FEDERALhearing transcript

Congressional Hearing on Improving Science and Technology Advice for Congress

Original title: EXPERTS NEEDED: OPTIONS FOR IMPROVED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ADVICE FOR CONGRESS

January 1, 2020

science and technology congressional oversight technology assessment government accountability legislative resources

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The Frame

What this does

This hearing explores potential changes to how Congress acquires scientific expertise, which directly impacts the quality of information available to lawmakers when drafting legislation on complex technical issues.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Members of Congress

Lawmakers rely on the information provided by expert staff and external agencies to inform legislative decisions.

Congressional Staff

Staff members are responsible for navigating complex technical issues and utilizing available expert resources.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2020.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing to discuss how Congress can better access expert scientific and technical advice. The discussion focused on the historical role of the Office of (OTA) and current methods for providing technical expertise to lawmakers.

Key Facts

The hearing took place on December 5, 2019, in the Rayburn House Office Building.
The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) was created by the Technology Assessment Act of 1972.
The OTA produced 700 reports on science and technology issues during its 20 years of operation.
The OTA was defunded and disbanded by Congress in 1995.
The Committee currently relies on internal expert staff with Ph.D.s to provide technical advice.
The hearing included testimony from representatives of the Stennis Center, Harvard Kennedy School, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and the National Academies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the Office of Technology Assessment?

It was a congressional agency that provided non-partisan analysis of science and technology issues to Congress from 1972 until it was in 1995.

How does Congress currently get scientific advice?

According to the hearing, the Science, Space, and Technology Committee uses its own expert staff, including those with Ph.D.s, to assist members.

Why It Matters

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Historical Re-evaluation

The hearing indicates a formal legislative interest in revisiting the 1995 decision to disband the Office of Technology Assessment.

Office of Technology Assessment

Connected Entities

organizationOffice of Technology Assessment“Defunded congressional agency that provided science and technology reports”Map →

personMichael McCord“Director, Civil-Military Programs, Stennis Center for Public Service”Map →

personPeter Blair“Executive Director, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine”Map →

personEddie Bernice Johnson“Chairwoman of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology”Map →

personFrank Lucas“Ranking Member of the Committee”Map →

personTim Persons“Chief Scientist, U.S. Government Accountability Office”Map →

personLaura Manley“Director, Technology and Public Purpose Project, Harvard Kennedy School”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance40
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy10
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz10
Current news / social attention level

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