Some recent products of the Congressional Research Service obtained by Secrecy News that have not previously been made readily available in the public domain include the following (all pdf).
“Congressional Oversight of Intelligence: Current Structure and Alternatives,” updated February 15, 2007.
“Intelligence Spending: Public Disclosure Issues,” updated February 15, 2007.
“The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: An Overview of the Statutory Framework and U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review Decisions,” updated February 15, 2007.
“Polygraph Use by the Department of Energy: Issues for Congress,” updated February 14, 2007.
“Data Mining and Homeland Security: An Overview,” updated January 18, 2007.
“Abu Sayyaf: Target of Philippine-U.S. Anti-Terrorism Cooperation,” updated January 24, 2007.
“Airport Improvement Program: Issues for Congress,” February 26, 2007.
“Tracking Current Federal Legislation and Regulations: A Guide to Resources,” February 28, 2007.
The proposed Office will resurrect the long-closed Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), the archive of which has been maintained by FAS for decades at https://ota.fas.org/.
If Congress needs help understanding the risks and rewards of a piece of technology, they shouldn’t have to rely solely on the sparknotes from a salesman. The rub is much simpler: Congress needs nerds.
If we set up the new OTA to do its job well, members will see it as the first stop to see what issues are lurking around the corner. They will bring their questions early. And they will keep coming back for more.
Even the best-designed policy rests on assumptions about who will staff it, how it will be funded, whether the responsible institutions have ever coordinated, and if the goals are achievable.