPORTS

24 ONLINE.—The Director of the Congressional Research

25 Service is responsible for maintaining and updating the
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1 information made available on the Internet under section

2 1, and shall have sole discretion to edit that information

3 under this Act.

4 (c) FURTHER APPROVAL NOT REQUIRED.—Notwith5 standing any other provision of law to the contrary, the

6 Director of the Congressional Research Service shall make

7 the information required to be made available under sec8 tion 1 without the prior approval of the Committee on

9 Rules and Administration of the Senate, the Committee

10 on House Administration of the House of Representatives,

11 or the Joint Committee on Printing.

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