Office of Technology Assessment Improvement and Enhancement Act
Bill: H.R.6573 | Sponsor: Rep. Takano, Mark (D-CA)
Policy area: Congress

Summary:
Office of Technology Assessment Improvement and Enhancement Act
This bill renames and revises the functions and duties of the Office of Technology Assessment which, composed of a Technology Assessment Board and a director, provides Congress with assessments of probable technology application impacts.
Specifically, the bill renames the office the Congressional Office of Technology, and it requires the office to undertake additional duties, such as providing to Members of Congress (1) certain information without the need for board review, (2) certain technical assistance on legislation related to science and technology without the need for board review, and (3) objective policy options on how Members may achieve goals with respect to science and technology policy.
The bill authorizes individual Members of Congress to submit to the board a request that the office undertake an assessment activity. Additionally, the bill requires the Congressional Research Service and the Government Accountability Office to coordinate technology assessment activities with the office to avoid duplication or overlapping of research activities.
The bill also (1) allows the office to temporarily appoint specified technical and professional personnel to work for the office, (2) requires the office to make the findings of completed analyses publicly available, (3) revises the appointment of board members, (4) requires the board to hold an annual meeting at which Members of Congress may appear and present information regarding technology assessment activities, and (5) requires the board to report annually on the activities of the office.

To rename the Office of Technology Assessment as the Congressional 
Office of Technology, to revise the functions and duties of the Office, 
                        and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Office of Technology Assessment 
Improvement and Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. RENAMING OF OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT AS CONGRESSIONAL 
              OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY.

    (a) Renaming.--Section 3(a) of the Technology Assessment Act of 
1972 (2 U.S.C. 472(a)) is amended by striking ``the Office of 
Technology Assessment'' and inserting ``the Congressional Office of 
Technology''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 5(b) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 
474(b)) is amended by striking ``Director of the Office of Technology 
Assessment'' and inserting ``Director of the Congressional Office of 
Technology''.
    (c) References in Law.--Any reference in any law, rule, or 
regulation to the Office of Technology Assessment shall be deemed to be 
a reference to the Congressional Office of Technology.

SEC. 3. REVISION OF FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES OF OFFICE.

    (a) Basic Functions and Duties.--Section 3(c) of the Technology 
Assessment Act of 1972 (2 U.S.C. 472(c)) is amended--
            (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting 
        after the first sentence the following: ``This information 
        should be provided as expeditiously, effectively, and 
        efficiently as possible while maintaining a forward-looking, 
        holistic, and rigorous approach to the assessment of the 
        impacts of technology.'';
            (2) in paragraph (6), by striking ``completed analyses'' 
        and inserting ``completed analyses, as well as preliminary 
        findings of ongoing analyses,'';
            (3) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (7);
            (4) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (8) and 
        inserting a semicolon; and
            (5) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
            ``(9) provide information to Members and committees of 
        Congress in the form of briefings, informal conversations, 
        documents, and similar formats which may be provided 
        expeditiously on the basis of existing research and staff 
        expertise without the need for review by the Board;
            ``(10) provide technical assistance to Members of Congress 
        on legislation related to science and technology which may be 
        provided expeditiously on the basis of existing research and 
        staff expertise without the need for review by the Board; and
            ``(11) when requested, provide objective policy options to 
        Members on how Members may achieve goals with respect to 
        science and technology policy.''.
    (b) Requirements for Initiation of Assessment Activities.--Section 
3(d) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 472(d)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(d)(1) Assessment activities undertaken by the Office may be 
initiated upon the request of--
            ``(A) subject to paragraph (2), any Member of Congress 
        (including a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the 
        Congress), any standing, special, or select committee of either 
        House of Congress, or any joint committee of Congress;
            ``(B) the Board; or
            ``(C) the Director, in consultation with the Board.
    ``(2) A Member of Congress or committee requesting that the Office 
undertake an assessment activity under paragraph (1)(A) shall submit 
the request to the Board, which shall review the request. The Office 
shall determine whether or not to undertake an assessment activity in 
response to such a request in accordance with such policies and 
procedures as the Office shall establish, under which--
            ``(A) the Office may give priority to those requests which, 
        in the Board's determination, relate to technology issues of 
        the greatest relevance and importance;
            ``(B) to the greatest extent practicable, the Office shall 
        ensure that the number of assessment activities undertaken 
        during a year in response to requests which are submitted by 
        members of one political party is equal to the number of 
        assessment activities undertaken in response to requests which 
        are submitted by members of another political party; and
            ``(C) to the greatest extent practicable, the Office shall 
        provide the Member or committee submitting the request with 
        information regarding how the Office reached its determination 
        in response to the request.''.
    (c) Public Availability of Findings of Completed Analyses.--Section 
3(e) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 472(e)) is amended by inserting after ``may 
be made available to the public'' the following: ``(and, in the case of 
findings of completed analyses, shall be made available to the 
public)''.
    (d) Authorizing Appointment of Technical and Professional Personnel 
on Leave From Academic, Industrial, or Research Institutions.--Section 
6(f) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 475(f)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new sentence: ``The Director may, under the authority 
provided by this subsection and in accordance with such policies as the 
Board chooses to prescribe, appoint for a limited term, or on a 
temporary basis, scientists, engineers, and other technical and 
professional personnel on leave of absence from academic, industrial, 
or research institutions to work for the Office.''.
    (e) Avoiding Unnecessary Duplication of Research Activities With 
Other Offices.--
            (1) Congressional research service.--Section 8 of such Act 
        (2 U.S.C. 477) is amended by adding at the end the following 
        new subsection:
    ``(e) The Office and the Congressional Research Service shall 
coordinate technology assessment activities to avoid unnecessary 
duplication or overlapping of research activities.''.
            (2) Government accountability office.--Section 9 of such 
        Act (2 U.S.C. 478) is amended by adding at the end the 
        following new subsection:
    ``(e) The Office and the Government Accountability Office shall 
coordinate technology assessment activities to avoid unnecessary 
duplication or overlapping of research activities.''.

SEC. 4. TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT BOARD.

    (a) Appointment of Members of Board by Congressional Leadership.--
Section 4(a) of the Technology Assessment Act of 1972 (2 U.S.C. 473) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``appointed by the 
        President pro tempore of the Senate'' and inserting ``appointed 
        jointly by the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader of the 
        Senate''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``appointed by the 
        Speaker of the House of Representatives'' and inserting 
        ``appointed jointly by the Speaker and Minority Leader of the 
        House of Representatives''.
    (b) Invitation to Members of Congress To Attend Annual Meeting of 
Technology Assessment Board; Annual Report.--Section 4 of such Act (2 
U.S.C. 473) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsections:
    ``(e) At least once during each calendar year, the Board shall hold 
a meeting at which Members of Congress may appear and present 
information to the Board regarding any technology assessment activities 
the Members may wish the Board to undertake.
    ``(f) Not later than 90 days after the end of each calendar year, 
the Board shall submit to the Subcommittees on the Legislative Branch 
of the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and 
Senate a report on the activities of the Office during the year, and 
shall include in the report a description of the technology assessment 
activities undertaken by the Office during the year, including the 
number of requests received from Members and committees of Congress 
under section 2(d)(1)(A), the number and type of assessment activities 
undertaken in response to such requests, and the current status of such 
assessment activities.''.
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