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Annual Report Fiscal Year 2001

C O N T E N T S

A Message from the Director 1

Service to the Congress 2

Legislative Support 5

Technology and Information Resources 18

Management Initiatives 25

Appendixes 29

Modified Annual Report of the Congressional ResearchService of the Library of Congress for Fiscal Year 2001to the Joint Committee on the Library United StatesCongress Pursuant to Section 321, Public Law 91-510

The sole mission of the

Congressional Research Service is to

serve the U.S. Congress. In FY2001 CRS

continued to implement its vision of being

the first resource the Congress consults when it is

in need of legislative research, analysis,

or information on the public policy issues

facing the nation.

Congressional Research Service 1 Annual Report Fiscal Year 2001

Fast-paced events and developments in technology inFY2001 continued to affect the way Congress operatesand the nature of the public policy issues it debates—

from the year 2000 elections to issues in homeland securityand combating terrorism. During the past year CRS strived tomeet the many challenges posed by the technology “revolu-tion,” especially given the risks terrorism poses to security, byproviding expertise on legislative issues andusing secure technology to work with theCongress in the most effective and efficientways possible.

In the aftermath of the September 11attacks, CRS escalated its emergency pre-paredness and business continuity planningefforts to ensure that, in the event of anyfuture emergency, the Congress would haveready access to needed CRS staff and infor-mation systems such as the CRS Web siteand the Legislative Information System(LIS). We are working with the House andSenate to ensure that our emergency preparedness planning isseamlessly coordinated with the legislative branch direction.We will continue to protect and enhance our information sys-tems to support our ultimate goal—a robust technologicalinfrastructure from which to deliver leading-edge researchservices to the Congress within the time frames and in theforms that are most useful.

With congressional support we have pursued two tracks toenhance service to the Congress. In addition to buildingtechnology policy and acquiring the staff and tools to main-

tain a secure twenty-first century technology-based researchenvironment, we continue to build our analytical capacity.Ensuring that we have the expertise to address current andfuture legislative issues remained a priority for CRS thisfiscal year.

In response to the complexity and multifaceted nature ofmany issues on the legislative agenda, CRS stressed a multi-

disciplinary, team approach to sharing dataand information. We moved away fromindividual owners of data to groups who own and share their research—from main-frame dominant applications to network-dependent applications, and from primarilypaper and microfiche to the Internet andmultimedia formats.

Our vision is to be the premier source ofaccurate, objective information and analysisfor the Congress. We are proud of our repu-tation for supporting each Member and com-mittee with comprehensive, reliable services

that are objective, nonpartisan, and confidential.This report outlines trends and challenges in FY2001 for

CRS, support on major legislative issues, technologicalimprovements, and efforts to refine and improve operations.These pages provide some measure of the CRS commitmentto support the Congress as it drafts the laws of the land toserve the American people.

Daniel P. Mulhollan

A Message from the Director


Service to the Congress

In fiscal year 2001, CRS continued implementing its

vision of being the premier source of objective

information and analysis of the Congress. A dynamic

legislative issues planning exercise

enabled CRS staff to maintain the

breadth and depth of issue coverage

required by the Congress and to provide

timely and responsive service. This

report outlines challenges and trends for

the Service as well as indicators of CRS

performance and productivity. It

describes CRS activities during FY2001

to serve the Congress as well as efforts to enhance and

refine operations. Selective major initiatives and special

projects are noted, as are work on key policy issues

before the Congress, progress on human resources issues,

and improvements in technology and information

resources.

CRS in FY2001

In FY2001 CRS continued to

implement its vision of being the first

resource the Congress consults when it

is in need of legislative research,

analysis, or information on the public

policy issues facing the nation. This

vision will guide the Service in the

coming years and allow it to fully honor

its statutory mission—to provide all Members and

committees of the Congress with comprehensive and

reliable information, research, and analysis. Throughout

all stages of the legislative process, CRS provides

research and information services that are timely, objective,nonpartisan, and confidential, thereby contributing to aninformed national legislature.

New ChallengesWhile structuring all aspects of its work for the Congressaround this enduring mission, CRS also faces other chal-lenges at the start of the twenty-first century. The most criti-cal challenge for the Service is the need to replace retiringstaff to provide continuity of quality legislative support tothe Congress. CRS must also continue to harness the latestdevelopments in technology, especially Web-related applica-tions, meet the changing information and research needs and

practices of the Congress; enhance its analytical capacity inincreasingly complex and challenging areas of national inter-est and concern; and continue to improve the security andcollaborative capabilities of CRS computer networks anddatabases.

Indicators of CRS Performance and ProductivityCRS provided analysis, information, and services to theCongress in FY2001 on nearly 712,000 occasions (see table).These included responses to nearly 91,000 requests foranalysis, information, and research, resulting in approxi-mately 2,200 custom, confidential memoranda; 41,000responses by telephone; and 2,600 in-person briefings and

CRS Products and Services for Congress, FY2001

Products and Services TotalTotal Completed Requests and Services Provided 711,612Analysis, information, and research requests1 90,950Cited material and CRS product requests 23,186Research center direct requests and self-service 48,711Seminar, institute, and training participants 8,560Client use of CRS electronic services2 540,205

Custom Products and ServicesCustom writings prepared 2,181In-person briefings and consultations completed

(number of participations by CRS staff) 2,625Responses primarily by telephone 41,439Selected materials, database searches,

and translations 44,608

Products and Services for Congressional DistributionProducts prepared 858Titles available (year end) 3,929Copies distributed3 946,125Seminars, institutes, training (number of events) 322

Congressional Offices Served by CRS (percentage of total)Members 100%Committees 100%

1. Analysis, research, and information requests are created for specific clients uponrequest. Data include some requests that are not identified in “Custom Productsand Services.”

2. Clients anonymously access topical reports, memoranda, and tables through theCRS home page. Fax on Demand services are included in this figure.

3. Includes electronic and paper copy distribution. The figure includes 117,194 copiesof CRS reports and issue briefs within the 38,036 info packs distributed.

Source: CRS Inquiry Status and Information System (ISIS) and other CRS data.


CRS continued implementing itsvision of being the premier sourceof objective information andanalysis of the Congress.

consultations. There were more than 23,000 requests forcopies of specific CRS or other material; nearly 49,000 visitsto CRS research centers; and about 8,600 participants inCRS seminars and training events.

FY2001 also saw more than 540,000 uses of CRSelectronic (Web site) services. This figure reflects a nearly 33percent increase from the same number of electronic andtelephone automated services in FY2000 (about 407,000)and a 73 percent increase from FY1999 (approximately312,000). This trend reflects the increased emphasis CRShas placed on meeting the growing congressional demand foronline services. The CRS Web site offers availability of CRSissue briefs and CRS reports to Congress 24 hours a day.


Throughout all stages of thelegislative process, CRS providesresearch and information servicesthat are timely, objective,nonpartisan, and confidential,thereby contributing to an informednational legislature.


Legislative Support

Throughout the fiscal year, as Congress debated

a range of issues in an increasingly complex

public policy arena, CRS provided objective, non-

partisan, and timely research and analysis to meet

congressional needs. Selected major

issues before Congress during FY2001

and the work done by CRS in support

of those legislative activities are

outlined below.

CRS analysts, attorneys, and

information specialists supported the

legislative activities of Congress in an

integrated manner and in a variety of

ways—explaining policy problems; identifying and

assessing policy alternatives and their implications;

analyzing, appraising, and evaluating legislative

proposals; conducting legal analyses of pending

legislation and administrative actions; and delivering

expert testimony before congressional committees. CRS

staff wrote confidential memoranda and

provided personal consultations;

assisted with research strategies;

identified and evaluated research

findings, data, and information sources;

supported hearings and investigations;

and prepared products. CRS experts

briefed Members and committees on

legislative issues to provide insight on

both policy options and procedural strategies.


Chronology of Legislative Assistance: End of the 106th CongressAs FY2001 began, the 106th Congress was completing workon three unfinished appropriations bills, the H1-B visa bill,and the defense authorization bill. Following the 2000 elec-tions, the Congress began deliberations on a number ofquestions related to the election results.

AppropriationsThroughout the fiscal year, CRS provided Congress withtimely information on appropriations legislation, spendingdecisions, and major policy issues in appropriations bills. Itdid this through reports on each of the 13 appropriationsbills, on supplemental appropriations bills, and on continu-ing resolutions. CRS provided additional information elec-tronically through the Appropriations/Budget page that ispart of the CRS Web site. The CRS appropriations teammaintained this site throughout the year and updated itsstatus table as well as the series of 13 reports on respectiveappropriations bills as action occurred. CRS maintainedother reports analyzing specific issues in appropriationsbills and specific types of spending, such as federalresearch and development funds and the V-22 Ospreyaircraft.

2000 ElectionsIn addition to their legislative activities, Members were alsopreparing for the 2000 elections. The results of theNovember 2000 senatorial elections and control of theSenate in the 107th Congress were initially in doubt. CRSanalysts and specialists responded to requests concerning a“closely-divided” Senate, which explored past precedentsfor guidance on setting the legislative agenda, apportioningseats on Senate committees, and allocating staffing

resources. When it became clear that the parties would haveequal strength in the Senate, CRS staff prepared reportsdealing with the historical precedents for such circumstancesin the Senate and later issued a report on the Senate’s land-mark power-sharing agreement. CRS provided support andanalysis when the leadership of the Senate shifted in June2001.

The unprecedented circumstances surrounding the 2000presidential election drew congressional attention to suchquestions as the reliability of different voting technologiesused in the states for the conduct of federal elections, votingproblems and irregularities, alleged violation of voter rights,treatment of military and overseas votes, the electoral col-lege, and early media projections of election results. Up tothe time of the Supreme Court’s decision in Bush v. Gore,CRS attorneys and analysts provided a range of analyticalsupport to the Congress as it prepared for a potential role indeciding who would be the next President. When the elec-tion process concluded, Congress responded with a range ofproposed legislation, including proposals to study state pro-

Up to the time of the SupremeCourt’s decision in Bush v. Gore,CRS attorneys and analystsprovided a range of analyticalsupport to the Congress as itprepared for a potential role indeciding who would be the nextPresident.


cedures in administering federal elections, establish astronger federal role in election administration, and amendthe Constitution to reform the electoral college. During thepost-election period the CRS integrated response includedstudies and legal analyses of state and federal election prac-tices, as well as electoral college procedures and scenarios.Written products included assessments of alternative votingsystems and equipment, side-by-side comparisons of reformand study bills, evaluation of proposed electoral collegereforms, and analyses of the effects of early network projec-tions and related proposals for a federal election day holiday.In addition, analysts and attorneys conducted briefings forcommittees, assisted committee staff in hearings planning,and assisted Member and committee staff in developingreform legislation proposals.

Beginning of the 107th Congress

Transition to a New AdministrationEarly in 2001 the 107th Congress faced not only its own pri-orities, but also initiatives emanating from a newAdministration. Post-election work continued in the firstquarter of 2001. CRS conducted a Public Policy Institute forcongressional staff, examining all aspects of the electionreform debate, while a Federal Law Update session, part ofan annual CRS program on recent legal developments,reviewed the controversial Supreme Court case, Bush v. Gore.

With the change of Administration in January 2001Congress was presented with hundreds of nominations forBush Administration appointees requiring Senate approval.Analysts aided committee staff in developing questions forconfirmation hearings and gave numerous briefings on pro-posed appointments and the appointments process.

Congressional OversightThe inauguration of a new President shifted the focus ofcongressional oversight. The Congressional Review Act(CRA), unused since it was enacted in 1996, was resurrectedto successfully repeal the previous Administration’sergonomics rule. It was also used to challenge the President’srevival of the Mexico City policy, forcing the President torenew it through executive order. The Mexico City policyrequires all nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) thatreceive population assistance grants from the United Statesto agree that they will not perform or actively promote abor-tion as a method of family planning in other countries. CRSlegal analysts briefed Members and staff on the proceduraland substantive intricacies of this legislation.

President Bush’s imposition of a 60-day moratorium onso-called “midnight rules” of the previous Administration,and subsequent extension of those suspensions, raised seri-ous and complex oversight and administrative law issuesaddressed by CRS through memoranda, personal briefings,and sessions of the Federal Law Update program.

CRS also provided advice with regard to the VacanciesReform Act of 1998, which extends the limitation period fortemporary designees to advice and consent positions duringa transition period to 300 days. CRS provided in-personbriefings to Members and staff on new options available tothe President to make temporary high-level appointmentsfor an extended period that are not subject to Senatescrutiny.

Public LandsCongressional interest in public lands intensified, in partdue to proposed regulations issued by the ClintonAdministration and proposals from the Bush Administrationconcerning their use and development. Specific concerns


included national forest management, oil and gas develop-ment proposals for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,increased oil and gas exploration in the Great Lakes, wateruse conflicts in the Klammath River Basin, and variousissues related to designation of national monuments, endan-gered species, and grazing rights. CRS conducted Memberand staff briefings and prepared and maintained analyses inall these areas.

Andean Regional InitiativeEarly in the year the Bush Administration proposed $882million in economic and counter-narcotic assistance forColombia and six regional neighbors in the “AndeanRegional Initiative” (ARI). With final congressional actionpending in late FY2001, both chambers acted to cut thePresident’s request and to impose other conditions andreporting requirements. CRS responded to many requests,assisted with hearings, and organized two seminars onColombia in support of congressional action.

Southeastern EuropeCongress dealt with emerging issues in southeastern Europeduring the fiscal year, particularly the emergence of democ-racy in Serbia and the danger of a major ethnic conflictwithin Macedonia. Members also grappled with ongoing

concerns, including U.S. military deployments to Kosovoand Bosnia, and aid for regional reconstruction. CRSassessed both Serbian compliance with congressionallyimposed conditions for aid and military burden-sharing withU.S. allies in the region. Briefings and overview materialswere also regularly prepared for congressional delegations tothe region.

Tax PolicyProposals by President Bush stimulated debate over tax pol-icy as Congress moved to refashion and modify the chiefexecutive’s plan, which was unveiled early in the 107thCongress. Major components of the bill included a reductionin individual tax rates, including a retroactive payment tomost taxpayers, an increase in the per-child tax credit, reduc-tions for married couples, a phase-out of federal estate andgift taxes, benefits for education, changes to IRAs and pen-sions, and a temporary reduction in the individual alternativeminimum tax. CRS prepared and updated written products,including reports on rate cuts; the marriage penalty andother tax revisions under consideration, which initiated a taxcut “trigger” to ensure affordability; and analyses of themacroeconomic impact of various tax cut alternatives. CRSalso maintained its electronic briefing book on taxation on itsWeb site. In addition, CRS consulted with and conductedbriefings for Members and staff and provided comprehensivedata on the public debate over the tax bill and associatedissues, including capital gains tax reductions, internationaltax havens, and the extension of specific corporate taxincentives.

Welfare ReformWith the expiration of major welfare reform legislation pend-ing in 2002, Congress prepared for reauthorization with over-

“This is the CongressionalResearch Service on which wehave all come to rely for expertnon-partisan analysis.”

Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr.


sight hearings and seminars. CRS provided extensive back-ground materials and analyses, including an electronic brief-ing book on welfare reform on the CRS Web site. Additionalsupport included numerous briefings for Members and rele-vant committee staff. Early in 2001 the new Administrationproposed, as a key element of its own reform agenda, the“faith-based initiative.” CRS provided information andanalyses as the House debated and ultimately passed a ver-sion of this initiative. CRS staff also supported considerationof legislation reauthorizing several expiring grant programsrelated to child welfare and child abuse, conducted briefingsand provided background materials, and assisted staff inpreparing for committee markups.

Budget IssuesAs federal budget issues continued to dominate the legisla-tive agenda for much of the year, CRS provided support forconsideration of the fiscal 2002 congressional budget resolu-tion, revenue reconciliation legislation, and annual appropri-ations bills. Issues included extending budget enforcementand budget process reform proposals. CRS offered a range ofreports and briefings and a Public Policy Institute analyzingthe economic assumptions used in forecasting the 2002budget. CRS produced a budget chronology on its Web site,which allowed quick and timely reference for Members andstaff. The appropriations and budget section of the CRSWeb site continued to generate extensive congressionalinterest and use.

Food and AgricultureConditions in the farm economy, the prospects of a majorrewrite of U.S. farm policy, and potential trade legislationprompted requests in the 107th Congress for specializedseminars and briefings by CRS on food and agricultureissues. Responses included a one-day program for Houseand Senate committee staff and Member office legislativeaides, which included experts on farm policy from govern-

Throughout the fiscal year, CRSprovided Congress with timelyinformation on appropriationslegislation, spending decisions, and major policy issues inappropriations bills.


ment, industry, and academia. These outside experts alsojoined CRS experts to conduct a series of specialized brief-ings or tutorials for House and Senate committees through-out the year, covering commodity programs, ruraldevelopment, research, food programs, trade, and conserva-tion. The CRS electronic briefing book on agriculture policyand the Farm Bill on its Web site afforded Congress readyaccess to coverage on all major food and agriculture issues.This was complemented by reports and issue briefs on spe-cific programs and issues, a CRS glossary of agricultureterms, laws, and programs developed for use on committeeand Member home pages, and a report identifying agricul-ture Web sites. CRS regularly advised congressional staff andMembers on legislative options and provided confidentialwritten analyses on a wide array of food and farm topics,including the constitutionality of dairy compacts, the farmeconomy situation and outlook, commodity programs andoperations, trade agreements affecting agriculture, plant andanimal diseases, biotechnology, and agricultural productionand food consumption.

DefenseCongress continued to debate the issue of how to develop anew military force for the future, while simultaneously main-taining effective and ready forces to meet ongoing militarychallenges. Following the end of the cold war, the U.S. mili-tary establishment underwent downsizing and launched avariety of efforts to incorporate technology from the emerg-ing high-technology revolution in military affairs. Congresspressed for a more coordinated effort by mandating studies,including the Quadrennial Defense Reviews, leading toidentifiable defense transformation programs developed inFY2001. CRS supported this process through a series ofmeetings and seminars with Members and staff to help iden-

tify future threats and potential technical solutions. In partic-ular, a series of reports and issue briefs monitored transfor-mation efforts in each of the armed services.

Mid-Session (April–July 2001)As the third quarter began, campaign finance reform, educa-tion, and a patients’ bill of rights were issues of note, anddebate on tax policy continued.

Campaign Finance ReformCampaign finance reform, especially the issue of whetherand how to control soft money, commanded the attention ofboth the Senate and the House from the earliest days of the107th Congress. While House debate was cut short in July2001 by defeat of the rule, the Senate broke a stalemate ofmany years when it passed the McCain-Feingold bill inApril. CRS conducted frequent staff and Member briefings,prepared a wide range of confidential and general distribu-tion products, and assisted in evaluating draft amendmentsand alternative proposals. Of particular importance was theelectronic briefing book on campaign finance reform main-tained on the CRS Web site, which provided nearly real-time analysis of proposed Senate floor amendments andchanges in the Senate bill as it evolved. On the House side,CRS assisted Members and staff in preparing for hearings,mark-up, and the committee report and also prepared sum-maries and comparisons of the Senate-passed bill, the twoleading House bills, and current law.

EducationDebate continued on the federal role in elementary and sec-ondary education, including proposals to increase state andlocal school district authority over the use of federal fundslinked to student assessments, school accountability based


on annual progress in student outcomes, teacher quality andquantity, and improved effectiveness in aid programs for at-risk students. Elementary and Secondary Education Act(ESEA) bills passed the House and Senate in May and June2001, respectively, and were in conference as the fiscal yearclosed. CRS assisted authorizing committee and conferencecommittee staff by assessing options and analyzing theimplications of proposed alternatives. Products includedhundreds of micro-computer simulations evaluating alterna-tive funding allocation formulas for more than 10 differentprograms. Using the assembled data, analysts also producedestimates of potential unintended impacts in different ver-sions of the bill, thereby enhancing congressional considera-tion of new alternatives and options.

Health CareCongressional activity reflected nationwide concern overmanaged care and other health insurance issues. Legislationproposed in the House and Senate, which awaited confer-ence committee action as the fiscal year ended, offered vari-ous approaches designed to improve access to health careproviders, health plan information disclosure, grievance andappeal procedures, and reform of health care lawsuit prac-tices for employment-based plans. CRS offered a PublicPolicy Institute early in the year and a Federal Law Updatepresentation on associated issues. Numerous staff andMember briefings were conducted. Publications included anoverview package and products on current federal malprac-tice and preemption law, comparison of legislative options, aswell as analysis of such controversial areas as lawsuit reformand employer liability. Additionally, the CRS Web site infor-mation on health policy and medicine was expanded toinclude links to a broad range of information sources onmanaged care.

Rising federal Medicare outlays and the increasing cost ofprescription drugs to seniors constituted a major componentof the congressional health care agenda. As FY2001 drew to aclose, Congress focused legislative efforts on administrativeand regulatory reform. CRS worked with the Congress toexplore innovative reform options, such as prescription drugbenefits under Medicare, a competitively negotiated man-aged care benefit, and a Medicare regulatory reform bill.Briefings and publications focused on analyses of policyoptions, including actuarial estimates of associated costs,while CRS staff testified before relevant Senate and Housecommittees. CRS updated Medicare background materialand created a new overview package on Medicare coverageof prescription drugs. In addition, a new page was added tothe CRS Web site providing links to explanations of federalprescription programs and both industry and associationpositions on prescription drug issues.

Tax LegislationAfter ongoing debate on tax legislation, which continuedthrough May, the House and Senate agreed on compromiselegislation, the Economic Growth and Tax ReliefReconciliation Act of 2001 (signed into law in early June asP.L. 107-16). P.L. 107-16 provided for a tax rebate in 2001,phased-in reductions in individual tax rates, an increasedchild credit, tax relief for married couples, a revision thatlargely phased out the estate tax, an increase in the alterna-tive minimum tax exclusion, revisions of IRAs and pensions,several tax benefits for education, an increase in the depend-ent care credit, and an adoption credit. CRS continued toprovide and update written products on the various provi-sions in the bill (rate cuts, marriage penalty, estate and gifttax, child credit, alternative minimum tax, IRAs, and pen-sions) and on economic issues under consideration


(economic recovery and tax cut triggers). CRS alsomaintained an electronic briefing book on taxes andprovided numerous consultations and briefings during theprocess.

U.S.–China RelationsSino-American diplomatic relations were contentiousthroughout much of the year. In April a collision betweenChinese and U.S. military aircraft over the South China Sealed to a period of tension between the U.S. and China andstirred the interest of Congress. In addition to numerousMember and staff briefings on all aspects of the crisis, CRSanalyzed the crisis and pending legislation to prohibit com-pensation to China as a result of the collision. Also in Aprilthe U.S. announced plans to sell defensive weapons andservices to Taiwan. CRS prepared reports and briefings giv-ing detailed information on the weapons involved, policyimplications of the sales, and the military balance betweenChina and Taiwan. CRS staff provided close support withbackground and policy implications as Members and com-mittees considered P.L. 107-10, legislation authorizing thePresident to endorse observer status for Taiwan at the World

Health Organization. CRS addressed the potential effects ofalternative proposals for the pending Tibetan Policy Act of2001. As the subcommittee prepared for hearings on renew-ing normal trade relations with China, CRS foreign affairsand trade analysts developed a range of briefings, analyses,and options papers for subcommittee staff.

SudanArmed conflict, slavery, other human rights abuses, andfamine in Sudan were a source of concern to Congressthroughout the year. In June the House voted to support theSudan Peace Act, which condemned human rights violationsand created various incentives for a restoration of peace. InJuly the Senate passed a similar bill. CRS assisted in draftinga number of resolutions and bills, conducted Member andstaff briefings, prepared a range of reports and confidentialmemoranda, and accompanied and supported congressionaldelegations to the region.

Trade PolicyTrade policy highlights for FY2001 included a variety of pro-posals to liberalize international trading arrangements, reviseU.S. export policy, and reauthorize import preference pro-grams. Specifically, these questions embraced reauthoriza-tion and revision of the Export Administration Act, theExport-Import Bank, Andean Trade Preferences, and theGeneralized System of Preferences. Congress also consid-ered proposals to renew the President’s “fast-track” author-ity to negotiate international trade agreements, as well astrade-liberalization agreements concluded by the executivebranch and subject to congressional approval. CRSdeveloped analyses of various fast-track proposals, includingassessments of advantages and disadvantages of each. Otheractivities included frequent consultations and briefings with

CRS worked with the Congress to explore innovative reformoptions, such as prescription drugbenefits under Medicare, acompetitively negotiated managedcare benefit, and a Medicareregulatory reform bill.


Members and staff of relevant committees as well as prepa-ration and maintenance of a full range of related productsthat were made available on the CRS Web site in anelectronic briefing book on trade.

Senate Power-SharingThe CRS report on the Senate’s power-sharing agreementwas revised several times during the First Session ofCongress as circumstances required and was the subject of amajor revision when Democrats gained control of the cham-ber in June. CRS also prepared reports on questions relatedto the need for special processes in the Senate (and inbicameral relations between the chambers) pursuant to thepower-sharing agreement and addressed issues of changes inMember party affiliations and party control of the chamber.

HIV/AIDSBy the end of 2000 more than 36 million people were livingwith HIV or AIDS worldwide, and the number of infectionswas increasing in India, China, the former Soviet Union, andelsewhere. In July, as part of P.L. 107-20, the SupplementalAppropriations Act, Congress approved a $100 million contri-bution to a new multilateral Global AIDS and Health Fund,with additional contributions included in the House andSenate versions of the Foreign Operations AppropriationsBill. CRS responded to a high volume of information andbackground requests by preparing confidential memoranda,conducting Member and staff briefings, assisting in develop-ing hearing agendas, and maintaining analytical and back-ground products.

Social SecurityAccording to the latest estimates, payroll taxes will fall belowexpenditures in 2016; by 2038 trust funds will be depleted.

These projected long-range funding problems have been ofconcern to the last three Congresses. There has been rela-tively less activity in the 107th Congress, pending the reportof a presidential commission on Social Security reform. Inanticipation of the commission report, CRS assistedCongress in evaluating different proposals for reform, includ-ing individual retirement accounts within the Social Securitysystem, by developing computer models that provide projec-tions of the changes and interactions that particular reformswould have on future benefit levels. CRS analyzed theeffects on benefits of various reform options as well as theeconomic implications of reform options. CRS also providedassistance with requests on the widespread use of socialsecurity numbers and sponsored a Public Policy Instituteexamining social security privacy issues.

Bankruptcy ReformBankruptcy reform legislation entered its fifth year of con-sideration by Congress during FY2001. After legislation waspocket vetoed in the 106th Congress, both Housesintroduced and passed similar bills designed both to addressan historically high volume of consumer bankruptcy filings

“I rise today to commend . . . theCongressional Research Service.On almost a daily basis, my staffand I rely on the expertise andwealth of knowledge that that staffprovides.”

Representative Joseph R. Pitts


and to increase creditor recovery by channeling more debtorsinto Chapter 13. Both bills were pending as the fiscal yeardrew to a close. CRS prepared in-depth analyses as theHouse and Senate bills evolved during the legislativeprocess, including an array of general distribution reports,and gave frequent briefings and presentations for Membersand staff. CRS also prepared reports that examined historictrends in consumer bankruptcy and explored the macroeco-nomic aspects of this phenomenon.

Energy PolicyElectricity shortages in California and rising energy priceselsewhere were major energy policy issues for Congress.CRS conducted numerous staff briefings on the structure ofthe California energy industry, factors affecting current sup-ply and demand for oil and gas, and rising gasoline prices.Products included a continuously updated electronic briefing

book on the CRS Web site on electric utility restructuring.Early in the year President Bush formed a National EnergyPolicy Development Group that issued a range ofrecommendations in May. By August the House had passedan omnibus energy bill incorporating some elements of thePresident’s plan. CRS prepared a wide range of analyses toassist Congress in evaluating the Administration program;the Service examined such issues as its potentialenvironmental and economic impacts, proposals to open theArctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas development,and proposals to provide tax incentives for energy produc-tion and conservation.

The Service examined such issues asthe potential environmental andeconomic impacts of the Administra-tion’s energy policy proposal,proposals to open the Arctic NationalWildlife Refuge to oil and gasdevelopment, and proposals toprovide tax incentives for energyproduction and conservation.

Terrorism, Including September 11 and Its AftermathBoth Congress and the President had identified terrorism asa principal threat to national security and international stabil-ity well before the September 11, 2001, attacks on the WorldTrade Center and the Pentagon. Following the October 2000assault on the U.S.S. Cole in Yemen and the release of therecommendations of four national study commissions,Congress addressed federal anti-terrorism policy, organiza-tion, and funding, and sought to develop reform legislation.CRS supported this effort with a range of products and serv-ices. After the September attacks an electronic briefing bookon terrorism and homeland security was launched, with adaily chronology of events on the CRS Web site. CRS testi-fied before Congress on proposals for reforming U.S. anti-terrorism efforts. A congressional seminar was organized tocompare and analyze commission findings with high-levelrepresentatives from each of the study panels.

The September terrorist attacks reordered congressionalpriorities, with profound effects on many federal programsand policies. Reacting quickly to the September 11 terroristattacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, CRSdeveloped specific sections within each of the 13 CRSappropriations reports to highlight anti-terrorism spending ineach bill. CRS also launched a special appropriations reportto monitor the $40 billion anti-terrorism supplemental funds.To assist Congress CRS instituted a Service-wide,coordinated response that drew upon experts in all relevantfields to provide an interdisciplinary perspective. Twoseminars were held on legal and public health issuesconcerning homeland security, while others were planned.CRS conducted a series of briefings for Members and con-gressional staff and prepared a broad range of new reports,

including assessments of Federal Emergency ManagementAgency (FEMA) programs, and general information on thefederal role in emergency management.

Congressional concern over immigration issues such asborder security, extension of temporary foreign worker visas,Immigration and Naturalization Service reorganization, andlegalization of unauthorized aliens broadened and intensified


SepAugJul JunMayAprMarFeb*

15,000

Number ofpage views

Use of CRS electronic briefing booksFebruary to September, 2001

* After January 2002 CRS Web site enhancement.Source: CRS Services and Products for the Congress, February to September, 2001.

12,000

9,000

6,000

3,000

0

Other issues

Social Security

Campaignfinance

Taxation

Terrorism

following the terrorist attacks of September 11 to includemonitoring of foreign nationals and the exclusion and deten-tion of potential terrorists. CRS provided expert briefingsand written products on related legislation introduced in the107th Congress, including analytical assessments of U.S.–Mexico migration policy options and noncitizen eligibilityfor, and use of, federal assistance programs.

The Bush Administration’s proposals for significantlyincreased missile defense spending and possible terminationof the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty generated consider-able interest and debate in Congress. The House generallysupported the President’s budget request, while the Senatesought lower funding and greater restrictions for theprogram. The terrorist attacks of September 11 spurred bothchambers to approve the Bush Administration request. CRSintegrated earlier works into an updated and comprehensivereport. Analysts offered a seminar on missile defense early in


As Congress addressed federalanti-terrorism policy, organization,and funding, and sought to developreform legislation, CRS supportedit with a range of products andservices, including an electronicbriefing book on terrorism andhomeland security with a dailychronology of events.


the year, prepared numerous briefings for Members andstaff, and responded with written products to a large numberof individual inquiries.

As the fiscal year drew to a close, attention was refocusedon proposals for both economic stimulus and relief forpersons, businesses, and jurisdictions affected by theSeptember 11 terrorists attack in New York and northernVirginia. The Service contributed briefings and analyses ofthe stimulative effects of alternative tax cut proposals, exam-ination of options to compensate victims and underwritelosses suffered by businesses, and assistance with considera-tion of emergency spending authority enacted in the wake ofthe terrorist attacks.


Technology andInformation Resources

As the Congress continues to rely more on online

and other Web-based systems, CRS has sought to

improve those technological capabilities that are critical

to providing the Congress with the information it needs.

During FY2001 CRS continued to

streamline its electronic products;

worked with the Library to make

improvements to its Legislative

Information System; upgraded the CRS

network through conversion to

Ethernet; enhanced the security of its

databases and other computer systems;

and undertook other technology

initiatives that improved its ability to provide the

Congress with timely, accurate, and non-partisan

information.

Enhancements in Online Services

A redesigned CRS Web site was made available to

congressional and CRS staff on January 30, 2001, at a

new site address. The CRS Director had previously

created the CRS Web Task Force and

charged it with implementing a

comprehensive re-design of the CRS

Web site by the start of the 107th

Congress. The new design was to be

based on client-centered, human factors

and ergonomic principles outlined in

the CRS Web Site Strategic Plan (April

2000). Working with Human Factors

International (HFI), a contractor selected for its

expertise in Web design based on usability principles,

the Web Task Force and HFI conducted interviews and


completed usability testing with over 50 congressionalclients, designed pages that emphasized the content thatthose clients and CRS staff identified as the most important,and repeatedly tested and refined the usability of thosedesigns before finalizing the new look and navigation struc-ture. By January 2001, with the help of staff throughout CRSand the support of the Information Technology ServicesDivision of the Library of Congress, more than 400 pageshad been coded, edited, or updated. New features were

introduced and pre-existing pages were standardized accord-ing to the new design.

The new site contains a home page design providingtopical access to selected CRS products and services in amore targeted, active issue-focused manner than was thecase with the former Web site. It allows users to placerequests for information and analysis via the Web in asecure manner; meets accessibility standards for users withdisabilities; provides a completely new look and feel for allWeb pages, including new headers and footers incorporat-ing the new CRS logo, and an announcement banner pro-viding information on new services and products. The siteallows users to search the CRS catalog of products directlyfrom the home page; offers a completely new navigationalstructure (all content in the new CRS site is accessible byclicking one of seven tabs: Home, Place Request, ContactExpert, Services, Products, Events, and Reference Desk);and removes the duplication of pages and information thatwas present on the old site. Management of the site wasenhanced through implementation of a completely newdirectory structure, standardization of page creation prac-tices and procedures, and the development of a style guideto enhance quality control and standardization. Animproved process was established for the deployment ofpages from development stage through production toenhance security, standardization, and policy adherence.

One goal of the CRS Web site redesign was to provideusers with a single interface to the two separate CRS productdatabases (a 3,000+ products database that can be searchedby keyword and a 700+ products database in which the fulltext of products can be searched). This was accomplished byimplementing a single search box, available on the homepage through which users can select the database they wishto search.

A redesigned CRS Web site wasmade available to congressionaland CRS staff. Access to CRSanalysis and experts has beenenhanced through the introductionof two new features, “PlaceRequest” and “Contact Expert.”

Another home page enhancement is a short and focused“Featured Products” section providing links to selectedCRS products most likely to be of interest to staff, such asthe Terrorism Electronic Briefing Book, the Appropriationsand Budget page, and the Bill Summary and Status pages ofthe Legislative Information Service.

Access to CRS analysis and experts was enhancedthrough the introduction of two new features, “PlaceRequest” (a series of Web pages allowing congressionalusers to place requests for analysis in a secure manner viathe Web) and “Contact Expert.” The CRS ISIS team, theLegislative Relations Office, and the Technology Officecreated a mechanism to allow congressional staff andMembers to securely place requests via the Web and toseamlessly integrate requests received in this manner intothe existing assignment workflow. The Place Request Webforms had been in development for a year prior to the intro-duction of the new page design. Piloting began inDecember 2000, a month before the introduction of thenew site. Between December 2000 and September 30,2001, a total of 8,731 requests were placed via this feature.Contact with CRS analysts has been facilitated by provid-ing a searchable telephone directory for CRS staff in theContact Experts section of the site. And in June 2001 CRSanalyst telephone numbers were added to the author entryof every individually authored electronic briefing bookdocument.

New products such as the first online audio and videobriefs were introduced in September 2001, allowing users tolisten to audio or view video of past CRS seminars usingmedia software on the CRS site. The online audio product,“Combating Terrorism: The Findings of the MajorCommissions,” was based on an audio tape product andmade available in both RealPlayer and Windows Media

Player formats. A template was developed to allow newonline audio and video products to be added quickly to theCRS Web site as they become available.

Electronic Briefing BooksThe Service is dedicated both to responding expeditiouslyto congressional requests and to delivering its products andservices in formats that the Congress finds most useful. Withcongressional interest increasingly turning to electronicresources, CRS continued to develop its newest product, theelectronic briefing book (EBB). These products, writtenexclusively for the Web, bring together integrated CRSresearch and analysis, legislation, key documents, a list ofCRS experts, and other information carefully chosen from avariety of sources to supplement CRS original work. Newelectronic briefing books were prepared on issues related toagriculture policy and the Farm Bill and welfare reform. Are-designed, expanded EBB on terrorism was made availablewithin days of the September 11 terrorist attacks on theUnited States. The revised terrorism EBB includes, forexample, a chronology of developments since September 11,a list of CRS terrorism experts, the full text of updated CRSterrorism products, and a detailed legislative issues sectioncovering issues such as homeland security, economic reper-cussions of terrorism, and law enforcement issues. In addi-tion, the EBB on campaign finance reform was updatedseveral times each day in March during Senate floor consid-eration of campaign finance reform legislation.

Legislative Information System (LIS)EnhancementsThe Legislative Information System (LIS) is an onlineretrieval system that provides the Congress with accurateand timely information on bills and other legislative docu-


ments. During FY2001 the Congress turned increasingly tothe LIS, the usage of which increased 15 percent comparedto FY2000. The LIS was redesigned to provide easier accessand a format that can be constantly expanded to accommo-date the wide range of legislative information the Congressneeds.

Security and system availability were high priorities forthe LIS development team. Safeguards installed to preventdenial of service attacks were successful in ensuring continu-ous availability of the LIS throughout the year despite sev-eral intensive efforts to “hack” the system. In addition, theteam made significant progress in establishing a disasterrecovery server at a remote location to be used in the eventthe Library’s computer center cannot operate.

The LIS team worked closely with House and Senatetechnical staff and with the staff of the Clerk of the Houseand Secretary of the Senate to ensure the reliable exchangeof data and to prepare for the implementation of a new datastandard (Extensible Markup Language, referred to asXML), which will provide improved retrieval and display ofcongressional documents in the future. The team also con-tinued to maintain quality control of system data.

The creation of a new alert service that will provide staffwith email notification of new bills introduced as well asmajor changes in their status was a major focus for the devel-opment team.

In response to user requests, the team also made a num-ber of enhancements to formats including displaying morebills simultaneously, showing committees in the order oftheir referral for bills that have multiple referrals, providingbetter links to markup reports, highlighting House commit-tee documents related to particular bills, and providing bet-ter information about the availability of the text of bills.

As a result of the growing importance of wireless technol-ogy, the team conducted a pilot test designed to assess thecurrent state of the technology and its potential value to con-gressional users. The LIS team also conducted extensiveusability tests of the new LIS Web site, which was wellreceived by users when it was implemented in February.This new page provides much easier access while at the


CRS has sought to improve thosetechnological capabilities that arecritical to providing the Congresswith the information it needs.

same time providing a format that can be constantlyexpanded to accommodate the growing availability of legisla-tive information of importance to congressional users.

Upgrading of the CRS NetworkA key feature of the Service’s ongoing technology initiativesis upgrading of the CRS network and other computer sys-tems. Beginning on May 30, 2001, the Service began conver-sion from a Token Ring network to a Fast Ethernet system.The upgrade was completed in October. It has expandedcapabilities for the future that will be critical to the Service’swork for the Congress. This more robust system will allowfor improved protection of CRS systems against intrusionand compromise, help provide faster, safer, and more auto-matic backups for applications and data, and make possiblemore integrated collaborative research and analysis. In addi-tion, CRS centralized and consolidated its servers and con-verted to Dynamic IP, which manages Internet addresses, toprovide faster access to network resources.

CRS also provided staff with faster, higher capacity com-puters. The Service completed a test of Microsoft Windows2000 during FY2001 and began to prepare for converting allCRS personal computers from Windows 95 to Windows2000.

Inquiry Status and Information System (ISIS)ImprovementsThe Inquiry Status and Information System (ISIS) is usedby CRS to manage its workload of congressional requests. Itprovides immediate access for tracking information on con-gressional inquiries and provides reliable statistical data forbudget, program, and personnel planning in order to keeppace with the changing concerns of the Congress. Numerousenhancements were made to ISIS. ISIS software was revised

to accommodate an 800 by 600 computer screen resolution inconjunction with the release of the new CRS Web site inJanuary 2001. ISIS was added to the desktops of attorneysand researchers in the American Law Division. Delivery ofISIS to the desktops of all CRS researchers was under way atthe end of FY2001. In addition, major work began on a num-ber of ISIS components that will resolve technical problems,integrate data, improve systems for reporting managementdata, and improve screen design and functionality.

Information SecurityInformation security continued to be a major focus of CRStechnological support. The security of CRS systems is cru-cial due to the nature of the CRS confidential relationshipwith the Congress and the potentially sensitive nature of theinformation that CRS transmits or that resides in theService’s electronic systems. Such security is paramountbecause of the structural intertwining of CRS, Library andcongressional systems through the Capitol Hill intranetknown as CAPNET.

CRS conducted more than twenty training sessions forstaff as part of its computer security program, as required byLibrary of Congress Regulation (LCR) 1620. Specializedtraining modules were designed for CRS management andtechnical support staff. CRS staff were briefed on the latesttechnology behind computer security threats, and wereinstructed on how to follow standardized procedures in theevent of computer security incidents. In addition, CRS par-ticipated in regular inter-agency meetings sponsored by theFBI, the Department of Commerce Critical InfrastructureCoordination Group, and the National Institute of Standardsand Technology to review new computer security threats.CRS also briefed Senate Armed Services Committee staff oncurrent events related to cyber-warfare, including Internet



vulnerabilities and hacker methods for Distributed Denial ofService Attack in preparation for future hearings aboutcyber-warfare and national infrastructure protection. CRSworked with the Library of Congress Security Committeeand participated in regular meetings of the CapitolInformation Security Technology Exchange to update plansfor a coherent response to computer security threats directedspecifically at Capitol Hill computer assets.

CRS continues to deploy new and upgraded security sys-tems. Guinevere, an e-mail scanning tool, was deployed toblock suspicious and infected e-mails. The Service contin-ues to deploy the latest virus definitions so that all CRS per-sonal computers and its congressional clients are protected.

Information ResourcesStaff in the Bill Digest Section, a legislatively mandatedcomponent of CRS, carried out several initiatives to improveservice to Congress. Of note were efforts that increased thetimeliness of their summaries of all legislation, with a focuson bills receiving floor action. These staff were able toreduce the number of bills awaiting summaries by over 80percent compared to the same period in the previous fiscalyear. Contributing to this gain in productivity was softwaredeveloped by the staff that assists in identifying similar billsand that also supports the tracking of bills at the provisionlevel. Other staff of the section continued to improve thestatus information available for bills, including links to thetext of bills.

Information research support for CRS staff to help thembetter serve the Congress remains an important activity inCRS. Management reinforced this priority by establishing anInformation Resources Advisory Committee of representa-tive analysts and information resource specialists to reviewand recommend appropriate resources and services for CRS

staff. Management initiated a bench marking study of gov-ernment and corporate information centers to determinebest practices in delivery of information services.

Information resource specialists launched three major ini-tiatives to sustain cost-effective support to the CRS staff.

First, to provide CRS research staff with an integratedlocation for their research needs, management added a thirdInformation Resource Center to the two created in FY2000.The new center contains centralized collections of congres-sional and government documents easily accessible for staffuse. Activity focused on building the center and consolidat-ing the collections. This center expands the services offeredin the two centers opened in FY2000: one supportingresearch on government and finance, defense, foreign affairs,trade, and social policy; and one supporting research onresources, science, and industry.

Second, CRS continued to expand electronic resources byenhancing existing resources through improved access at thedesktop. Using a relatively inexpensive software productattached to the CRS Virtual Resource Center, CRS librarianscan direct staff to more than 20,000 electronic journals avail-able full-text on the desktop. In addition, librarians evalu-ated the expansion of existing electronic resources toWeb-based products, such as Nexis.com, thereby eliminatingthe need to maintain separate dedicated software for access.Initiatives such as these have greatly enhanced the ability of

Information research support forCRS staff to help them better servethe Congress remains an importantactivity in CRS.


CRS staff to respond quickly and efficiently in their researchactivities for the Congress.

Third, CRS and the Integrated Library System (ILS)Program Office in the Library of Congress continued imple-mentation of an integrated library system to manage CRSlibrary collections. In FY2001 a production version of theCRS online catalog was developed, and the design for theonline Web access for staff was completed. The catalog willbe opened for staff use at the end of calendar 2001. All newmaterials received in CRS are cataloged into the system. Aretrospective cataloging project was begun that will processall previously existing collections into the catalog. CRSanticipates that the new CRS-ILS system will eliminateunnecessary duplication of materials, reduce system costs,increase the efficiency of CRS cataloging and circulation,offer CRS staff desktop access to their library collections,and provide better service to CRS analysts and theCongress.


Management Initiatives

CRS management initiatives focused on

development of the Current Legislative Issues

system, a five-year strategic plan; implementation of a

new, Library-wide merit selection process; congressional

outreach programs; and completion of

the relocation that began in FY2000 as a

follow up to realignment of the Service.

The Current Legislative Issues

(CLI) System

The core of CRS work for the Congress

is research support for policymaking

across all policy areas. CRS general

distribution products for the Congress have proven to be

especially effective tools for conveying timely, policy-

oriented research support to all Members and

Committees. Since the start of the 107th Congress, in an

effort to make its policy-oriented products more readily

accessible, CRS has provided electronic access to

specially selected products listed by legislative issue.

This practice is formalized in a system

named Current Legislative Issues

(CLI), which is featured at the center of

the CRS home page, launched in

FY2001.

The CLI system is organized around

issues identified by CRS experts as

significant policy challenges they

anticipate the Congress will address

through legislative enactment or oversight, with

requests for congressional support expected. During the

First Session of the 107th Congress the system listed

about 130 issue areas grouped in 23 broad categories. Eachissue is supported by CRS products most directly addressingprevailing policy questions. About 500 products have beenavailable in this system. The Current Legislative Issues sys-tem is maintained by linking to electronic product files thatdisplay the most current version of each product; by on-going review of new products and legislative issues; and byperiodic, system-wide reviews in which the entire CRSresearch staff participates.

CRS Strategic PlanThe Service continued to work on completing a formal five-year strategic plan. Work on the plan was slowed by criticalactivities required by the launch and subsequent efforts toimplement a new hiring system. Yet the Service identifiedpotential activities, processes, and programs to address someof the concerns and suggestions offered by staff andmanagers during forums used to gather input on the plan.Suggestions included improvements in internal communica-tions, budget and staffing decisions, training, e-mail commu-nications with congressional clients, and desktop resources.

As part of this effort, CRS implemented modifications to theprocedures used by the Director’s Office to send e-mails toall staff; began conducting individual meetings withDivisions and Offices, modified quarterly consultative man-agement forums to encourage staff participation, and beganwork on an all-staff communications survey. CRS also rou-

tinized its budget and staffing decisions so that they aremade on a quarterly basis and, as a result, managers haveimmediate feedback about resources available, whichenhances their ability to make efficient allocations.

The Service initiated a range of activities to improve theprofessional development activities available to supervisorsand staff. An Office of Workforce Development Web pagewith information staff and management requested wasdeveloped during the year. A Service-wide survey of currenttraining opportunities was conducted. Core curriculum train-ing was developed for new employees that includes trainingon external communications, budget and appropriationsprocesses, writing and oral presentations.

CRS worked with the House and Senate to ensure thesecurity of e-mail communications with its clients and con-sidered policies on how to manage e-mail communications toensure quality, balance, and timeliness of these communica-tions. Finally, the Service enhanced the type and accessibil-ity of online materials. This was part of ongoing efforts toassist analysts quickly and efficiently in obtaining the infor-mation and data they need.

The Merit Selection ProcessBeginning in March of 2001 the Library began formal imple-mentation of a revised Merit Selection Process through AvueDigital Services, an automated system. The Service workedwith the Office of Human Resource Services, the Office ofthe General Counsel, and its managers and staff to ensurethat all legal and regulatory requirements were met. Thework focused primarily on the review and modification of allof the Service’s position descriptions for analyst and otherprofessional positions and attendant documents required forrecruitment and hiring of those staff. During the year theService devoted time and resources to this effort because of


The core of CRS work for theCongress is research support forpolicymaking across all policyareas.


so that work for the Congress would not be disrupted, andstaff in each of the twenty-five areas were temporarily relo-cated. The final phase, which included the Director’s Office,was completed on December 29, 2000. While some workremained (primarily the installation of a number of doors andelectrical work in two new conference rooms), the reviseddeadline of December 31, 2000, was met.

CRS products were revised andredesigned in a consistent andcoordinated format that facilitatesquick retrieval of information.New analytical products wereready for the start of the 107thCongress and complemented arevised CRS Web site.

its critical implications for maintaining the Service’s analyti-cal capacity to serve the Congress.

Congressional OutreachThe beginning of each new Congress provides an opportu-nity for CRS to help new Members of Congress and theirstaff develop an understanding of a broad gamut of publicpolicy issues and become familiar with how to access CRSresources. “Legislative Issues and Procedures: The CRSSeminar for New Members” was sponsored by the U.S.House of Representatives and CRS. It was held January 5–8,2001, in Williamsburg, Virginia. The three-day seminar fea-tured detailed policy briefings about the major issues of theday, from prescription drug costs and welfare reform to inter-national trade and the budget surplus. The program exposedfreshman lawmakers to procedural opportunities andconstraints in the Congress. Visits to new Member officeswere another way CRS informed Members of Congress andtheir staff about its services.

CRS also launched a major effort to improve communica-tion with the Congress about its products and services. CRSproducts were revised and redesigned in a consistent andcoordinated format that facilitates quick retrieval of informa-tion. New analytical products were ready for the start of the107th Congress and complemented a revised CRS Web site.

Completion of CRS RelocationThe February 1999 realignment of CRS had consequencesbeyond changes in organizational structure. Divisions wereconsolidated; staff within sections were placed together;entrances were redesigned for security and convenience; andcopy centers, shared printers, fax machines, and walk-upcomputers were located strategically. The construction wasdone in twenty-five phases over a period of a year and a half,


Product Distribution CenterThe CRS Product Distribution Center (PDC) began track-ing requests for CRS products received via the CRS Website in March 2001. This was done to enable PDC staff toprovide more detailed information in response to requestsfrom congressional clients regarding the status of theirorders. As part of the CRS relocation in FY2001 the PDCwas moved to another location and while it was beingmoved, it operated from the main office of the InformationResearch Division (INF). According to feedback from con-gressional staff members, the new layout of the PDC isconvenient and easy to use for walk-in requests for CRSproducts.

AppendixesFY2001 Budget, Resources, and Other Funding 30

Human Resources and Staff Development 31

Types of CRS Support to the Congress: Research Services and Products 33

CRS Organizational Structure 39

CRS Organizational Chart 43


In FY2001 CRS had an authorized staffing level of 722 full-time equivalents (FTEs) and an appropriation available

for expenditure of $73,430,000. Approximately 90 percent ofthe budget supported personnel salaries and benefits.

During this fiscal year CRS received payments totaling$470,073 from a $1,629,000 grant awarded in FY1999 by theRobert Wood Johnson Foundation. This grant provides par-tial support for an integrated program of projects, workshops,

and seminars to enhance CRS analytic capacity and enrichthe CRS resources available to the Congress in health policyissue areas that are, and likely will remain, high on the leg-islative agenda. In FY2001 CRS also received a $5,000 grantfrom the Farm Foundation to provide partial support forCRS workshops and seminars on agriculture and the nextfarm bill.

FY2001 Budget, Resources, and Other Funding


Throughout FY2001, CRS worked to increase the diver-sity of its staff, fill key research analyst and technology

infrastructure positions, and provide training and staff devel-opment opportunities.

Diversity EffortsDiversity has long been identified as a core strategic valueand remains critical to the success of CRS, both as a congres-sional support organization and as an organization of people.The commitment of CRS to diversity has been especiallyapparent in the Service’s recent efforts to meet the challengepresented by the imminent departure of a large proportion ofits staff to retirement. In November 2001 the CRS Directorreleased a report covering 1996–2001 that provides a snap-shot of what has been accomplished in diversity during thepast few years.

CRS diversity efforts include utilizing national recruit-ment and hiring programs to attract minority applicants;targeting universities and public policy schools with highminority enrollment to serve as recruitment sources forentry-level professional positions; and working with highereducation institutions to build research partnerships, whichaid the Service’s ability to attract a diverse pool of applicantsfor professional positions. Other activities include attendingregional minority career events; building relationships withorganizations serving minorities such as Historically BlackColleges and Universities, the Congressional Black Caucus,and the Hispanic Caucus; and partnering with the Library ofCongress to enhance diversity Library-wide through partici-pation in various programs and initiatives.

Even during the 1996–2001 period when CRS lost morethan 63 total staff (43 professional staff), CRS has been ableto hire minorities in a greater proportion than it has lost.Thus, the proportion of minorities among total staff hasincreased from 30 percent to 33 percent. The proportion ofminorities among professional staff has increased from 14percent to 16 percent. Also, during the same period, despiteoverall staff losses, CRS has increased the number of staff inthe administrative category from 143 to 168 and increasedthe proportion of minorities in that category from 33 percentto 44 percent.

CRS remains fully committed to diversifying itsworkforce. Such effort is an integral part of the Service’s suc-cession planning initiative. As the CRS Director indicated inhis diversity report, “our diversity efforts are and will alwaysbe a ‘work in progress.’ ”

Recruitment and SelectionDuring the year, as part of its regular hiring process, CRSfilled 37 permanent positions using the Library’s merit selec-tion process. Of these merit selection hires, 15 (41 percent)were women and 9 (24 percent) were minorities. TheService also hired 18 temporary staff. Of these temporaryhires, 11 (62 percent) were women and 12 (67 percent) weremembers of minority groups.

As part of its succession planning initiative, CRS contin-ued to fill positions under the Law Recruit Program, and theU.S. Office of Personnel Management–administeredPresidential Management Intern (PMI) Program. Under theLaw Recruit Program, third-year law students are recruited

Human Resources and Staff Development


through a number of job fairs, including those that focus onminorities. Successful candidates for this program are hiredin the fall of the year that they complete their law degree.Under this fiscal year’s program, two Law Recruits, one anAfrican-American woman, were hired. Under the PMIProgram, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management selectsqualifying graduate students to be Presidential ManagementInterns, and CRS interviews those who indicated an interest in the Service. This fiscal year, CRS selected twoPresidential Management Interns, one woman and one maleAsian.

Under the auspices of the Library’s Affirmative ActionDetail program, an African-American female served in a one-year detail as an Administrative Officer. This program isdesigned to encourage the interest of talented staff,especially women, minorities, and persons with disabilities,in administrative or managerial work.

CRS selected three high school seniors for worker-traineepositions under the Library’s Work-Study Program. This pro-gram is a progressive, career-development program for highschool students, combining on-the-job training with class-room instruction and training. The program allows studentsto earn a salary and receive developmental work experiencesrelated to individual career interests and goals.

CRS brought in two detailees from other federal agencies,one as part of the U.S. Air Force Fellows Program and one asan independent research fellow.

Staff Training and DevelopmentCRS supports and attempts to meet the training and careerdevelopment needs of its employees in order to improveperformance and maintain state-of-the-art technical skillsand professional expertise. During FY2001 CRS staff com-

pleted a total of 1,851 training classes, including universitycourses, in-house training (both CRS and Library-sponsoredcourses), seminars, and conferences. Research analystscontinued to receive training in their areas of expertise inorder to remain current in their fields and to ensure theService’s ability to provide the Congress with superior-quality service. Other staff received training in using tech-nology, oral and written communication skills, supervisoryand managerial skills, administrative functions, and otherwork-related topics.

Staff RecognitionIt is CRS policy to acknowledge its employees’ superior per-formance in the achievement of organization program goals,and the Service understands that an effective recognitionprogram contributes to maximum staff performance and sat-isfaction. As a result, for the period October 1, 2000, toSeptember 30, 2001, CRS presented 380 awards to employ-ees in recognition of their exceptional contributions duringthe year. This consisted of 345 special achievement awards,29 on-the-spot awards, 2 meritorious service awards, and 4superior service awards. In addition, 98 employees receivedoutstanding performance ratings for their exemplary work,and 41 received quality-step increases. Twenty-two employ-ees received both outstanding performance ratings andquality-step increases.


Throughout FY2001 CRS supported the Congress withanalysis, research, and information, presented in the

formats described below.

Congressionally Distributed Products ProvidingResearch and Analysis on Legislative Issues

Reports for CongressReports for Congress, analyses or studies on specific issues ofcongressional legislative interest, are often prepared inresponse to numerous congressional inquiries. Reports maytake many forms: policy analysis, economic studies, statisti-cal reviews, legal analyses, historical studies, chronologies,and two-page fact sheets. Reports clearly define the issue inthe legislative context. The basic requirements of these andother CRS written products are accuracy, balance, and utility.CRS analysts define and explain technical terms andconcepts, frame the issues in understandable and relevantcontext, and provide appropriate, accurate, and valid quanti-tative data. A summary appears on the first page of eachreport. CRS reports are distributed upon request throughoutthe congressional community; some are published by com-mittees to ensure broader distribution. Reports are updatedas subsequent events occur for issues that are of ongoinginterest to the Congress and withdrawn when they are nolonger accurate or useful. Reports are available both inprinted form and electronically on the CRS Web site. CRSproduced 858 new report titles; 3,929 active reports (titles)were available at the end of the fiscal year.

All short reports—those of six pages or fewer—can beobtained by fax through the CRS Fax-on-Demand system.

Short and long reports can be obtained electronicallythrough the CRS Web site. (See the heading “ElectronicallyAccessible Products and Services” below).

Issue BriefsIssue briefs, a unique CRS product, are concise briefingpapers (16 pages maximum) on issues considered to be ofmajor legislative importance to the Congress. Briefs areavailable both in printed form and digitally on the CRS Website. They are updated as events unfold; the date on thecover of each issue brief is the CRS confirmation that theinformation contained therein is current as of the posteddate. Briefs provide background information, contain themost recent developments, and analyze policy options forlegislative issues. They frequently describe introduced billsand show the status of current legislation. In many issuebriefs a chronology of key events is provided, and a shortbibliography of additional references is listed. Briefs alsocontain a one-page summary of the issue. Emphasis is ontimeliness and brevity. While analytical findings on an issuemay be drawn, issue briefs, like other CRS products, do notmake legislative policy recommendations. There were 38new issue briefs initiated in FY2001; 154 active issue briefswere available at the end of the fiscal year.

Info PacksInfo packs are selected collections of printed backgroundinformation and analysis composed of CRS reports and issuebriefs, and selected excerpts from relevant external sourcesdesigned to provide general background on an issue and toenable congressional staff to answer constituent requests

Types of CRS Support to the Congress: Research Services and Products

conveniently. Three new info packs were developed, and104 info pack titles were available at the end of the fiscalyear.

Congressional Distribution MemorandaThese memoranda are prepared when the interest of a rela-tively small number of congressional readers (generallyfewer than 50) is anticipated or when the transiency of theissue and the product makes its inclusion as an advertisedCRS product inappropriate. Each bears a label distinguish-ing it from CRS confidential memoranda. If an issuebecomes important to a larger congressional audience, theproduct may be recast as an issue brief or a CRS report, asappropriate.

Electronically Accessible Products and Services

CRS Web siteThe CRS Web site provides 24-hour access to an array ofCRS services including electronic access to selected prod-ucts listed by legislative issue, full text of issue briefs andreports, a weekly “Floor Agenda,” updates and analyses ofthe annual appropriations legislation, an interactive guide tothe legislative process, online registration for CRS seminars,and complete information on other CRS services. The CRSWeb site also offers links to a selection of other Internet sitesproviding public policy, legislative, legal, and quickreference information. In operation since the 104thCongress, the CRS Web site is accessible only to House andSenate offices and other legislative branch agencies.

Legislative Information SystemAt the beginning of the 105th Congress a new LegislativeInformation System (LIS) was available for the first time on

Capnet. The system provides Members of Congress andtheir staff with access to the most current and comprehen-sive legislative information available. It can be accessedonly by the House and Senate and the legislative supportagencies. The LIS has been developed under the policydirection of the Senate Committee on Rules andAdministration and the House Committee on HouseAdministration. It has been a collaborative project of theoffices and agencies of the legislative branch, including theSecretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House; HouseInformation Resources and the Senate Sergeant at Arms; theGovernment Printing Office; the General Accounting Office;the Congressional Budget Office; the CongressionalResearch Service; and the Library of Congress. CRS hasresponsibility for the overall coordination of development ofthe retrieval system; the Library of Congress is responsiblefor its technical development and operation.

Floor AgendaThe Floor Agenda (previously named Legislative Alert), aweekly compendium of CRS products relevant to scheduledor expected floor action in the House and Senate, was avail-able on the CRS Web site and through e-mail subscription toall Members, committees, subcommittees, and CRS staff.All CRS products listed on the Floor Agenda were linked forelectronic delivery to subscriber desktops. The FloorAgenda page is one of the most popular pages on the CRSWeb site. Individual subscribers to the CRS Floor Agendalistserv numbered over 950 at the end of the fiscal year, anumber that does not reflect the congressional subscribersautomatically forwarding the Floor Agenda through theiroffices at the time of receipt.


CRS Programs ListservLaunched in fiscal 2001, this e-mail notification system pro-vides subscribers with information on current CRS programs,links to online registration forms, and descriptions of events.By the end of the fiscal year nearly 400 subscribers had self-subscribed to this service.

Electronic Briefing BooksThese Web products bring together integrated research,information, analysis, key documents, and historicalperspectives from a variety of sources on selected issuesbefore the Congress. Designed to allow users to customize

their online research and provide an experience that couldnot be duplicated in a print environment, these unique CRSproducts allow the user to peruse a wealth of information,including a list of CRS expert contacts, relevant legislation,and policy options on selected issues, with regular updat-ings. During FY2001 two new electronic briefing bookswere added, Agriculture Policy and the Farm Bill as well asWelfare Reform; two books were withdrawn, Y2K andTobacco.

Fax-on-DemandThe CRS Fax-on-Demand system enables congressional andcommittee offices on Capitol Hill to order by phone selectedCRS products, which are faxed directly to them. The systemcontains full text of all active short CRS reports (those withsix or fewer pages) written since January 1993.

Responses to Individual Members and CommitteesCRS also responds to individual Member and staff requestsfor custom services. Frequently this is done by CRS analystsin the form of confidential policy and legal analyses, usuallyin memorandum format; consultations in person or byphone; and briefings on virtually all legislative and policyissues, each tailored to address specific questions directed toCRS by requesting Members, committees, and staff.

Confidential MemorandaConfidential memoranda are prepared to meet a specific con-gressional request, and are often designed to meet the needsof the congressional reader with a high level of expertise in agiven topic. These memoranda are prepared for the use ofthe congressional requester and are not distributed furtherunless permission has been given. The memorandum format


The CRS Web site provides 24-hour access to an array of CRSservices including electronic accessto selected products listed bylegislative issue, full text of issuebriefs and reports, a weekly “FloorAgenda,” updates and analyses ofthe annual appropriationslegislation, an interactive guide tothe legislative process, onlineregistration for CRS seminars, andcomplete information on otherCRS services.

is often used by CRS attorneys, for example, to respond tofocused inquiries about the legal implications of statutoryprovisions, proposed legislation, or executive actions. CRSwill also prepare “directed writing” that makes a case orincorporates the viewpoints or assumptions of the congres-sional requester for use in his or her own name. Suchdirected writing may not be cited as CRS analysis.

Individual Staff BriefingsIndividual or group staff briefings constitute another form oftailored response to congressional inquiries. CRS staff pro-vides in-person briefings to Members and committees onspecific policy issues. These briefings, for example, mightfocus on bills in formulation, foreign or domestic public pol-icy issues before the Congress, the legislative process, con-gressional office operations, committee matters, or generalorientations to CRS.

Briefing BooksBriefing books may be prepared for use by congressional del-egations traveling abroad and are collections of materials thatsupport specific purposes of the trip. They may contain avariety of materials such as maps, selected products, such asCRS reports, and brief tailored written work, which can con-tain background and current issues regarding U.S. relationswith specific countries on the trip, as well as questionsMembers might ask when meeting with government andother officials.

Telephone ResponsesTelephone responses to inquiries are a vital element in theCRS information exchange with the Congress. CRS informa-tion specialists and analysts are directly accessible by phone;on a given day analysts will respond to numerous calls andprovide information that may range from a statistic or a nameto a short situation briefing or an interactive discussion ana-lyzing alternatives for response to an issue. CRS goals inthese instances are to provide expertise, ease of access, andpersonalized immediate response.

General Seminars and BriefingsIn February 2001 CRS sponsored its twenty-third PublicPolicy Issues Institute (PPI). This four-day programprovided comprehensive reviews of major issue areasexpected to be legislatively active during the upcoming ses-sion of the Congress. CRS recorded 527 attendances by con-gressional staff at the PPI seminars this fiscal year.

The semiannual series of briefings by CRS attorneys oncurrent legal issues of interest to the Congress, the “FederalLaw Update” series, was presented in March and October.Other highlights of the year were the introductory legislativeprocess institutes, advanced legislative process institute


CRS often responds to individualMember and staff requests forcustom services with confidentialpolicy and legal analyses, usually in memorandum format; consul-tations in person or by phone; andbriefings on virtually all legislativeand policy issues, each tailored toaddress specific questions fromMembers, committees, and staff.


series, and the District/State Staff Institutes. In FY2001 CRSheld 142 seminars on public policy and the budget processand 17 introductory and advanced institutes on congressionalprocesses. Member and staff attendance at these events was4,753.

Throughout the year CRS conducted seminars forMembers and staff on timely public policy issues. Theseseminars featured a combination of CRS and outside expertsto explore various facets of an issue. Highlights of the yearincluded public policy seminars on such topics as the peaceprocess in the Middle East, the Agricultural MarketTransition Act, Japan–U.S. cooperation on theater missiledefense, and combating terrorism.

CRS held 50 briefings on CRS services for new congres-sional staff and 130 orientations on the Service and its func-tions for congressional interns. The briefings were given to302 new professional staff and 3,505 interns.

Legislative Summaries, Digests, and CompilationsFor 66 years the Bill Digest Section of CRS has had statutoryresponsibility for preparation of nonpartisan digests of alllegislation. As a bill is amended, revised summaries reflect-ing the changes are also prepared. In addition, the Sectionidentifies short and popular titles, identical bills, subjectindexing terms, and citations to the Congressional Recordfor debates, texts of measures, and Member introductoryremarks on measures. Bill Digest staff has made significantprogress during the past year in building software tools toassist in analyzing, comparing, and indexing bill texts.

The information prepared by the CRS Bill Digest Sectionis available in an online legislative database that is accessibleto the Congress on the CRS Web site and through theLegislation Information System (LIS).

For historical research, CRS also maintains similar legisla-tive information from the current session of Congress back tothe 93rd Congress (1973 through 2000).

Other Services

Audiovisual Products and ServicesThe CRS Technology Office’s Application DevelopmentSection undertakes a broad range of projects in support ofservices to the Congress. During FY2001 the Sectionprepared a combined total of 19 new video and 7 audio tapes(6 of the latter originated as video programs); 36 video tapesand 19 audio tapes were available as of the end of the year.The Service distributed 200 copies of video tapes to

congressional audiences and 240 copies of audio tapes to theCRS Product Distribution Center. Video and audio tapes onpolicy and legislative issues addressed in seminars and otherbriefings are available through the CRS Product DistributionCenter. The Service plans to provide more of its audiovisualproducts and services on its Web site. During the year CRSbroadcast its first Webcast, a seminar entitled “DomesticPolitics in the Middle East and the Peace Process,” live fromCRS. By year’s end one audio brief, “Combating Terrorism,”and one video tape, “Response to Terrorism: Selected LegalIssues,” were also available online. CRS regularly provides

For 66 years the Bill Digest Section of CRS has had statutoryresponsibility for preparation ofnonpartisan digests of alllegislation.


two hours of television programming each weekday on chan-nel 6 of the House and channel 5 of the Senate closed-circuitcable systems.

Language SupportLanguage Services staff in the Foreign Affairs, Defense, andTrade Division offers language support to the Congressthrough translations of technical documents, newsletters,speeches, and other materials. In-house staff offers transla-tion into English from French, German, Greek, Italian,Latin, and Portuguese. For languages not covered in-house,special arrangements can be made for translations. Staff alsoassist with protocol in foreign languages, research, and otherlinguistic services.


CRS has established an organizational structure that facil-itates flexibility, responsiveness, and interdisciplinary

cooperation. A high value is placed on direct interactionbetween CRS staff and congressional clients. The Director isassisted in the management of the Service by the DeputyDirector and Associate Directors for Finance andAdministration, Policy and Quality Assurance, ResearchOperations, Information Resources Management, andWorkforce Development. These officials, together with theAssistant Directors representing the research divisions, com-prise the Service’s Research Policy Council (RPC).

The following descriptions of divisions and offices reflectthe realigned components and their responsibilities.

Research Divisions

American Law DivisionThe American Law Division responds to congressionalrequests for legal analysis and information involving federaland state statutory and case law. The division’s work spansthe range of legal questions from constitutional questions ofseparation of powers and legislative-executive relations toinquiries arising out of federal, state, and international law.Analysis of litigation affecting the work of Congress and thecongressional response to judicial developments also formsthe basis of much of the division’s work. Staff have expertisein fields such as constitutional law, congressional ethics, civilrights law, environmental law, criminal law, administrativelaw, and congressional practices and procedures. In addition,the division prepares The Constitution of the United States of

America—Analysis and Interpretation (popularly known as theConstitution Annotated).

Domestic Social Policy DivisionThe Domestic Social Policy Division provides research andanalysis in the broad area of domestic social policies and pro-grams. Analysts use multiple disciplines in their research,including program and legislative expertise, quantitativemethodologies, and economic analysis. Issue and legislativeareas include education and training, health care and medi-cine, social security, public and private pensions, welfare,nutrition, housing, immigration, civil rights, drug control,crime and criminal justice, labor and occupational safety,unemployment and workers compensation, and other issuesrelated to children, persons with disabilities, the aged, thepoor, veterans, and minorities.

Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade DivisionThe Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division is organ-ized into seven regional and functional sections. Analystsfollow worldwide political and economic developmentsincluding U.S. relations with individual countries andtransnational issues such as terrorism, refugees, global eco-nomic problems, and global institutions such as theInternational Monetary Fund and the World TradeOrganization. They also address U.S. foreign aid programs,strategies, and resource allocations; State Departmentbudget and functions; international debt; public diplomacy;and legislation on foreign relations. Other work includesnational security policy, military strategy, weapons systems,

CRS Organizational Structure


military compensation, the defense budget, and U.S. mili-tary bases. Trade-related legislation, policies, and programsand U.S. trade performance and investment flows are cov-ered, as are trade negotiations and agreements, export pro-motion, import regulations, tariffs, and trade policyfunctions.

Government and Finance DivisionThe Government and Finance Division responds tocongressional requests for assistance on all aspects of theCongress: its budget and appropriations process, its legisla-tive process, legislative branch agencies, and executive-legislative relations. Among the financial issues covered bythe division are banking, insurance, and securities; taxationand public finance; fiscal and monetary policy; and macro-economic analysis of such issues as saving, the balance ofpayments, and the interaction of taxes with interest rates. Inaddition, the division provides research on the organizationand management of the executive branch; the Presidencyand Vice Presidency; appointments and commissions;intergovernmental relations and state and local govern-ments; District of Columbia; statehood and territories;economic development; survey research and public opinionpolls; census, reapportionment, and redistricting; elections,lobbying, and political parties; U.S. and constitutionalhistory; and information policy including archives, postal,and privacy issues.

Information Research DivisionThe Information Research Division responds to requests forinformation research and reference assistance. The divisionserves the Congress by extending research techniquesbeyond the limitations of traditional library tools by drawingon automated files, the wide range of the Internet, local and

state governments, private organizations and institutions, aswell as the resources of the Library of Congress. Responsesare presented in a number of different formats, includingwritten reports, memoranda, tailored packets, info packs, andelectronic files readily accessible through the CRS Web site.Staff in the congressional reading rooms and research centersprovides telephone reference service and in-person consulta-tion on resources and research strategies for congressionalstaff. The Product Distribution Center provides documentdelivery service for CRS products.

Resources, Science, and IndustryThe Resources, Science, and Industry Division covers anarray of legislative issues involving natural resources andenvironmental management, science and technology, andindustry and infrastructure. Resources work includes policyanalysis on public lands and other natural resources issues;environment; agriculture, food, and fisheries; and energy andminerals. Science coverage includes policy analysis on civil-ian and military research and development issues, informa-tion and telecommunications, space, earth sciences, andgeneral science and technology. Support on industry issuesincludes policy analysis on transportation and transportationinfrastructure issues; industrial market structure and regula-tion; and sector-specific industry analysis.

Offices

Office of Finance and AdministrationThe Office of Finance and Administration maintains over-sight of the financial and administrative activities and pro-grams of the Service; directs the fiscal operations of theService, including appropriation requests and related budgetestimates, budget execution, external contracting, fund-


raising, and procurement; and represents the Director inhandling issues involving the Service’s status, role, activities,and interaction with other Library entities in relevant areasof budget and administration.

Office of Information Resources ManagementThe Office of Information Resources Management developsand maintains information services that support both theCongress and CRS staff. These services include the congres-sional legislative information retrieval system (LIS), whichprovides access to a wide variety of products produced byCRS and other government sources, and the Bill Digest, anonline legislative documentation database for the Congressthat analyzes summarizes, and tracks the status of congres-sional legislation. The office provides information support toCRS staff through its provision of library management, refer-ence services, procurement of electronic and print resources,training in the use of electronic resources, and Intranetresource development. The Office also oversees the opera-tion of the Information Resource Centers.

Office of Policy and Quality AssuranceThe Office of Policy, through the Office of Review, theOffice of Policy Implementation, and the ElectronicResearch Products Office, plans, develops, and coordinatesmatters relating to internal CRS policies, particularly as theyaffect the Service’s relationships with congressional clientsand other legislative support agencies; provides final CRSreview and clearance of all CRS products; ensures that theService complies with applicable guidelines and directivescontained in the Reorganization Act, in statements by appro-priations and oversight committees, and in Library regula-tions and CRS policy statements; and edits, produces, anddistributes electronic CRS documents.

Office of Research OperationsThe Office of Research Operations provides operational sup-port for CRS research performed for the Congress. Withinthe Office, the Legislative Relations Office receives, assigns,and tracks congressional inquiries to the research divisions;works with the divisions to plan and carry out institutes,seminars, and briefings for Members, committees, and theirstaffs; and takes the lead in developing, strengthening, andimplementing outreach to congressional offices. TheManagement Information Office within Research Operationsrecords, tracks, and reports data on congressional inquiriesand CRS responses, congressional use of the CRS Web site,and CRS product distribution. This Office also develops andrefines systems designed to provide managers with statisticalinformation needed to analyze subject coverage, client serv-ice, and the use of resources. The Technology Office buildsand maintains the technology infrastructure of the Service asa whole, develops and applies new technologies to enhanceCRS research capability and productivity, and develops andimplements information technology (including the Internet)to enhance communication of CRS research to its clients.

Office of Workforce DevelopmentThe Office of Workforce Development administers theService’s recruitment, staffing, and workforce developmentprograms, including succession planning, merit selection,and other employment programs, special recruitment pro-grams, upward mobility programs, diversity efforts, mentor-ing, special recognition programs, training and travel,position classification, and performance managementprograms and activities. The Office represents the Directorin issues involving the Service’s status, role, activities, andinteraction with other Library entities in relevant areas ofhuman resources administration, management, and develop-


ment. Overall, the goal of the Office is to enhance theService’s ability to attract and retain the human resourcestalent it needs to respond to the dynamic research, analysis,and information needs of the Congress.


CRS Organizational Chart

Office of Finance andAdministration (FIN)

Office of Information ResourcesManagement (IRM)

Office of Policy and Quality Assurance (PQA)

Office of ResearchOperations (RSH)

Office of Workforce Development (WRK)

American Law Division (ALD)

Domestic Social Policy Division (DSP)

Foreign Affairs, Defense, andTrade Division (FDT)

Government and Finance Division (G&F)

Information Research Division (INF)

Resources, Science, and Industry Division (RSI)

Director, Deputy Director (DIR)

The Library of Congress101 Independence Avenue, SEWashington, DC 20540-7000

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