H.R. 4702

Equal Access to Congressional Research Service Reports Act of 2016

This bill directs the Government Publishing Office (GPO) to establish and maintain a public website containing Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports, and an index, that are searchable, sortable, and downloadable (including in bulk), for which no fee may be charged.

The CRS Reports on the website shall include CRS Authorization of Appropriations Products, Appropriations Products, and any other written CRS product containing CRS research or analysis available for general congressional access on the CRS Congressional Intranet.

The website shall exclude any:

• custom product or service prepared in direct response to a request for custom analysis or research and not available for general congressional access on the CRS Congressional Intranet;
• CRS Reports, Authorization of Appropriations Products, or Appropriations Products not so available; or
• written CRS products that CRS has made available on a public website (besides this website) maintained by the GPO or the Library of Congress.

The GPO shall ensure that the website is updated contemporaneously, automatically, and electronically to include each new or updated CRS Report.

Before transmitting a CRS Report to the GPO for publication on the website, CRS may remove the name of, and any contact information for, any CRS employee.

The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 is amended to require CRS to comply with this Act.