See this 3/28/18, post by Gavin Blake at the ALA District Dispatch:
“We did it! CRS reports will be public”
Excerpt: “After 20 years of advocacy by ALA, the public will soon have access to reports by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). A provision requiring public access to CRS reports was included in the omnibus appropriations law signed by the President on March 23.
The dance of legislation has more steps and rules (and foot and toe stomping opportunities) than a few words defined, but learning the Language of Congress is a good place to start:
“Sessions, Adjournments, and Recesses of Congress,“ by Richard S. Beth, Specialist on Congress and the Legislative Process, and Jessica Tollestrup, Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process, February 27, 2013:
“The House and Senate use the terms session, adjournment, and recess in both informal and more formal ways, but the concepts apply in parallel ways to both the daily and the annual activities of Congress. A session begins when the chamber convenes and ends when it adjourns. A recess, by contrast, does not terminate a session, but only suspends it temporarily…. [Link to full CRS Report
Link to report from FGI: “Gun Control Legislation,” by William J. Krouse, Specialist in Domestic Security and Crime Policy, Congressional Research Service, RL32842 (November 14, 2012)
How does your member of Congress know what to think about complex issues?
Members of Congress, and their staff members, have access to CRS Reports and many, many other sources of information, thanks to the expert research services of the Library of Congress. Members of Congress also receive briefings and reports from administrative agencies, colleagues, PACs, nonprofits, advocacy groups, and individuals who write or telephone their elected officials.
Link to the new Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report: “Abortion: Judicial History and Legislative Response,” from the Legal Research Plus website.
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