[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6289 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6289

To direct the Librarian of Congress to make available to the public the 
     bulk legislative summary and status data used to provide the 
   information posted on the THOMAS website, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 29, 2010

  Mr. Foster introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                   Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Librarian of Congress to make available to the public the 
     bulk legislative summary and status data used to provide the 
   information posted on the THOMAS website, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Legislative Data Transparency and 
Public Access Act of 2010''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Since its launch in 1995, the Web site THOMAS has been 
        an important source of free public information on Federal 
        legislation.
            (2) In the years since the introduction of THOMAS, the 
        Internet has evolved into what is commonly referred to as Web 
        2.0, which encourages the reuse of open source information 
        though collaboration, interactivity, and data standardization.
            (3) Allowing the public to download the THOMAS Web site's 
        bulk legislative summary and status data will enable 
        independent Web sites and outside watchdog groups to use the 
        data in new and innovative ways that make the proceedings of 
        Congress easier to follow and government more transparent.
            (4) In its 2007 report on Congressional Information and the 
        Internet, the Open House Project recommended that Congress 
        ``make available to the public a well-supported database of all 
        bill status and summary information currently accessible 
        through the Library of Congress.''
            (5) The Open House Project also noted that ``Six states 
        already publish the status of their state legislation in a 
        structured data format: Connecticut, Illinois . . . Minnesota, 
        Oregon, Texas and Virginia.''
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
Library of Congress should work toward improving public access to all 
THOMAS data, including the text of legislation, in bulk.

SEC. 3. PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF BULK LEGISLATIVE DATA.

    (a) Public Availability Through Internet.--As soon as practicable, 
the Librarian of Congress, in consultation with the Director of the 
Congressional Research Service, the Public Printer, the Clerk of the 
House of Representatives, and the Secretary of the Senate, shall make 
available to the public through the Internet the bulk legislative 
summary and status data used by the Librarian to provide the 
information the Librarian posts on the THOMAS Web site.
    (b) Method and Manner of Availability.--In making available the 
bulk legislative data required under subsection (a), the Librarian 
shall ensure the following:
            (1) The data is available in a searchable, sortable, and 
        downloadable manner.
            (2) The data available for downloading shall include status 
        and summary information on legislation.
            (3) The data is provided in a structured, nonproprietary 
        format.
            (4) The data is available free of charge.
            (5) The data is updated continuously in a timely manner.
            (6) The database involved includes the following supporting 
        information:
                    (A) A roster showing each Member of Congress 
                (including each Delegate and Resident Commissioner to 
                the Congress), the Member's committee assignments, and 
                the ZIP Codes included in each Member's congressional 
                district.
                    (B) Such other supporting information as the 
                Librarian considers appropriate.
            (7) The data is provided in a manner consistent with the 
        standards developed and published under subsection (c).
    (c) Development of Standards.--Prior to making available the bulk 
legislative data described in subsection (a), the Librarian of 
Congress, in consultation with the individuals described in such 
subsection, shall develop and publish standards for the downloading and 
public availability of the data, and shall update such standards at 
such frequency as the Librarian considers appropriate.

SEC. 4. ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON THOMAS.

    (a) Advisory Committee.--There is hereby established in the Library 
of Congress the Advisory Committee on THOMAS (hereafter in this section 
referred to as the ``Advisory Committee'').
    (b) Members.--
            (1) Appointment.--The Advisory Committee shall consist of 
        16 members appointed as follows:
                    (A) Seven individuals appointed by the Librarian of 
                Congress who have expertise in disciplines such as 
                legislative access, Internet technology, and open 
                government, and who shall include representatives of 
                academia, the nonprofit sector, the for-profit sector, 
                and users of the THOMAS Web site.
                    (B) Four individuals appointed by the Librarian of 
                Congress who are employees of the Federal government 
                with expertise in access to government information and 
                Internet technology.
                    (C) The Law Librarian of Congress (or the Law 
                Librarian's designee).
                    (D) The Clerk of the House of Representatives (or 
                the Clerk's designee).
                    (E) The Secretary of the Senate (or the Secretary's 
                designee).
                    (F) The Public Printer (or the Public Printer's 
                designee).
                    (G) The Director of the Congressional Research 
                Service (or the Director's designee).
            (2) Deadline for appointments.--The Librarian of Congress 
        shall appoint the members described in subparagraphs (A) and 
        (B) of paragraph (1) not later than 60 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act.
            (3) Term of service; vacancies.--Members of the Advisory 
        Committee shall serve for a term of 3 years, and may be 
        appointed to additional terms. Any vacancy in the Advisory 
        Committee shall be filled in the manner in which the original 
        appointment was made.
            (4) No compensation.--Members of the Advisory Committee 
        shall serve without pay, but shall receive travel expenses, 
        including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with 
        applicable provisions under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 
        5, United States Code. Members of the Advisory Committee who 
        are full-time officers or employees of the United States may 
        not receive additional pay, allowances, or benefits by reason 
        of their service on the Commission.
    (c) Support From Librarian of Congress.--The Librarian of Congress 
shall provide the Advisory Board with the administrative, professional, 
and technical support required by the Advisory Board to carry out its 
responsibilities under this section.
    (d) Meetings.--The Advisory Committee shall meet on a regular basis 
at the call of a majority of its members. Meetings shall be open to the 
public.
    (e) Duties.--The Advisory Committee shall--
            (1) review progress toward making all of the data of the 
        THOMAS Web site available in bulk; and
            (2) provide general advice to the Librarian of Congress on 
        improving digital access and THOMAS services.
    (f) Reports.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Advisory Committee 
shall submit a report on its activities to the Committee on House 
Administration of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Rules and Administration of the Senate, and shall include in the report 
such recommendations as the Advisory Committee considers appropriate.
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