Title: Equal Access to Congressional Research Service Reports Act of 2017
Policy area: Congress

Summary:
Equal Access to Congressional Research Service Reports Act of 2017
This bill directs the Government Publishing Office (GPO) to establish, maintain, and ensure the automatic updating of a public website containing Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports, and an index, that are searchable, sortable, and downloadable (including in bulk), for which no fee may be charged.
The CRS Reports on the website shall include CRS Authorization of Appropriations Products, Appropriations Products, and any other written CRS product containing CRS research or analysis that is available for general congressional access on the CRS Congressional Intranet.
The website shall exclude:
Before transmitting a CRS Report to the GPO for publication on the website, CRS may remove the name of, and any contact information for, any CRS employee.
The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 is amended to require CRS to comply with this bill.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2335 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2335

 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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    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 Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Equal Access to Congressional 
Research Service Reports Act of 2017''.

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, consisting of--
                    (A) a Congressional Research Service Report;
                    (B) a Congressional Research Service Authorization 
                of Appropriations Product and Appropriations 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 response to a request for custom 
                analysis or research and is not available for general 
                congressional 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 effective 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 Congress.
    (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 Director of CRS;
            (4) the term ``GPO Director'' means the Director of the 
        Government Publishing Office;
            (5) the term ``Member of Congress'' includes a Delegate or 
        Resident Commissioner to Congress; and
            (6) the term ``Website'' means the website established 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 Director, 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, including downloadable 
        in bulk.
            (3) Free access.--Notwithstanding section 4102 of title 44, 
        United States Code, the GPO Director 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, automatically, and 
        electronically to include each new or updated 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 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 information 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 Government, 
        are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. 
        Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its 
        entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report 
        may include 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.''.
    (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 subparagraphs (A) through (E) of 
        section 4(a)(1), in such format and manner as the GPO Director 
        considers appropriate; and
            (2) that CRS makes available and implements such technology 
        as may be necessary to facilitate the contemporaneous, 
        automatic, and electronic provision of CRS Reports to the GPO 
        Director as required under this Act.
    (d) Nonexclusivity.--The GPO Director may publish 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 techniques are consistent with this Act and any other 
applicable 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 Director for publication on the Website, and the 
GPO Director 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 Reorganization 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 Research Service products that are not custom products or 
services available to the Director of the Government Publishing 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;
                    (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 Director, in 
                consultation with the CRS Director, considers 
                appropriate.
            (2) Responsibilities of crs director.--With respect to each 
        CRS Report included on the Website, the CRS Director shall, 
        prior to transmitting the Report to the GPO Director--
                    (A) at the discretion of the CRS Director, remove 
                the name of and any contact information for any 
                employee of CRS; and
                    (B) include in the CRS Report the following 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 
                information 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 Government, 
                are not subject to copyright protection in the United 
                States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and 
                distributed in its entirety without permission from 
                CRS. However, as this CRS Report may include 
                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.''.
    (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 described in 
        subsection (a)(1) with respect to each CRS Report.

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 paragraph (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 Congress 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, office, or committee of Congress shall remain under 
the custody and control of Congress and may be released only by 
Congress and its Houses, Members, offices, and committees, in 
accordance with the rules and privileges of each House and the 
requirements of this Act.
    (c) Dissemination of CRS Products.--Nothing in this Act may be 
construed to limit or otherwise affect the ability of a Member, office, 
or committee of Congress to disseminate CRS products on a website of 
the Member, office, or committee or to otherwise provide CRS products 
to the public, including as part of constituent service activities.

SEC. 7. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    (a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection (b), this Act and 
the amendments made by this Act shall take effect 90 days after the 
date on which the GPO Director submits the certification described in 
subsection (b)(2).
    (b) Provision of Information and Technology.--
            (1) CRS deadline.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the CRS Director shall provide the GPO 
        Director with the information and technology necessary for the 
        GPO Director to begin the initial operation of the Website.
            (2) Certification.--Upon provision of the information and 
        technology described in paragraph (1), the GPO Director shall 
        submit to Congress a certification that the CRS Director has 
        provided the information and technology necessary for the GPO 
        Director to begin the initial operation of the Website.
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