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.
Rebuilding public participation starts with something simple — treating the public not as a problem to manage, but as a source of ingenuity government cannot function without.
If the government wants a system of learning and adaptation that improves results in real time, it has to treat translation, utilization, and adaptation as core functions of governance rather than as afterthoughts.
Coordination among federal science agencies is essential to ensure government-wide alignment on R&D investment priorities. However, the federal R&D enterprise suffers from egregious siloization.
Don’t like the Chinese-backed EVs that are undercutting your market? Start with a well-designed statute to strengthen market oversight and competition while also providing American companies with support.