Establishes: (1) a Center for Scientific and Technical Assessment to provide timely advice to Congress on scientific and technical aspects of public policy issues, administered by a Director; and (2) a Technical Assessment Board to provide guidance to the Director to ensure that the Center provides timely and useful responses to congressional requests.
Authorizes the Director to appoint, with the approval of the Comptroller General, a Deputy Director. Prohibits the Director and Deputy Director from engaging in any other business, vocation, or employment, or (except with the Comptroller General's approval) holding any office in, or acting in any capacity for, any organization, agency, or institution with which the Center makes any contract or other arrangement under this Act.
Permits: (1) any Member of Congress to make requests to the Board that the Center conduct an investigation and report to the requester, within a specified time period, on any matter relating to scientific and technical assessment (and sets priorities for requests); and (2) the Director to establish an advisory panel as necessary to support each technical assessment report.
Requires each report to be subject to peer review before delivery to the committee or Member requesting it. Provides for public release of unclassified reports, subject to a delay of up to two weeks at the request of the Board or a Member.
[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4670 Introduced in House (IH)]
108th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4670
To provide for the establishment of a Center for Scientific and
Technical Assessment.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 23, 2004
Mr. Holt (for himself, Mr. Houghton, Mr. Boehlert, Mr. Moran of
Virginia, Mr. Honda, Mr. Gordon, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Olver,
Mr. Greenwood, Mr. Castle, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Frost, Mr. Berman, Mr.
Ruppersberger, and Mr. Ehlers) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Science
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the establishment of a Center for Scientific and
Technical Assessment.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT.
(a) Establishment.--There shall be established a Center for
Scientific and Technical Assessment (in this section referred to as the
``Center'') to provide timely advice to the Congress on scientific and
technical aspects of public policy issues. The Center shall be
administered by a Director.
(b) Technical Assessment Board.--
(1) Establishment and purpose.--There shall be established
a Technical Assessment Board whose purpose shall be to provide
guidance to the Director of the Center to ensure that the
Center provides timely and useful responses to congressional
requests.
(2) Membership.--The Technical Assessment Board established
under paragraph (1) shall consist of--
(A) 6 members of the Senate appointed by the
President Pro Tempore of the Senate, including 3 from
the majority party and 3 from the minority party;
(B) 6 members of the House of Representatives
appointed by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, including 3 from the majority party
and 3 from the minority party;
(C) the Comptroller General; and
(D) the Director of the Congressional Research
Service and the Director of the Center, who shall be
nonvoting members.
Service as a member on the Technical Assessment Board shall not
be construed under the rules of the House of Representatives or
the Senate as service as a member of a House of Representatives
or Senate Committee.
(3) Vacancies.--Vacancies in the membership of the
Technical Assessment Board shall not affect the authority of
the remaining members to act, and such vacancies shall be
filled in the same manner as in the case of the original
appointment.
(4) Chairman and vice chairman.--There shall be selected at
the beginning of each Congress a chairman and a vice chairman,
one of whom shall be a member of the Senate selected by the
members of the Technical Assessment Board who are members of
the Senate from among their number, and one of whom shall be a
member of the House of Representatives selected by the members
of the Technical Assessment Board who are members of the House
of Representatives from among their number. The chairmanship
and vice chairmanship shall alternate between the Senate and
the House of Representatives with each year. The chairman
during each odd-numbered year shall be a member of the House of
Representatives. The vice chairman shall act in the place of
the chairman in the absence of the chairman.
(5) Authority to act.--The Technical Assessment Board
established under this subsection may sit and act at such
places and times as it chooses, including during the sessions,
recesses, and adjourned periods of Congress.
(c) Director and Deputy Director.--
(1) Director.--The Director of the Center shall be
appointed by the Comptroller General with the approval of the
Technical Assessment Board and shall serve for a term of 6
years unless sooner removed by the Technical Assessment Board.
The Director shall receive basic pay at the rate provided for
level III of the Executive Schedule under section 5314 of title
5, United States Code.
(2) Powers and duties.--In addition to the powers and
duties vested by this section, the Director shall exercise such
powers and duties as may be delegated by the Technical
Assessment Board. The Director, with the permission of the
Comptroller General, shall have the authority to hire, remove,
or promote permanent staff and enter into contracts for
consultants, expert analysis, and peer reviewers described in
subsection (f). In consultation with the Technical Assessment
Board and with the approval of the Comptroller General, the
Director shall prepare the annual budget for the Center for
submission to Congress.
(3) Deputy director.--The Director may appoint, with the
approval of the Comptroller General, a Deputy Director who
shall perform such functions as the Director may prescribe and
who shall be Acting Director during the absence or incapacity
of the Director or in the event of a vacancy in the office of
Director. The Deputy Director shall receive basic pay at the
rate provided for level IV of the Executive Schedule under
section 5315 of title 5, United States Code.
(4) Conflicts of interest.--Neither the Director nor the
Deputy Director shall engage in any other business, vocation,
or employment than that of serving as such Director or Deputy
Director, as the case may be; nor shall the Director or Deputy
Director, except with the approval of the Comptroller General,
hold any office in, or act in any capacity for, any
organization, agency, or institution with which the Center
makes any contract or other arrangement under this section.
(d) Congressional Requests.--
(1) In general.--Any member of Congress may make requests
to the Technical Assessment Board that the Center conduct an
investigation and report to the requester, within a specified
time period, on any matter relating to scientific and technical
assessment.
(2) Formal calls for requests.--The chairman of the
Technical Assessment Board established under subsection (b)
shall submit to all members of Congress formal calls for
requests under this subsection.
(3) Prioritization.--Requests under paragraph (1) shall be
addressed by the Center in accordance with the following
priority order:
(A) Requests with bipartisan and bicameral support.
(B) Requests with bipartisan support.
(C) Requests from other members.
The Director, with the approval of the Technical Assessment
Board, may determine the final priority for consideration of
and fulfilling requests among and within each category
described in subparagraphs (A) through (C).
(e) Advisory Panels.--The Director may establish an advisory panel
as necessary to support each technical assessment report provided by
the Center. Such panels shall not be subject to the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.).
(f) Peer Review.--Each report requested under this subsection shall
be subject to peer review before delivery to the committee or member of
Congress requesting the report. Such peer review shall consist of
rigorous vetting, checking, criticism, and recommendations for
improvement by independent, qualified experts in the various aspects of
the subject of the request under study. Independent experts shall
assess each Center report by considering the scientific method, factual
accuracy, results, and conclusions put forward by the authors. The peer
reviewers' comments shall be given to the report authors to allow for
change, improvement, and modification of the report before delivery to
the Director. After final review by the Director, and the approval of
the Technical Assessment Board, the report shall be delivered to the
committee or member of Congress requesting the report.
(g) Public Release.--Except for classified reports, the Center,
with the permission of the Technical Assessment Board, shall promptly
release a report requested under subsection (d) to the public, except
that such release shall be delayed by not more than 2 weeks at the
request of the Technical Assessment Board or a member of Congress.
(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Comptroller General for carrying out this section
$30,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2005 through 2007, to remain
available until expended.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Science.
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H5139)
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E2168-2169)
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