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Congressional Research Service

The Congressional Research Service, in its role as the research arm of the Congress, produces valuable reports on public policy topics of current interest. These are primarily published as CRS Reports, copies of which may be requested by members of Congress, either for their own use or for constituents. CRS views itself as a servant of the Congress, not of the public at large. Thus, it does not routinely make its Reports and other research products available directly to the general public. The official CRS web site does not provide access to any of their research products, but instead provides information on employment opportunities at the agency. A number of CRS Reports are available to UO researchers, either in the library or on the Internet.

• Search the UO Library Catalog for CRS Reports in our collection. (Note that many older reports have not yet been cataloged. Check at the Document Center Reference Desk for assistance.)
• The Open CRS Network is a project of the Center for Democracy & Technology to provide public access to as many CRS reports as possible.
• Search CRS reports on the web. This is a Google-powered search of CRS reports that are available online.
• Congressional Sources
  Note: The reports that were formerly available through the web sites of Congressmen Green and Shays are no longer being provided to the public. The Committee on House Administration has decided that the best way to provide public access to CRS Reports is to make citizens go through their Congressman, and allow Members of Congress to selectively post reports of their chosing on their web sites, rather than provide a comprehesive database for public access. (Committee letter of September 10, 2003). Some of these reports have been preserved online by The Memory Hole.
  • The House of Representatives Rules Committee: reports on the legislative process.
• CRS Reports by Subject
  • Committee for the National Institute for the Environment (CNIE): reports related to environmental concerns.
  • CRS Reports at the Thurgood Marshall Law Library, University of Maryland. Full text of numerous reports, organized by subject.
  • The Federation of American Scientists: reports on intelligence issues, national security or defense issues, science issues, and weapons issues.
  • Foreign Press Center, U.S. Dept. of State. A selective collection of CRS reports on international affairs dated from 03/99 through the present.
  • IP Mall at Pierce Law Center. CRS Reports on Intellectual Property issues.
  • National Agricultural Law Center. Collection of CRS reports related to agriculture and food issues.
• The U.S. Mission to Italy website has an excellent collection of many CRS reports on global issues.
• The University of California's GPO Gate has the text of 222 reports issued from 1994 to 1998.
• CRS Reports. A feature article by Stephen Young on LLRX.com that features a good summary of the history of CRS Reports on the Internet and links to places where the reports are available.

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