Congressional Research Service facts for kids
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| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | July 16, 1914 |
| Headquarters | 101 Independence Ave SE Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Annual budget | $133.6 million (2023) |
| Agency executives |
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The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is like a special research team for the United States Congress. It's part of the Library of Congress. Its main job is to give members of Congress and their staff secret, unbiased information and research. People sometimes call CRS "Congress's think tank" because it provides research and analysis on almost any topic related to making national laws.
CRS has about 600 employees. These experts include lawyers, economists, historians, and scientists. In 2023, Congress gave CRS about $133.6 million to do its work.
CRS was started in 1914. This was during a time when people wanted the government to be more professional. The idea was to give public officials independent research. At first, CRS's work was available to everyone. But from 1952 to 2018, only members of Congress and their staff could see most reports. Since 2018, many non-secret reports have been available on its website. In 2019, CRS started adding older reports and new, short summaries for the public.
CRS is one of three main groups that help Congress. The others are the Congressional Budget Office (which helps with money and budget issues) and the Government Accountability Office (which checks how the government spends money). Together, these three groups employ over 4,000 people.
Contents
History of CRS
In 1914, two politicians from Wisconsin, Senator Robert La Follette Sr. and Representative John M. Nelson, helped create a special research unit. This unit was placed inside the Library of Congress. They believed that good information was important for lawmakers. This idea also showed how librarians were becoming more professional. The new department was asked to answer questions from Congress.
In 1946, the unit was renamed the Legislative Reference Service. It mainly helped Congress by giving facts and reports. It also shared research from other government groups and experts.
The Library of Congress tried publishing some of its research for everyone in the 1940s. These were called Public Affairs Bulletins. They covered important topics like national defense. About 100 of these were made. But in 1951, Congress stopped funding them.
In 1970, the service was renamed again to the Congressional Research Service (CRS). This change showed that CRS would now focus more on doing its own research. This research would directly help Congress make laws.
From 1980 to the early 1990s, CRS published a magazine called the Congressional Research Service Review. It had articles and summaries of CRS research. It was available to the public by subscription. But Congress stopped funding it in 1992.
The number of questions CRS received grew a lot. It went from 400,000 questions in 1980 to 598,000 in 2000. CRS changed how it worked in 1999 to handle all these requests.
Finally, on September 18, 2018, a new law made most CRS reports available to the public. This meant people could now easily find these reports online.
What CRS Does
CRS gives Congress research and analysis on all important national issues. It helps members of Congress and committees quickly and secretly. CRS always aims to be fair, unbiased, and accurate.
CRS does not tell Congress what laws to make. Instead, its job is to make sure lawmakers have the best information. This helps them make good decisions for the American people. All CRS experts must be secret, timely, accurate, fair, balanced, and unbiased in their work.
CRS helps Congress in many ways. For example, it looks at new issues and problems. This way, it is ready to help Congress if needed. CRS also offers many courses. These teach about making laws and how the government budget works. At the start of each new Congress, CRS also gives a special training for new members.
CRS does not research current or former members of Congress. It only does this if the member gives permission. Or if the President nominates them for another job.
How CRS is Organized
CRS is split into six main research groups. Each group has experts on different topics. The six groups are:
- American Law
- Domestic Social Policy
- Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade
- Government and Finance
- Knowledge Services
- Resources, Science and Industry
These research groups are supported by five "behind-the-scenes" offices. These offices handle things like money, technology, and staff.
CRS Services Overview
When Congress asks for help, CRS provides information in many ways. This includes reports, memos, special briefings, and phone calls.
CRS helps lawmakers at every step of making a law:
- Ideas for New Laws: Lawmakers might ask CRS for background information. This helps them understand a problem. Then they can decide if a new law is needed. CRS might explain scientific facts or collect articles. It can also help find experts for lawmakers to talk to.
- Analyzing a Bill: If a lawmaker decides to propose a bill, CRS can help. They can clarify the bill's goals. They also help find different ways to solve problems. CRS can explain the good and bad points of each idea. They can also help lawmakers prepare arguments for their bill. CRS does not write the actual bill. But its experts can work with official drafters. CRS also helps compare different bill ideas.
- During Debates: When a bill is being discussed, CRS helps lawmakers. They provide background information. CRS lawyers can explain the legal effects of a bill. Policy experts help lawmakers decide on changes to a bill. They also help prepare for debates. They give data and information to support lawmakers' positions.
- Hearings: Before voting on a bill, committees often hold public hearings. People like government officials and experts share their views. CRS experts can help prepare for these hearings. They provide background information and suggest questions for witnesses.
- Committee Votes: After hearings, the committee meets to discuss and vote on changes to the bill. CRS staff might attend these meetings. They act as a neutral source of information for all members. If a committee approves a bill, they write a report. This report explains why they made their decision. It also analyzes the bill's effects. CRS experts can help write parts of this report.
- Rules of Congress: CRS staff can explain the rules of the House and Senate. This helps lawmakers understand how these rules affect their goals.
- Conference Committees: Sometimes, the House and Senate pass different versions of the same bill. A special committee meets to work out the differences. CRS experts help identify the issues. They clarify the positions of both houses. They also suggest ways to solve disagreements.
CRS also helps people understand the law-making process:
- Bill Summaries: Since 1935, CRS has written summaries of all new bills. These summaries are fair and unbiased. They are updated as bills change. CRS also prepares titles and links to debates in the Congressional Record. These summaries are available to the public online.
- Constitution Annotated: CRS also creates a legal book called The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation. This book explains the U.S. Constitution. It shows how the U.S. Supreme Court has understood it over time.
CRS Reports
Reports from the Congressional Research Service are often called CRS Reports. These are detailed research reports. They clearly explain issues within the context of making laws.
More than 700 new CRS reports are made each year. In 2011, there were nearly 7,800 reports in total.
CRS reports come in different types. These include Issue Briefs (IB), Research Memos (RM), and Reports. Reports can be Short (RS) or Long (RL).
Access to CRS Reports
Since September 18, 2018, most CRS reports are available to the public. You can find them on the official U.S. Congress website, crsreports.congress.gov. Older versions of reports can sometimes be found from other sources. Because the official website now shares non-secret reports, other access sites are less needed.
Before 2018, these reports were kept private. They were not secret government information. But they were not available through public information requests. This was because of a special rule for Congress. Before 2018, only members of Congress and their staff could get them.
Why Reports Were Private (and Now Public)
Until September 18, 2018, whether CRS reports should be public was a big debate. Many people felt that research paid for by taxpayers should be available to everyone.
Historically, Congress controlled who saw CRS reports. They believed CRS was like their own staff. So, its work was only for Congress. From 1952 to 2018, a rule said CRS needed approval to "publish" anything.
This rule started in the House of Representatives. It said the Library of Congress could not publish anything using money given to the Legislative Reference Service (now CRS). In 1954, an exception was added. Publications could happen only with approval from special oversight committees.
Efforts to Make CRS Reports Public
- 1978: A group called the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) wanted to exchange research with CRS. CRS would get state research, and NCSL would get CRS reports. But a congressional committee said that only members of Congress should decide if CRS products are shared with the public. So, the idea didn't happen.
- 1980: A committee released a statement. It said that CRS's work for individual lawmakers should stay private. They also mentioned the cost of making them public.
- 1990: The Senate Majority Leader said it was important to keep CRS's work private. This was to encourage open discussions. But he also said that a committee or lawmaker could choose to share a report with the public.
- 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003: Some members of Congress tried to pass laws. These laws would have made CRS put its reports on a public website. But all these attempts failed.
Even though there was no law, some lawmakers started sharing reports. In 1998, Senator Tom Daschle was the first. He put almost 300 CRS reports on his website. But they were later removed. Other representatives also put CRS reports on their own websites.
A spokesman for the House Administration Committee said that CRS reports were like memos from staff to lawmakers. He said they should not be public. But others disagreed. For example, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman said that the American people pay for these reports. So, they should be able to learn from the same expert analysis.
Types of Written Work
CRS creates different kinds of written materials:
- Reports and analyses for Congress on legislative issues.
- Responses to individual members and committees.
- Summaries of laws and other compilations.
Reports for Congress are detailed analyses of specific policy issues. They explain technical terms and provide accurate information. These reports are summarized on their first page. They can be updated or archived.
Congressional Distribution Memoranda are similar to reports. But they are for a smaller group of lawmakers. Or for issues that are not long-lasting. A memo can become a report if it becomes important to more people.
Responses to Individual Members and Committees are custom services. They answer specific questions. These are often in a memo format.
- Confidential Memoranda: These are made for a specific request. They are often for lawmakers who know a lot about a topic. They are not shared widely unless the lawmaker gives permission.
- Email Responses: These can be quick answers, like a statistic. Or they can be short briefings.
- Briefing Books: These are collections of materials for lawmakers traveling abroad. They include maps, reports, and tailored information. They cover background and current issues about U.S. relations with other countries.
Legislative Summaries, Digests, and Compilations: Since 1935, CRS has been responsible for writing fair and unbiased summaries of new bills. These summaries are updated as bills change. This office also prepares titles and links to debates in the Congressional Record.
See also
- Federal Research Division
- California Office of Legislative Counsel of the California State Legislature
- OPPAGA of the Florida Legislature
