HR 4426 · 116th Congress 2019–2021, ended

Office of Technology Assessment Improvement and Enhancement Act

Introduced Sep 19, 2019 Originated House Sponsor Mark Takano D-CA

Latest action · Sep 19, 2019 Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

IntroducedSep 19, 2019
Passed HouseNot reached
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Office of Technology Assessment Improvement and Enhancement Act

This bill renames and revises the functions and duties of the Office of Technology Assessment which, composed of a Technology Assessment Board and a director, provides Congress with assessments of probable technology application impacts.

Specifically, the bill renames the office the Congressional Office of Technology, and it requires the office to undertake additional duties, such as providing to Members of Congress (1) certain information without the need for board review, (2) certain technical assistance on legislation related to science and technology without the need for board review, and (3) objective policy options on how Members may achieve goals with respect to science and technology policy.

The bill authorizes Members of Congress to submit to the board a request that the office undertake an assessment activity. Additionally, the bill requires the Congressional Research Service and the Government Accountability Office to coordinate technology assessment activities with the office to avoid duplication or overlapping of research activities.

The office may temporarily appoint specified technical and professional personnel to work for the office, and the office must also make the findings of completed analyses publicly available.

The bill also (1) revises the appointment of board members, (2) requires the board to hold an annual meeting at which Members of Congress may appear and present information regarding technology assessment activities, and (3) requires the board to report annually on the activities of the office.

Cosponsors 51

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Sep 19, 2019 to Feb 6, 2020; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
D-IL	Bill Foster	Original	Sep 19, 2019
D-MN	Betty McCollum		Sep 27, 2019
D-MA	James P. McGovern		Sep 27, 2019
D-IL	Sean Casten		Sep 27, 2019
D-CA	Anna G. Eshoo		Oct 28, 2019
D-CA	Barbara Lee		Oct 31, 2019
D-NM	Ben Ray Luján		Oct 31, 2019
D-NJ	Bill Pascrell, Jr.		Oct 31, 2019
D-CA	Brad Sherman		Oct 31, 2019
D-MD	David J. Trone		Oct 31, 2019
D-FL	Donna E. Shalala		Oct 31, 2019
R-NY	Elise M. Stefanik		Oct 31, 2019
D-MO	Emanuel Cleaver		Oct 31, 2019
D-TX	Filemon Vela		Oct 31, 2019
D-TX	Henry Cuellar		Oct 31, 2019
D-CA	Jerry McNerney		Oct 31, 2019
D-IL	Jesús G. "Chuy" García		Oct 31, 2019
D-TN	Jim Cooper		Oct 31, 2019
D-CT	John B. Larson		Oct 31, 2019
D-CA	Ro Khanna		Oct 31, 2019
D-OR	Suzanne Bonamici		Oct 31, 2019
D-CA	Ted Lieu		Oct 31, 2019
D-FL	Darren Soto		Nov 13, 2019
D-RI	David N. Cicilline		Nov 13, 2019
D-MP	Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan		Nov 13, 2019
D-MD	Jamie Raskin		Nov 13, 2019
D-CA	Jimmy Panetta		Nov 13, 2019
D-KY	John A. Yarmuth		Nov 13, 2019
D-WA	Kim Schrier		Nov 13, 2019
D-WI	Mark Pocan		Nov 13, 2019
D-MI	Rashida Tlaib		Nov 13, 2019
D-AZ	Raúl M. Grijalva		Nov 13, 2019
D-AZ	Ruben Gallego		Nov 13, 2019
D-TX	Sheila Jackson Lee		Nov 13, 2019
D-CA	Alan S. Lowenthal		Nov 20, 2019
D-RI	James R. Langevin		Nov 20, 2019
D-CA	Jared Huffman		Nov 20, 2019
D-TN	Steve Cohen		Nov 20, 2019
D-NJ	Bonnie Watson Coleman		Dec 4, 2019
D-CT	James A. Himes		Dec 4, 2019
D-CA	Judy Chu		Dec 4, 2019
D-NY	Yvette D. Clarke		Dec 4, 2019
D-CA	Adam B. Schiff		Dec 12, 2019
D-VA	Donald S. Beyer, Jr.		Dec 12, 2019
D-CT	Joe Courtney		Dec 12, 2019
D-CA	Lucille Roybal-Allard		Dec 12, 2019
D-CA	Jim Costa		Dec 18, 2019
D-FL	Charlie Crist		Jan 8, 2020
D-TX	Lloyd Doggett		Jan 24, 2020
D-WA	Adam Smith		Feb 4, 2020
D-CA	Mark DeSaulnier		Feb 6, 2020

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Committee on House Administration	Referred Sep 19, 2019

Actions 2

Everything that happened, newest first.

Sep 19, 2019Introduced in House
Sep 19, 2019Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Constitutional authority

[Pages H8720-H8721] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] By Ms. WEXTON: H.R. 4971. Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article 1, Section 8, clause 7 By Miss. RICE of New York: H.R. 4972. Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article I, Section 8 ADDITIONAL SPONSORS Under clause 7 of rule XII, sponsors were added to public bills and resolutions, as follows: H.R. 3: Ms. Judy Chu of California, Ms. Stevens, Mr. Perlmutter, and Ms. Davids of Kansas. H.R. 35: Mr. Neguse. H.R. 40: Ms. DeGette. H.R. 180: Mr. Thompson of Mississippi. H.R. 230: Mr. Lewis. H.R. 566: Mr. Suozzi. H.R. 838: Mr. Meeks and Mr. Rogers of Kentucky. H.R. 849: Mr. Langevin and Mr. Casten of Illinois. H.R. 935: Mr. Brendan F. Boyle of Pennsylvania and Mr. Rogers of Kentucky. H.R. 1043: Mr. Cunningham and Mr. Johnson of Ohio. H.R. 1049: Mr. Lynch. H.R. 1092: Mr. Raskin. H.R. 1110: Mr. Wright. H.R. 1133: Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. H.R. 1155: Mr. Pence. H.R. 1171: Mr. Meeks. H.R. 1175: Mr. Richmond. H.R. 1188: Mr. Doggett. H.R. 1254: Ms. Wexton. H.R. 1257: Mr. Rutherford. H.R. 1289: Ms. Matsui. H.R. 1309: Mr. Richmond and Mr. Bishop of Georgia. H.R. 1367: Mr. Johnson of Georgia and Mr. Levin of Michigan. H.R. 1383: Mr. Olson. H.R. 1418: Mr. Schrader. H.R. 1468: Mr. Grijalva. H.R. 1498: Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Perlmutter, Ms. Scanlon, Ms. Dean, and Mr. Grijalva. H.R. 1528: Mr. Trone. H.R. 1652: Mr. Schrader, Mrs. Axne, Mr. Correa, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Evans, and Ms. Velazquez. H.R. 1673: Mr. Harris. H.R. 1680: Ms. Scanlon, Mr. Womack, Mr. Ferguson, and Mr. Byrne. H.R. 1705: Mrs. Lawrence. H.R. 1748: Mr. Sherman, Mr. Crow, Mr. Visclosky, Mr. Stauber, Mr. Cartwright, Mr. Vargas, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Ms. Torres Small of New Mexico, and Mr. Keating. H.R. 1754: Mr. Lynch, Mrs. Luria, Mr. Kind, Ms. Bass, and Mr. Larson of Connecticut. H.R. 1765: Mr. McKinley. H.R. 1777: Ms. Meng. H.R. 1923: Mr. Price of North Carolina, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Welch, Mr. Lowenthal, and Ms. Garcia of Texas. H.R. 2051: Mr. Suozzi. H.R. 2075: Ms. Mucarsel-Powell. H.R. 2086: Mrs. Luria. H.R. 2117: Mr. Joyce of Ohio. H.R. 2147: Mr. Kildee, Ms. Moore, Mrs. Luria, Mr. Gottheimer, and Mr. Calvert. H.R. 2210: Mr. Soto. H.R. 2222: Mr. Smith of Nebraska. H.R. 2235: Mr. Crawford, Mr. Payne, Ms. Norton, Mr. Lynch, and Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania. H.R. 2279: Miss Gonzalez-Colon of Puerto Rico, Mr. Grothman, Mr. Rush, Mr. Neguse, and Mr. Kennedy. H.R. 2283: Mr. Lewis. H.R. 2301: Mr. Bacon. H.R. 2411: Ms. Spanberger and Mr. Comer. H.R. 2433: Mr. Sires. H.R. 2498: Ms. Sewell of Alabama. H.R. 2501: Mr. Soto. H.R. 2521: Mr. Soto, Ms. Castor of Florida, Mr. Bucshon, Ms. Norton, and Mr. Rodney Davis of Illinois. H.R. 2584: Mr. Olson and Mr. Hice of Georgia. H.R. 2645: Ms. Jackson Lee. H.R. 2653: Mrs. Axne. H.R. 2656: Ms. Slotkin. H.R. 2668: Mr. Young and Ms. Finkenauer. H.R. 2693: Mr. Smith of Nebraska, Mr. Holding, Mr. Smith of Missouri, and Mr. Arrington. H.R. 2746: Miss Gonzalez-Colon of Puerto Rico. H.R. 2747: Ms. Speier and Mr. Michael F. Doyle of Pennsylvania. H.R. 2788: Mr. Amodei. H.R. 2802: Ms. Finkenauer and Ms. Schakowsky. H.R. 2825: Mrs. Walorski. H.R. 2862: Mr. Balderson. H.R. 2867: Ms. Brownley of California. H.R. 2985: Mr. Nunes and Mr. Rouda. H.R. 2986: Mr. Lewis and Mr. Blumenauer. H.R. 2990: Mr. Hice of Georgia, Mr. Duncan, Mr. Norman, Ms. Stevens, and Mr. Davidson of Ohio. H.R. 3048: Mr. Smith of Missouri. H.R. 3062: Mr. Johnson of Ohio. H.R. 3080: Mr. Brindisi and Ms. Waters. H.R. 3127: Mr. Welch and Mr. Smith of Nebraska. H.R. 3138: Mr. Norcross. H.R. 3155: Mr. Gaetz, Mr. Marchant, Mr. Waltz, Mr. Hollingsworth, Mr. Perry, Mr. Collins of Georgia, Mr. Hurd of Texas, Mrs. Roby, Mr. Stauber, Mr. McCaul, Mr. Katko, Ms. Stefanik, Mr. Reed, Mr. Pence, Mr[...]

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 165, no. 173, October 31, 2019.

Printed hearings 1

Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.

Number	Hearing	Committee	Held
—	MEMBER DAY65 pages	Committee on House Administration	Nov 21, 2019

CRS reports 2

Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.

Cite it 2

Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.

Product	Title	Kind	Published
R46327	The Office of Technology Assessment: History, Authorities, Issues, and Options Archived	Report	Apr 29, 2020
R45755	Legislative Branch: FY2020 Appropriations Archived	Report	Feb 12, 2020

Related bills 2

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Bill	Title	Relationship	Latest action
S 2509	Office of Technology Assessment Improvement and Enhancement Act	Identical bill	Sep 19, 2019
HR 6573	Office of Technology Assessment Improvement and Enhancement Act	Reintroduced Bill	Feb 2, 2022

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: To rename the Office of Technology Assessment as the Congressional Office of Technology, to revise the functions and duties of the Office, and for other purposes.
Short Title(s) as Introduced: Office of Technology Assessment Improvement and Enhancement Act

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Congress.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

Sep 19, 2019Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.