§166a Equal Access to Congressional Research Service Reports

Summary

The Librarian of Congress must create and keep a public website that posts CRS Reports and an index of those reports. The site must let people search, sort, and download reports, including downloading many at once, and the Librarian may not charge for access. The site must be updated automatically and show whether each report is new, updated, or archived. Each posted report must include a short notice that explains CRS’s role as nonpartisan staff to Congress, says CRS reports are U.S. government works not protected by copyright in the United States, and warns that third‑party copyrighted images or material in a report may still need permission to reuse. Definitions (one line each): CRS product = a final written work from the Congressional Research Service on the CRS internal website; CRS Report = a written CRS product available to Congress on that intranet (including updates) but not confidential or certain older or separately published items; CRS = Congressional Research Service; CRS Congressional Intranet = CRS’s internal website for Congress; CRS Director = head of CRS; Librarian of Congress = head librarian appointed under law; Member of Congress = includes Delegates and the Resident Commissioner; Website = the public site required here. The CRS Director must give the Librarian the information needed to run the site and may remove CRS staff names or contacts before a report is sent for posting. CRS and the Librarian may also publish other nonconfidential CRS materials and use extra methods to make reports public. Nothing here changes congressional privileges or the Speech or Debate Clause, and confidential CRS communications stay under Congress’s control. Members, offices, or committees may still share CRS products on their own websites. The CRS Director had to give the Librarian the needed information no later than 90 days after March 23, 2018. The rules take effect 90 days after the Librarian certifies to Congress that the information was provided. If there are technical problems, that start date can be delayed up to 90 more days after a report to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.