I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2335 
To direct the Director of the Government Publishing Office to provide mem-
bers 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 Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Equal Access to Con-
gressional Research Service Reports Act of 2017’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:47 May 10, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2335.IH
H2335
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
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, con-
sisting of— 
(A) a Congressional Research Service Re-
port; 
(B) a Congressional Research Service Au-
thorization of Appropriations Product and Ap-
propriations 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 re-
sponse to a request for custom analysis or re-
search and is not available for general congres-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:47 May 10, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2335.IH
H2335
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
sional 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 effec-
tive 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 Con-
gress. 
(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 Direc-
tor of CRS; 
(4) the term ‘‘GPO Director’’ means the Direc-
tor of the Government Publishing Office; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:47 May 10, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2335.IH
H2335
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(5) the term ‘‘Member of Congress’’ includes a 
Delegate or Resident Commissioner to Congress; and 
(6) the term ‘‘Website’’ means the website es-
tablished 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 Direc-
tor, 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, in-
cluding downloadable in bulk. 
(3) FREE
ACCESS.—Notwithstanding section 
4102 of title 44, United States Code, the GPO Di-
rector 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, automati-
cally, and electronically to include each new or up-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:47 May 10, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2335.IH
H2335
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
dated 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 Re-
search Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan 
shared staff to congressional committees and Mem-
bers 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 pur-
poses other than public understanding of informa-
tion 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 Gov-
ernment, are not subject to copyright protection in 
the United States. Any CRS Report may be repro-
duced and distributed in its entirety without permis-
sion from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may in-
clude 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.’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:47 May 10, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2335.IH
H2335
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(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 sub-
paragraphs (A) through (E) of section 4(a)(1), in 
such format and manner as the GPO Director con-
siders appropriate; and 
(2) that CRS makes available and implements 
such technology as may be necessary to facilitate the 
contemporaneous, automatic, and electronic provi-
sion of CRS Reports to the GPO Director as re-
quired under this Act. 
(d) NONEXCLUSIVITY.—The GPO Director may pub-
lish 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 tech-
niques are consistent with this Act and any other applica-
ble 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 Di-
rector for publication on the Website, and the GPO Direc-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:47 May 10, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2335.IH
H2335
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
tor 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 Reorganiza-
tion 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 Re-
search Service products that are not custom products or 
services available to the Director of the Government Pub-
lishing 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; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:47 May 10, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2335.IH
H2335
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(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 Direc-
tor, in consultation with the CRS Director, con-
siders appropriate. 
(2) RESPONSIBILITIES
OF
CRS
DIRECTOR.— 
With respect to each CRS Report included on the 
Website, the CRS Director shall, prior to transmit-
ting the Report to the GPO Director— 
(A) at the discretion of the CRS Director, 
remove the name of and any contact informa-
tion for any employee of CRS; and 
(B) include in the CRS Report the fol-
lowing 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 in-
formation that has been provided by CRS to 
Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:47 May 10, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2335.IH
H2335
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
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 dis-
tributed in its entirety without permission from 
CRS. However, as this CRS Report may in-
clude copyrighted images or material from a 
third party, you may need to obtain the permis-
sion 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 de-
scribed in subsection (a)(1) with respect to each 
CRS Report. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:47 May 10, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2335.IH
H2335
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
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 para-
graph (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 Con-
gress 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, of-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:47 May 10, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2335.IH
H2335
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS