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New CRS report offers an authoritative review of the current debate over OTA
The report looks at the pros and cons of five different approaches Congress could take: Reestablish OTA Without Changes to Its StatuteReestablish OTA with Changes to Its StatuteCharge an Existing… Read More
Bring back the OTA? Not without a few changes
This spring, the House included $6 million to revive the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) in its draft appropriations. The nonpartisan agency, defunded in 1995, was responsible for helping… Read More
GAO versus the ghost of OTA: Who will win the science and technology assessment race?
Hardly anyone would argue that Congress is well equipped to make technology policy. Very few members are techies, and let’s face it, innovation is hurtling forward at a mind-blowing pace. Read More
Technology assessment: Can the GAO fulfill the OTA’s mission?
To those who have paid attention to recent technology policy debates in Congress, such as the recent hearings with Mark Zuckerberg, it is obvious that the technology expertise gap… Read More
How Did the Reports of OTA, the Congressional Research Service, and the National Academies Differ?
A 1995 Office of Technology Assessment report. Source: http://ota.fas.org By Richard E. Rowberg The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) was de-funded in 1995. Whenever Congress considers whether OTA… Read More
WATCH: How we broke the presidency
A light-hearted approach to an issue we can all agree on: We need to strengthen Congress. Video by Kite & Key media. What is the president’s job? Over the years,… Read More
What do we currently know about the Build Back Better Act?
UPDATED: 11/18/2021 4:05 PM With news sources reporting that a vote on the Build Back Better (BBB) Act, the Biden administration’s signature piece of legislation, could come as early… Read More
Partisan budget reconciliation strategy burns bridges
Even as they push a $1 trillion infrastructure spending package, Democrats are burning bridges with their partisan $3.5 trillion federal budget. This spending plan will make it difficult to tackle… Read More
A Primer on the Capitol Police: What We Know From Two Years of Research (from Demand Progress)
Daniel Schuman, policy director for Demand Progress, has a must-read in his First Branch Forecast on the Capitol Police in light of yesterday. Excerpts: Today armed Trump… Read More
All I Want for Christmas is…Reconciliation Reform
Today marks the third anniversary of the signing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 into law. Enactment of this legislation was a major policy victory for… Read More