Congressional Research Service

With Congress ever hungry for information, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) provides a ready source of nonpartisan, thorough, and reliable data. During the Progressive Era, reformers advocated that state and national governments hire experts to assist in the drafting of legislation. In 1914, the Legislative Reference Service was established as part of the Library of Congress. The service remained relatively small until the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 doubled its appropriation and provided for the appointment of senior specialists for each of the fields covered by the standing committees. Renamed the Congressional Research Service in 1970, the agency grew to include several hundred experts in government, law, agriculture, energy, economics, environment, housing, defense, foreign policy, and taxation.

CRS staff members prepare “issue briefs” stating the pros and cons of major issues before Congress and giving legislative histories of bills under consideration. They also compile specific information for individual members of Congress who plan to introduce legislation. Senior specialists regularly brief members and congressional staff on current issues, and the CRS occasionally loans members of its staff to congressional committees to assist with hearings and other legislative matters.

See also Library of Congress

Sources

• Andrew L. Simpson, The Library of Congress (New York: Chelsea House, 1989)

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a branch of the Library of Congress that provides objective, nonpartisan research, analysis, and information to assist Congress in its legislative, oversight, and representative functions. U.S. senators and representatives, and their staffs consult the CRS for timely and accurate information regarding major issues and policies. The CRS researches and advises on questions and concerns related to many subject areas. Its seven research divisions cover the fields of U.S. law, economics, education and public welfare, environment and natural resources, foreign affairs and national defense, government, and science.

The CRS is made up of two reference divisions: the Congressional Reference Division and the Library Services Division. These provide reference, bibliographic, and other information services using advanced methods of computerized searching.

The CRS conducts a host of other support activities for Congress. It develops specialized reading lists for members of Congress and their staffs. It operates the Library of Congress's automated legislative information systems, including digests of all public bills and briefing papers on major legislative issues. It also attempts to anticipate congressional research needs, and it develops seminars that allow members of Congress, their staffs, CRS researchers, and outside experts to exchange ideas on timely issues. The CRS has produced programs on the congressional cable television system, and it provides language service support and translations for members of Congress.

The CRS is governed by a director, a deputy director, and a management team. The highest-level researchers are called senior specialists. They are often nationally and internationally recognized experts in their field of study. CRS offices include Special Programs, Operations, Policy, and Research Coordination.

The CRS evolved from the Legislative Reference Service, which was created by the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (codified as amended at Act of Aug. 2, 1946, ch. 753, 60 Stat. 812), and the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 (codified as amended at Act of Oct. 26, 1970, Pub. L. No. 91-510, 84 Stat. 1140). The CRS has experienced tremendous growth as Congress has sought to respond to the increasing scope and complexity of public policy issues. By the mid-1990s, it was responding to over one-half million requests annually.

Congressional Research Service
Agency overview
Formed	1914
Headquarters	Washington, DC
Agency Executives	Daniel P. Mulhollan, Director   Angela M. Evans, Deputy Director
Website
www.loc.gov/crsinfo/

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is the public policy research arm of the United States Congress. As a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, CRS works exclusively and directly for Members of Congress, their Committees and staff on a confidential, nonpartisan basis. In fiscal year 2003, CRS had a budget of $86,386,812 funded mostly by taxpayer dollars.¹ CRS reports are not made directly available to members of the public. Instead, the public must request individual reports from their Senators and Representatives in Congress, or purchase them from private vendors such as Penny Hill Press.² A limited number of reports have been made freely available on the web by federal agencies, Members of Congress, educational institutions, and nongovernmental organizations.³

History and mission

Congress created CRS in order to have its own source of nonpartisan, objective analysis and research on all legislative issues. Indeed, the sole mission of CRS is to serve the United States Congress. CRS has been carrying out this mission since 1914, when it was first established as the Legislative Reference Service. Renamed the Congressional Research Service by the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970, CRS is committed to providing the Congress, throughout the legislative process, comprehensive and reliable analysis, research and information services that are timely, objective, nonpartisan, and confidential, thereby contributing to an informed national legislature.

Copyright status and availability

As products of the federal government, reports prepared by the Congressional Research Service are in the public domain. While CRS itself does not make reports directly available to the public, many reports have been posted on the Internet through the cooperation of members of Congress. Open CRS serves as a portal to many posted reports.

External links

• Congressional Research Service welcome page
• University of North Texas Libraries Congressional Research Service Reports archive
• Center for Democracy and Technology's Open CRS archive
• Federation of American Scientists Congressional Research Service Reports archive
• Franklin Pierce Law Center CRS Reports archive
• United States Department of State Foreign Press Center CRS Reports archive
• University of Maryland School of Law, Thurgood Marshall Law Library CRS Reports archive

References

Additional sources

1. Congressional Research Service FY2003 Annual Report p. 38. Congressional Research Service Home Page. 21 April 2005 <http://www.loc.gov/crsinfo/CRS03_AnnRpt.pdf>.
2. "About CRS Reports." Penny Hill Press Home Page. 21 April 2005 <http://www.pennyhill.com/aboutcrs.php>.
3. See the list of external links above for selected sources.

See also

United States Congress House of Representatives, Senate — 110th Congress
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