I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6414 
To encourage and increase the use of crowdsourcing and citizen science 
methods within the Federal Government to advance and accelerate sci-
entific research, literacy, and diplomacy, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 30, 2016 
Mr. TONKO (for himself, Mr. MCKINLEY, and Mr. KILMER) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform 
A BILL 
To encourage and increase the use of crowdsourcing and 
citizen science methods within the Federal Government 
to advance and accelerate scientific research, literacy, 
and diplomacy, 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 ‘‘Crowdsourcing and 
Citizen Science Act of 2016’’. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
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(1) the authority granted to Federal agencies 
under the America COMPETES Reauthorization 
Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–358) to pursue the 
use of incentive prizes and challenges has yielded 
numerous benefits; 
(2) crowdsourcing and citizen science projects 
have a number of additional unique benefits, includ-
ing accelerating scientific research and data acquisi-
tion, improving science literacy, and connecting citi-
zens to the missions of Federal agencies; and 
(3) granting Federal agencies the direct, ex-
plicit authority to use crowdsourcing and citizen 
science will encourage its appropriate use, including 
protection of human subjects and other ethical con-
siderations, to advance agency missions and stimu-
late and facilitate broader public participation in the 
innovation process, yielding numerous benefits to the 
Federal Government and citizens who participate in 
such projects. 
SEC. 3. CROWDSOURCING AND CITIZEN SCIENCE. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) CITIZEN
SCIENCE.—The term ‘‘citizen 
science’’ means a form of open collaboration in 
which individuals or organizations participate in the 
scientific process in various ways, including— 
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(A) enabling the formulation of research 
questions; 
(B) creating and refining project design; 
(C) conducting scientific experiments; 
(D) collecting and analyzing data; 
(E) interpreting the results of data; 
(F) developing technologies and applica-
tions; 
(G) making discoveries; and 
(H) solving problems. 
(2) 
CROWDSOURCING.—The 
term 
‘‘crowdsourcing’’ means a method to obtain needed 
services, ideas, or content by soliciting voluntary 
contributions from a group of individuals or organi-
zations, especially from an online community. 
(3) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of the Office of Science and Technology 
Policy. 
(4) FEDERAL
AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Federal 
agency’’— 
(A) except as provided in subparagraph 
(B), means— 
(i) any Executive agency (as defined 
in section 105 of title 5, United States 
Code); and 
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(ii) any military department (as set 
forth in section 102 of such title); and 
(B) does not include any legislative branch 
agency. 
(5) PARTICIPANT.—The term ‘‘participant’’ 
means any individual or other entity that has con-
sented as a volunteer in a crowdsourcing or citizen 
science project under this section. 
(6) RELATED ENTITY.—The term ‘‘related enti-
ty’’ means— 
(A) a Federal Government contractor or 
subcontractor, at any tier; and 
(B) a supplier, user, customer, cooperating 
party, grantee, investigator, fellow, or detailee 
of a Federal agency. 
(b) CROWDSOURCING
AND CITIZEN SCIENCE AU-
THORIZED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The head of each Federal 
agency, or the heads of multiple Federal agencies 
working cooperatively, may utilize crowdsourcing 
and citizen science approaches to conduct activities 
designed to advance the mission of the respective 
Federal agency or the joint mission of Federal agen-
cies, as applicable. 
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(2) VOLUNTARY
SERVICES.—Notwithstanding 
section 1342 of title 31, United States Code, the 
head of a Federal agency may accept, subject to reg-
ulations issued by the Office of Personnel Manage-
ment, voluntary services from participants under 
this section if such services— 
(A) are performed as a part of a 
crowdsourcing or citizen science project author-
ized under paragraph (1); 
(B) are not financially compensated for 
their time; and 
(C) will not be used to displace any em-
ployee of the Federal Government. 
(c) PARTICIPATION.— 
(1) OUTREACH.—The head of each Federal 
agency engaged in a crowdsourcing or citizen science 
project under this section shall make public and pro-
mote such project to encourage broad participation 
of consenting participants. 
(2) CONSENT, REGISTRATION, AND TERMS OF 
USE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Each Federal agency is 
authorized to determine the appropriate level of 
consent, registration, or acknowledgment of the 
terms of use that is required from participants 
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in crowdsourcing or citizen science projects on 
a per-project basis. 
(B) DISCLOSURES.—In seeking consent, 
conducting registration, or developing terms of 
use for a project under this subsection, a Fed-
eral agency shall disclose the privacy, intellec-
tual property, data ownership, compensation, 
service, program, and other terms of use to the 
participant in a clear and reasonable manner. 
(C) MODE OF CONSENT.—A Federal agen-
cy or Federal agencies, as applicable, may ob-
tain consent electronically or in written form 
from participants to the volunteer service terms 
of a crowdsourcing or citizen science project au-
thorized under this section. 
(3) PROTECTIONS
FOR
HUMAN
SUBJECTS.— 
Any crowdsourcing or citizen science project that in-
volves research involving human subjects shall be 
subject to part 46 of title 28, Code of Federal Regu-
lations (or any successor regulation). 
(4) DATA.—While not neglecting security and 
privacy protections, Federal agencies shall endeavor 
to make data collected through a crowdsourcing or 
citizen science project authorized under this section 
open and available, in machine readable formats, to 
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the public. As part of the consent process, the Fed-
eral agency shall notify all participants— 
(A) of the expected uses of the data com-
piled through the project; 
(B) if the Federal agency will retain own-
ership of such data; 
(C) if and how the data and results from 
the project would be made available for public 
or third party use; and 
(D) if participants are authorized to pub-
lish such data. 
(5) TECHNOLOGIES AND APPLICATIONS.—While 
not neglecting the intellectual property rights of the 
Federal Government, Federal agencies shall endeav-
or to make technologies, applications, code, and deri-
vations of such intellectual property developed 
through a crowdsourcing or citizen science project 
under this section open and available to the public. 
(6) 
LIABILITY.—Each 
participant 
in 
a 
crowdsourcing or citizen science project under this 
section shall agree— 
(A) to assume any and all risks associated 
with such participation; and 
(B) to waive all claims against the Federal 
Government and its related entities, except for 
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claims based on willful misconduct, for any in-
jury, death, damage, or loss of property, rev-
enue, or profits (whether direct, indirect, or 
consequential) arising from participation in the 
project. 
(7) SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY.—Federal agencies 
coordinating citizen science projects shall make all 
practicable efforts to ensure that participants adhere 
to all relevant scientific integrity or other applicable 
ethics policies. 
(d) MULTISECTOR PARTNERSHIPS.—The head of 
each Federal agency engaged in crowdsourcing or citizen 
science under this section, or the heads of multiple Federal 
agencies working cooperatively, may enter into a contract 
or other agreement to share administrative duties for such 
activities with— 
(1) a for-profit or nonprofit private sector enti-
ty, including a private institution of higher edu-
cation; or 
(2) a State, tribal, local, or foreign government 
agency, including a public institution of higher edu-
cation. 
(e) FUNDING.—In carrying out crowdsourcing and 
citizen science activities under this section, the head of 
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a Federal agency, or the heads of multiple Federal agen-
cies working cooperatively— 
(1) may use funds appropriated by Congress; 
(2) may publicize projects and accept funds or 
in kind support for such activities from— 
(A) other Federal agencies; 
(B) for-profit or nonprofit private sector 
entities, including private institutions of higher 
education; or 
(C) State, tribal, local, or foreign govern-
ment agencies, including public institutions of 
higher education; and 
(3) may not give any special consideration to 
any entity described in paragraph (2) in return for 
such funds or in kind support. 
(f) FACILITATION.— 
(1) GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION AS-
SISTANCE.—The Administrator of the General Serv-
ices Administration, in coordination with the Direc-
tor, shall, at no cost to Federal agencies, identify 
and develop relevant products, training, and services 
to facilitate the use of crowdsourcing and citizen 
science activities under this section, including by 
specifying the appropriate contract vehicles and 
technology and organizational platforms to enhance 
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the ability of Federal agencies to carry out the ac-
tivities under this section to further the policy objec-
tives of the Federal Government. 
(2) ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE.—The head of each 
Federal agency engaged in crowdsourcing or citizen 
science under this section is encouraged to consult 
any guidance provided by the Director, including the 
Federal Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science Toolkit, 
to designate a coordinator for their agency’s 
crowdsourcing and citizen science activities, and to 
share best practices with other agencies, including 
participation of staff in the Federal Community of 
Practice for Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science. 
(g) REPORT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall 
include, as a component of the report required under 
section 24(p) of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology 
Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719(p)), a re-
port on the activities carried out under this section. 
(2) INFORMATION INCLUDED.—The report re-
quired under paragraph (1) shall include— 
(A) a summary of each crowdsourcing and 
citizen science project conducted by any Federal 
agency during the most recently completed 2 
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fiscal years, including a description of the pro-
posed goals of each crowdsourcing and citizen 
science project; 
(B) the participation rates, submission lev-
els, number of consents, or any other statistic 
that might be considered relevant in each 
crowdsourcing and citizen science project; 
(C) a description of— 
(i) the resources (including personnel 
and funding) that were used in the execu-
tion of each crowdsourcing and citizen 
science project; 
(ii) the activities for which such re-
sources were used; and 
(iii) how the obligations and expendi-
tures relating to the project’s execution 
were allocated among the accounts of the 
Federal agency; 
(D) 
a 
summary 
of 
the 
use 
of 
crowdsourcing and citizen science methods by 
all Federal agencies, including interagency and 
multisector partnerships; and 
(E) any other information that the Direc-
tor considers relevant. 
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