[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18502]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                CRS REPORTS SHOULD BE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE

  (Mr. LANCE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, this week Americans for Tax Reform joins the 
chorus of advocacy and good government groups calling for Congressional 
Research Service reports to be available to the public.
  In its letter of support, Americans for Tax Reform said that opening 
CRS reports to the public is a commonsense proposal that will increase 
transparency, give taxpayers greater access to important information, 
and enrich public knowledge.
  The taxpayer advocacy group pointed out that the rules casting CRS 
reports into secrecy are outdated and unnecessary, and these reports 
belong in the public domain.
  U.S. taxpayers support the work of the Congressional Research Service 
to the tune of more than $100 million a year. It is fiscally 
responsible and good public policy to allow educators, students, 
members of the news media, and everyday citizens access to these 
taxpayer-financed reports.
  I urge my colleagues to join Congressman Mike Quigley and me in our 
bipartisan support of H. Res. 34, which will open CRS information to 
the public. These reports are paid for by taxpayer funds. Taxpayers 
should get to see them.

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