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Congressional Research Service (CRS)

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) serves the Congress throughout the legislative process by providing comprehensive and reliable legislative research and analysis that are timely, objective, authoritative, and confidential, thereby contributing to an informed national legislature.

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Congressional research service reports.

Gray Wolves Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA): Distinct Population Segments and Experimental Populations , Kristina Alexander

Energy and Water Development: FY2011 Appropriations , Carl E. Behrens

Ballast Water Management to Combat Invasive Species , Eugene H. Buck

Asian Carp and the Great Lakes Region , Eugene H. Buck, Harold F. Upton, Charles V. Stern, and James E. Nicols

Animal Waste and Water Quality: EPA’s Response to the Waterkeeper Alliance Court Decision on Regulation of CAFOs , Claudia Copeland

Water Quality Issues in the 111th Congress: Oversight and Implementation , Claudia Copeland

Wetlands: An Overview of Issues , Claudia Copeland

Agricultural Biotechnology: Background and Recent Issues , Tadlock Cowan

Carbon Capture: A Technology Assessment , Peter Folger

Forestry in the Next Farm Bill , Ross W. Gorte

Agricultural Biotechnology: The U.S.-EU Dispute , Charles E. Hanrahan

Chuck Hagel- U.S. SENATOR FROM NEBRASKA , Joint Committee on Printing

FY2010 Supplemental Appropriations for Agriculture , Jim Monke

Capturing CO2 from Coal-Fired Power Plants: Challenges for a Comprehensive Strategy , Larry Parker and Peter Folger

Nanotechnology and Environmental, Health, and Safety: Issues for Consideration , John F. Sargent Jr.

Agriculture-Based Biofuels: Overview and Emerging Issues , Randy Schnepf

Agriculture in the WTO: Limits on Domestic Support , Randy Schnepf

Previewing Dairy Policy Options for the Next Farm Bill , Dennis A. Shields

Agricultural Disaster Assistance , Dennis A. Shields and Ralph M. Chite

Agricultural Conservation: A Guide to Programs , Megan Stubbs

Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP): Status and Issues , Megan Stubbs

Renewable Energy Programs in the 2008 Farm Bill , Megan Stubbs

Biofuels Incentives: A Summary of Federal Programs , Brent D. Yacobucci

Whales and Sonar: Environmental Exemptions for the Navy's Mid-Frequency Active Sonar Training , Kristina Alexander

Biotechnology in Animal Agriculture: Status and Current Issues , Geoffrey S. Becker and Tadlock Cowan

The Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund , Eugene H. Buck

Desalination: Status and Federal Issues , Nicole T. Carter

Water Infrastructure Funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 , Claudia Copeland and Nicole T. Carter

Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) , Peter Folger

Drought in the United States: Causes and Issues for Congress , Peter Folger, Betsy A. Cody, and Nicole T. Carter

Pipeline Safety and Security: Federal Programs , Paul W. Parfomak

Federal Research and Development Funding: FY2009 , John F. Sargent Jr.

The National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility: Issues for Congress , Dana A. Shea, Jim Monke, and Frank Gottron

Advanced Research Projects Agency- Energy (ARPA-E): Background, Status, and Selected Issues for Congress , Deborah D. Stine

Science, Technology, and American Diplomacy: Background and Issues for Congress , Deborah D. Stine

The President's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP): Issues for Congress , Deborah D. Stine

The U.S. Science and Technology Workforce , Deborah D. Stine and Christine M. Matthews

Energy and Water Development: FY2009 Appropriations , Carl E. Behrens

The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and Federal Water Rights , Cynthia Brougher

Active Military Sonar and Marine Mammals: Events and References , Eugene H. Buck and Kori Clavert

Soil and Water Conservation: An Overview , Tadlock Cowan and Renée Johnson

Wilderness: Overview and Statistics , Ross W. Gorte

Comparison of the 2008 Farm Bill Conference Agreement with the House and Senate Farm Bills , Renée Johnson, Geoffrey S. Becker, Tom Capehart, Ralph M. Chite, Tadlock Cowan, Ross W. Gorte, Charles E. Hanrahan, Remy Jurenas, Jim Monke, Jean M. Rawson, Randy Schnepf, Joe Richardson, Donald J. Marples, and Mark Jickling

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education: Background, Federal Policy, and Legislative Action , Jeffrey J. Kuenzi

Wind Power in the United States: Technology, Economic, and Policy Issues , Jeffery Logan and Stan Mark Kaplan

Engineered Nanoscale Materials and Derivative Products: Regulatory Challenges , Linda-Jo Schierow

Science and Technology Policymaking: A Primer , Deborah D. Stine

Grazing Fees: An Overview and Current Issues , Carol Hardy Vincent

Alternative Fuels and Advanced Technology Vehicles: Issues in Congress , Brent D. Yacobucci

Pesticide Use and Water Quality: Are the Laws Complementary or in Conflict? , Claudia Copeland

Stem Cell Research: Federal Research Funding and Oversight , Judith A. Johnson and Erin D. Williams

Climate Change: Science and Policy Implications , Jane A. Leggett

National Science Foundation: Major Research Equipment and Facility Construction , Christine M. Matthews

Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Education: Status and Issues , Christine M. Matthews

The Advanced Technology Program , Wendy H. Schacht

The National Institute of Standards and Technology: An Overview , Wendy H. Schacht

Background and Legal Issues Related to Stem Cell Research , Jon O. Shimabukuro

Land Exchanges: Bureau of Land Management Process and Issues , Carol Hardy Vincent

Fuel Ethanol: Background and Public Policy Issues , Brent D. Yacobucci

Western Water Resource Issues , Betsy A. Cody and Pervaze A. Sheikh

Water Quality: Implementing the Clean Water Act , Claudia Copeland

Manipulating Molecules: Federal Support for Nanotechnology Research , Michael E. Davey

U.S. Military Space Programs: An Overview of Appropriations and Current Issues , Patricia Moloney Figliola

Science and Technology Policy: Issues for the 109th Congress , Frank Gottron

Human Cloning , Judith A. Johnson and Erin D. Williams

Stem Cell Research: State Initiatives , Judith A. Johnson and Erin D. Williams

MTBE in Gasoline: Clean Air and Drinking Water Issues , James E. McCarthy and Mary Tiemann

Hubble Space Telescope: Should NASA Proceed with a Servicing Mission? , Daniel Morgan

Federal R&D, Drug Discovery, and Pricing: Insights from the NIH-University-Industry Relationship , Wendy H. Schacht

The Bayh-Dole Act: Selected Issues in Patent Policy and the Commercialization of Technology , Wendy H. Schacht

Oversight of Dual-Use Biological Research: The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity , Dana A. Shea

Space Exploration: Issues Concerning the “Vision for Space Exploration” , Marcia S. Smith

U.S. Space Programs: Civilian, Military, and Commercial , Marcia S. Smith

Impacts of Technology on U.S. Cropland and Rangeland Productivity , Office of Technology Assessment

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Trending: Congressional Research Service Reports Now Available Online

September 17, 2018

Posted by: Carla D. Hayden

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I’m pleased to announce that, for the first time, the Library of Congress is providing Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports to the public. The reports are available online at crsreports.congress.gov . Created by experts in CRS, the reports present a legislative perspective on topics such as agriculture policy, counterterrorism operations, banking regulation, veteran’s issues and much more.

Founded over a century ago, CRS provides authoritative and confidential research and analysis for Congress’ deliberative use.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 directs the Library to also make CRS reports publicly available online. We worked closely with Congress to make sure that we had a mutual understanding of the law’s requirements and Congress’ expectations in our approach to this project.

The result is a new public website for CRS reports based on the same search functionality that Congress uses – designed to be as user friendly as possible – that allows reports to be found by common keywords. We believe the site will be intuitive for the public to use and will also be easily updated with enhancements made to the congressional site in the future.

Moving forward, all new or updated reports will be added to the website as they are made available to Congress. The Library is also working to make available the back catalog of previously published reports as expeditiously as possible. More details about this process can be found on the site’s Frequently Asked Questions page.

CRS reports supplement the official congressional information the Library provides on its congress.gov website.

In keeping with our desire to engage users with the Library and its materials, we are happy to see these reports put to the widest use possible. I hope that you find them a useful addition to the many resources available to you from the Library of Congress.

Comments (16)

The CRS predecessor began in 1914. I’ve seen reports from the 1970’s. Is it possible that any of the older reports have been deaccessioned or are they all stored safely within LOC in physical (if not digital) formats?

Congratulations on a job well done. The launch of an official public source for these reports is a great accomplishment.

This is one of the things I was really hoping Dr. Hayden would be able to accomplish with her time at the LoC and I am so happy she has been able to get this done. Congrats to the whole team who worked on this.

Here are some of the public comments about the new CRS site:

https://twitter.com/search?q=crsreports.congress.gov&src=typd

This is SO wonderful! Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make it happen!!!!

Thank you for this incredible resource!

Superb work! Thank you for making CRS the public resource it should be—now, especially 😉

What a wonderful service! Thank you to the Library for implementing it and to Congress for initiating it.

Its a great resource

Thanks to Library of Congress for publicizing this reports document, what a great job! I hope many will reach behind the truth.

This is wise of Congress and the LOC. I vividly recall, 40+ years ago working in a congressional office in which the legislative assistant commissioned a long paper from the (then) LRS, which he then submitted as his masters thesis at either GW or AU, then spun into fancier government jobs. I was appalled but too young to speak up. Perhaps abuses like that will now end.

Excellent resource for the Library to host. VSO docents such as myself will be sure to let our visitors know about this. I have been telling my tours to look for this since this was authorized in the Tax Act. Good work LC!

It would be great if this site had an RSS feed!

I will fact justice’s. Thank You.

So glad these reports are available. As a lawyer, I’ve used them as first-stop (and sometimes last-stop) treatises on new areas of federal law. Your highest-profile publication, the annotated U.S. Constitution, is just indispensable…it’s amazing, and I won’t make any authoritative claim about constitutional law without referring to it.

Thank you, Nicholas! The Constitution Annotated is a marvel. Best, Neely

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Congressional Research Service Reports

Introduction, types of products created by crs.

• Online Sources
• Print & Microform Sources

Law Library Hours

• Law Library Hours & Contact Information

New CRS Reports (EveryCRSReport.com)

For decades, CRS did not provide direct online public access to its reports or distribute reports to libraries. But in 2018, Congress passed a law directing the creation of a public site and ending the legal requirement prohibiting CRS from providing its products to the public.

Some organizations and institutions have made thousands of reports freely available, and some UW-restricted commercial databases have extensive collections of reports.

There are several types of written products created by CRS researchers in the course of their work. As described in the 2022 Congressional Research Service Annual Report , those products include:

• Reports (R): Comprehensive research and analysis on the range of issues before Congress
• In Focus (IF): Short, two-page documents providing a quick overview or primer on a topic
• Infographics (IG) : Visual representations that bring clarity to complex processes and topics
• Insights (IN): Short analyses of current topics of interest to Congress
• Legal Sidebar (LSB): Brief examination of recent development in the law
• Testimony (TE): Written statements of CRS experts called before Congress
• Next: Online Sources >>
• Last Updated: Mar 26, 2024 11:26 AM
• URL: https://lib.law.uw.edu/crs

Congressional Research Service

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The Congressional Research Service (CRS) serves as shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. CRS experts assist at every stage of the legislative process — from the early considerations that precede bill drafting, through committee hearings and floor debate, to the oversight of enacted laws and various agency activities.

CRS approaches complex topics from a variety of perspectives and examines all sides of an issue. Staff members analyze current policies and present the impact of proposed policy alternatives.

CRS services come in many forms:

• reports on major policy issues
• tailored confidential memoranda, briefings and consultations
• seminars and workshops
• expert congressional testimony

With public policy issues growing more complex, the need for insightful and comprehensive analysis has become vital. Congress relies on CRS to marshal interdisciplinary resources, encourage critical thinking and create innovative frameworks to help legislators form sound policies and reach decisions on a host of difficult issues. These decisions will guide and shape the nation today and for generations to come.

Annual Reports

Congressional Research Service Annual Report, FY 2022 (PDF, 11.1 MB)

Congressional Research Service Annual Report, FY 2021 (PDF, 9.23 MB)

Congressional Research Service Annual Report, FY 2020 (PDF, 15.33 MB)

Congressional Research Service Annual Report, FY 2019 (PDF, 23.1 MB)

Congressional Research Service Annual Report, FY 2018 (PDF, 15.4 MB)

Congressional Research Service Annual Report, FY 2017 (PDF, 9.82 MB).

Congressional Research Service Annual Report, FY 2016 (PDF, 9.83 MB).

Congressional Research Service Annual Report, FY 2015 (PDF, 5.99 MB).

Congressional Research Service Annual Report, FY 2014 (PDF, 0.16 MB).

Congressional Research Service Annual Report, FY 2013 (PDF, 0.31 MB).

Congressional Research Service Annual Report, FY 2012 (PDF, 0.22 MB).

Congressional Research Service Annual Report, FY 2011 (PDF, 0.15 MB).

Congressional Research Service Annual Report, FY 2010 (PDF, 1.02 MB).

Congressional Research Service Annual Report, FY 2009 (PDF, 3.79 MB).

Last Updated: 01/22/2024

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Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

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Search Archive-It CRS Reports

This is free searchable archive of CRS reports from numerous different sites.  They are available at this Archive-It site and are searchable from the box below. Currency varies.

What is the Congressional Research Service (CRS)?

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a division of the Library of Congress. They produce analytical, non-partisan reports on topics of interest to members of Congress.  In 2018 they stood up a public website for dissemination of their more recent reports, and there are a number of free and subscription sites where you can find current and older CRS reports. You can also request copies from your Congressional Representative.

Many CRS reports are frequently updated, so try to find the most recent version using the resources in this guide. The CRS logo and a header from a typical CRS report are below.

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Where to find CRS Reports

• Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports The Congressional Research Service's site for finding current and recent CRS Reports more... less... CRS offers a variety of written products to Congress, including its well-known reports that provide in-depth research and analysis.

• Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL) A searchable free collection updated weekly.
• Archive-It Congressional Research Service Reports This site searches across many of the sites that provide free access to CRS reports - often a lag in current updates.
• Federation of American Scientists CRS Reports A very good site for current reports, organized by broad category but not very searchable nor historic.
• University of North Texas (UNT) Digital Library CRS Reports A great colllection and very searchable but a long delay in posting the most current reports.

CRS Reports from "Greta's Weekly Email"

• Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL) CRS Collection All of the reports listed on greta's weekly email are posted in the HSDL. They are usually posted within 7-10 days and all prior versions are retained. This collection is open to the public.

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Older CRS Reports

The Library has older (mid-1970's to mid-1990's) CRS reports on microfiche and microfilm.  For help with these, contact Ask a Librarian .

• Last Updated: Aug 2, 2023 9:59 AM
• URL: https://libguides.nps.edu/crs

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Congressional Research Service Reports

About This Collection

As of 2018, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) provides public access to its reports, no longer requiring citizens to request them from their Members of Congress. This site is not affiliated with the Congressional Research Service, but aims to provide integrated, searchable access to many of the full-text CRS reports that have been available at a variety of different web sites since 1990 as well as converted print material.

The information on this site is compiled and made available as a public service by the Government Documents Department at the UNT Libraries. UNT does not make any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of the information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for results obtained from the use of the information. Distribution of the information does not constitute such a warranty. Use of the information is the sole responsibility of the user.

About the Congressional Research Service

CRS is the public policy research arm of Congress. This legislative branch agency works exclusively for Members of Congress, their committees and their staffs. For more information, visit the CRS website at http://www.loc.gov/crsinfo/ . Access CRS content hosted by the Library of Congress by visiting https://crsreports.congress.gov/ .

About This Project

The NewsBank/Readex/GODORT/ALA Catharine J. Reynolds award was given to Cathy Nelson Hartman and Valerie D. Glenn in the summer of 2002, to begin the process of capturing Congressional Research Service reports available via the Internet and provide permanent public access to them.

Reports were downloaded from a variety of web sites that host CRS reports, either currently or in the past. Many CRS reports are updated on a regular basis, and this site includes all versions of the reports that could be located. When HTML files were captured, a note was inserted at the top of the report indicating from where the files were downloaded. To prevent the need for constant maintenance of files, most external links have been removed.

Metadata has been created for each report, including subject terms from the Legislative Indexing Vocabulary, supplemented with Library of Congress Subject Headings. Users have the ability to search by keyword, title, author, subject, and report number.

As of January 2019, we have ceased updating this collection with downloaded content. Ongoing updates to the collection will be limited to converting older print reports discovered or donated to the UNT Libraries.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the following individuals and institutions for contributing reports to this project:

• W. Frank Steely Library, Northern Kentucky University
• Oklahoma State University Library
• University of Texas Libraries

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The Balance of Powers Demands a Strong Congressional Research Service

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Is it too late to fix the Congressional Research Service, Congress’s in-house think tank? On March 20, interim director Robert Newlen described encountering a staffer balancing her cell phone on a door jamb in the repurposed Washington, D.C. book depository that houses CRS. When asked why, she explained that it was the only place she could get cell service and be responsive to calls from congressional offices. When called, she would answer, hang up, and call back from outside the building.

Newlen relayed the grim anecdote at a hearing held by the House Modernization Subcommittee on revitalizing CRS. The hearing painted a grim picture of the organization that Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden had tapped Newlen to lead after Congress pushed out the agency’s flailing director, Mary Mazanec, last summer. Newlen told the panel how work would often halt because CRS staff could not get support for their computers, printers, and other technology. They would be embarrassed when their low-cost Zoom accounts would cut off meetings at 40 minutes.

CRS employs hundreds of experts—economists, lawyers, reference librarians, and scientists—to provide Congress with research and analysis. For most of its history, the agency had a hard-won reputation for providing independent and authoritative advice. But CRS’s usefulness to Congress has suffered over the last three decades. Years of mismanagement led to an insular culture and a glacial pace of technological modernization. Right-wing political attacks drove out experienced analysts and intimidated the leadership into making the organization’s policy analysis cautious and insipid.

CRS embodies some of the worst dysfunction of the entire legislative branch. With a few notable exceptions in recent years, Republicans inspired by the Newt Gingrich-led revolution of 1995 have advanced policies that undermine their branch’s ability to function , regardless of when the GOP is in charge of one or both chambers. Since 1994, CRS and another of Congress’s support agencies, the Government Accountability Office, have each lost more than a quarter of their staff. Congress has also cut its own member and committee staff and suppressed staff pay, focusing meager resources on essentials like security and physical infrastructure. The result is a vacuum of expertise. Without reliable expertise in-house, members look outside Congress and its support agencies for basic facts and analysis, leading to an undue reliance on lobbyists, advocates, and the executive branch.

Fortunately, Congress has begun to revamp CRS as part of its larger push to modernize the entire branch . The House Administration Committee and its Senate counterpart completed the first item on this to-do list by pushing out Mazanec and starting a search for a new leader of the 600-person-strong agency. Now, the House is moving forward with legislation to empower CRS to more easily get information from the executive branch and eliminate unnecessary expenses. 

If lawmakers can fix CRS, they can use it to fix the rest of government.

Diagnosing the illness

CRS grew from humble beginnings. In 1914, Progressive Era reformers in Congress established a small office housed in the Library of Congress to provide basic research services. In 1946, after World War II had expanded the executive branch’s powers, Congress wanted to assert its equality. It formalized the research office into the Legislative Reference Service and gave it a broader remit, adding policy experts who published reports for Congress.

Finally, in 1970, the LRS was reorganized into the Congressional Research Service. The director of CRS was given the authority to appoint senior specialists, and the agency was empowered by statute to demand information from the executive branch on behalf of congressional committees. For the next quarter century, CRS analysts enjoyed significant autonomy from their managers and a broad mandate from Congress to provide expert advice on all policy topics. CRS experts commanded respect beyond Capitol Hill. They often penned articles on governance for the academy and mainstream magazines and newspapers.

That all began to change in the 1990s. In 1995, Republican Newt Gingrich became Speaker of the House and declared war on the legislative branch, slashing the budget of the Government Accountability Office and abolishing the Office of Technology Assessment. House Republicans also eliminated 600 committee staff positions. As former CRS analyst Harold Relyea later attested, Daniel Mulhollan, the CRS director installed in 1993 by Reagan-appointed Librarian of Congress James Billington, sought to avoid cuts to the agency by playing down contentious research topics and imposing a censorious new agenda on his agency:

With little adequate explanation to, and to the great consternation of, CRS staff, the science policy research division and the environment and national resources division were merged; the economics division was abolished and its analysts were redistributed largely to the foreign affairs and government division; support staff were greatly reduced; and the administrative structure of the Service morphed into a very gothic, hierarchical pyramid of a highly bureaucratic character. Also disturbing to many CRS staff members was a CRS director’s call for ‘neutrality’ in their speaking and writing published outside of CRS.

As Mulhollan tightened his grip in the 2000s, the experts hired by CRS in the 1970s slowly began to retire. The personal connections they had forged with members of Congress and senior staff had partly protected their ability to advise Congress, but with this exodus, CRS’s decline accelerated.

CRS analysts were also now generally prohibited from sharing their reports with the public and speaking with the press. It became harder for staff to interact with their academic and think tank colleagues. This isolation cut off valuable feedback that would identify errors, improve products, and allow staff to learn from peers.

In the 2010s, hard-right Republicans vilified CRS for reports on topics like executive branch wiretapping, the environmental effects of coal ash, and the economic downsides of cutting top tax rates. CRS management bowed to the pressure, showing they would not stand up for the staff. Kevin Kosar, a former CRS analyst now with the American Enterprise Institute, recounted in the Washington Monthly , “Reaching conclusions—the job of an expert—became verboten. In fact, for a time, CRS analysts were told not to end their reports with a section titled ‘conclusion.’” This policy led to the punishment of long-serving staff who had provided unvarnished analysis for decades, such as Lou Fisher, who was transferred out of CRS to the Law Library of Congress in 2006, an experience he recounted in testimony in 2019.   

When CRS Director Mulhollan retired in 2011, most CRS reports had become too cautious to provide deep insight. CRS leadership resisted technological modernization and bristled at the mildest constructive suggestions for improvement. Kosar recounted his experience of trying to alter a form used internally by the agency, a process that required four months of “dogging the people responsible to make the change.”

This organizational dysfunction continued under Muhollan’s successor, Mary Mazanec, who was appointed in 2011 by Billington. Turnover among all staff accelerated. At a House Modernization Subcommittee hearing in May 2023, Chair Stephanie Bice grilled Mazanec over “persistent culture and morale issues” at the agency that “risk undermining CRS’s ability to retain their most valuable asset—the hundreds of analysts, attorneys, and research librarians that support Congress’s work.” A letter from the CRS union laid out their concerns about “a lack of a commitment to diversity and inclusion, poor communication by CRS leadership, and an overall lack of confidence and trust in CRS’ senior leaders.” Two months later, Mazanec finally resigned under congressional pressure.

After decades of mismanagement, interim Director Newlen’s testimony before the Modernization Subcommittee in March was remarkably encouraging. ModCom, as it’s known, is an innovative bipartisan subcommittee created in 2019 that has already issued more than 200 recommendations to modernize Congress, many of which have come into effect.

On the docket were committee members’ bills empowering CRS to bypass roadblocks to accessing information held by the executive branch , save more than $1 million in printing costs for the legal treatise known as the Constitution Annotated , and consider establishing an “ evidence-based” policy commission that would promote the use of federal data in policymaking.   

Running CRS, always a tall task, is gargantuan in the charge of a caretaker. But interim Director Newlen is no stranger to the Library of Congress , having served in leadership positions in the Law Library and as deputy Librarian of Congress.

I served as a legislative attorney at CRS in its American Law Division in 2006 and 2007. As a longtime advocate for strengthening Congress, I have attended many hearings featuring CRS directors. I was struck by Newlen’s warmth and efforts to address the agency’s problems. He does more than talk. He listens. (He held 13 focus groups within his first five weeks of taking office and received 400 emails from staff when asked for feedback, which explains much about the pent-up demand for change.) Newlen testified that he is a loving critic of CRS, a remarkable statement from the agency’s head. He explained his goals are to reduce costs, add value, and maximize taxpayer return on investment. In addition, modernizing CRS technology is one of his highest priorities, and he has closely reviewed the recommendations of the Modernization Subcommittee.

Newlen has already instituted overdue, if modest, technological improvements. He worked with the Library to update the Wi-Fi so there would be connectivity everywhere; directed that technicians be embedded in the various service units to address IT support immediately, which dramatically reduced wait time to resolve technology issues; and worked to ensure that staff would have Zoom pro accounts.

In addition, Newlen wants to save money by ending the decennial print publication of the Constitution Annotated , a legal treatise that explains the US Constitution section by section. For over a decade , I pushed the CRS to publish the Constitution Annotated online in an accessible and useful format, which they resisted. I wasn’t the only one. CRS staff had developed an online version two decades ago, only to be ignored by management. Eventually, Cornell University’s Legal Information Institute took it upon themselves to create an interactive digital version .

Now we have Newlen praising the “concise, user-friendly format” of Cornell’s digital edition, which he called “an overwhelming success since its launch.” It is gratifying to hear a CRS director speak approvingly of making CRS’s work useful to the public. He is right to push to save $1 million annually by ending the print publication of the Constitution Annotated .

These are relatively minor changes, but it’s a good start. Other reforms will require new legislation. For years, CRS has struggled to pry information from federal agencies. Newlen’s testimony describes one instance where CRS has been “attempting to procure two data resources, critical to its research, since 2017.” That’s ridiculous. Agencies would push back, telling CRS to file a Freedom of Information Act request, request a Memorandum of Understanding, or take all sorts of steps that, in his description, were really because the agencies didn’t want to cough up the information. (This was an issue when I worked there almost two decades ago.) CRS submitted a proposal to Congress to expand its authority, bringing CRS’s powers to obtain information requested by Committees and individual members of Congress “on par with other support agencies.” That legislation is advancing to the House floor.

What should CRS do?

No rule says CRS cannot be innovative. Other agencies around the world with similar missions are innovating.

At a big-picture level, CRS should rejuvenate the agency by doing more to support staff and listen to their concerns. This will help address the agency’s sky-high turnover. Management should also collaborate with the union and congressional overseers to address the turnover and morale issues.

In addition, CRS should dial back its “neutrality” policy, which denudes reports of valuable analysis, and instead reestablish a clear standard of non-partisanship grounded in deep expertise. If an analyst is writing a report on the shape of the Earth, it should not merely say: “Some people say the Earth is flat; others say it’s an oblate spheroid.” CRS staff are experts. Let them explain—where is the weight of the evidence?

CRS must again put expertise at the center of the agency’s work. This includes allowing for more CRS “detailees” to spend time working directly in Congress, which is a prime way for the organization’s staff to get to know the needs and rhythms of Congress by serving as temporary committee staff. It also means restoring the ability of expert staff to attain a Senior Executive Service (SES) designated leadership position in the civil service instead of hoarding those roles for management staff, a policy instituted under Daniel Mulhollan in the 1990s. Experts should be appropriately compensated and retained—and mentor the next generation of staff.

Furthermore, within broad limits, CRS should allow, encourage, and facilitate staff attendance at conferences, writing public papers, and exchanging knowledge with their peers without fear that doing so imperils their jobs.

CRS should also reimagine what it means to serve Congress. That includes reassessing the information that congressional staff need and the formats in which they need it delivered. Maybe there should be regular topical newsletters that round up all relevant information from multiple sources, not just CRS.

CRS should highlight its reports to relevant news outlets so that congressional staff are more likely to discover new reports through their regular information channels. CRS should also work to incorporate their findings into Wikipedia, where almost everyone starts their research.     

At a micro level, CRS should allow their reports to be fully integrated into Congress.gov and publish them in reader-friendly formats. CRS should also work to make their historical reports available to congressional staff, members of the legislative branch, and the public. This will empower all of us to leverage the millions of taxpayer dollars spent on agency research to help us understand when policy issues recur. It should not be the case that I publish twice as many CRS reports at everycrsreport.com , a website I helped create to serve as a public repository of the service’s reports, than CRS provides the public and congressional stakeholders.

CRS should also integrate the capability to compare bills into Congress.gov. It’s important to know when a legislative idea in one bill is identical or related to another, both for the current Congress and over multiple Congresses. Not only is this a time-saver for legislative research and analysis, but it also allows members to get credit for their ideas when they become law, regardless of the legislative vehicle.

Imagine if CRS fully invested in the idea of an innovation lab to build tools and products that met Congress’s needs or deeply collaborated with other CRS-like entities at parliaments around the world to share the workload and provide products that draw from a global knowledge base. It would be transformational and save taxpayer dollars.

Keep the loving criticism alive

Many of us are loving critics of CRS . We hope it will find a way to leverage our interest, support, and ideas to meet the needs of Congress and the American public.

We heard from the Library of Congress at a Senate Appropriations hearing on April 15 , where appropriators clarified that this year will be a challenging budget environment. This is a warning signal. When times are good, money flows to the rest of the government but not necessarily the legislative branch. When they are bad, my research shows the legislative branch bears the brunt of parsimony compared to spending government-wide. Newlen and his colleagues must make the case that now is the time to invest. Congress must listen.

There is some good news: The Committee on House Administration favorably reported the bills to increase CRS’s access to executive branch data and replace the print publication of the Constitution Annotated with a digital version in late April , and the legislation is on a clear path towards passage by the House. And on July 11th, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported a bill that would bump CRS’s funding by $5 million to $141 million.

Newlen’s time leading CRS is short. The job announcement for his replacement has closed, and the Library of Congress and congressional overseers are thumbing through resumes.

There is a lot that CRS should do, from modernizing its technology to rethinking how it delivers information to Congress to elevating its expertise. Newlen is doing well as a caretaker, and let’s hope Congress turns over the keys to someone with an open mind and a willingness to imagine what a 21st-century research service could look like. There is much work to do to build a modern CRS—and bring expertise back to Congress.

Daniel Schuman

Daniel Schuman is the executive director of the American Governance Institute. He formerly worked as a legislative attorney for the Congressional Research Service. Follow Daniel on Twitter @danielschuman .

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