Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH), the most outspoken opponent of proposals to permit direct public access to Congressional Research Service reports, recently lost his chairmanship of the House Administration Committee in the initial fallout of the unfolding corruption scandals in Congress.
But it is unclear whether his sensible successor, Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-CA) (R-Mich.), will be any more amenable to online public access to CRS products. It may be that this inevitable step will have to await the election of a whole new Congress that actually values public access to government information.
In the meantime, members of the public can get their CRS fix from “unauthorized” sources.
In addition to the FAS archive of CRS reports, there are rich complementary collections at the State Department’s Foreign Press Center and at CDT’s OpenCRS.com, among others.
Here are some notable new or recently updated CRS reports from FAS that are not available from those other sites.
“Balancing Scientific Publication and National Security Concerns: Issues for Congress,” updated February 2, 2006.
“National Emergency Powers,” updated February 10, 2006.
“Jordan: U.S. Relations and Bilateral Issues,” updated March 14, 2006.
“Global Climate Change: Federal Research on Possible Human Health Effects,” updated February 10, 2006.
“‘Bunker Busters’: Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator Issues, FY2005-FY 2007,” updated February 21, 2006.
“The Exon-Florio National Security Test for Foreign Investment,” updated March 15, 2006.
“Military Retirement: Major Legislative Issues,” updated March 14, 2006.
“Navy Attack Submarine Force-Level Goal and Procurement Rate: Background and Issues for Congress,” updated January 18, 2006.
“Navy DD(X), CG(X) and LCS Ship Acquisition Programs: Oversight Issues and Options for Congress,” updated March 7, 2006.
“Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Iraq: Effects and Countermeasures,” February 10, 2006.
Called today to speak on behalf of U.S. science and technology, Dr. Jedidah Isler, astrophysicist, educator, strategist, policy-maker, and science communicator, will provide constructive, nonpartisan feedback to the House Committee’s hearing “American Global Competitiveness at 250: Legislative Proposals to Secure U.S. Technology Leadership.”
“Federal data and access to it is not a partisan issue. It is a people issue. Our country cannot achieve greatness without access to the data that measure what we value, who we are, and where we’re heading.”
The United States’ biosecurity governance system is structurally incapable of detecting and responding to certain classes of threats. U.S. biosecurity tools have not kept pace with technological advancements or a changing threat landscape.
The United States has never lacked for scientific ambition. What we need now is a renewed civic commitment to ensuring that talent is harnessed for the benefit of all people. Science can work for everyone. Join us as we build a broader coalition committed to that vision.