THE ESSENTIALS IN 30 SECONDS

  • H.R. 10946 would set up a Congressional Office of Technology, reviving the role of the Office of Technology Assessment that Congress defunded in 1995.
  • It is led by Rep. Mark Takano with Reps. Sean Casten, Bill Foster, Don Beyer and Republican Jay Obernolte, and was referred to the Committee on House Administration.
  • Members could get technical help within 14 days; the bill sets no funding, and similar efforts stalled in earlier Congresses.

A bipartisan group of five members of the US House of Representatives has introduced legislation to rebuild Congress's in-house capacity for science and technology analysis, pointing to artificial intelligence as a main reason. The bill, H.R. 10946, or the Congressional Office of Technology Improvement and Enhancement Act, was introduced in late October, according to FedScoop.

What the bill would create

The text amends the Technology Assessment Act of 1972 to establish a Congressional Office of Technology. It would take over the role of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), which advised lawmakers from the 1970s until Congress cut its funding in 1995. Rep. Mark Takano, a California Democrat, leads the effort with Democrats Sean Casten and Bill Foster of Illinois and Don Beyer of Virginia, plus Republican Jay Obernolte of California. AI News reports that it has been referred to the Committee on House Administration.

According to AI News, the office would work on two tracks. Any member or committee could ask for technical help, such as research summaries or policy options, and receive it within 14 days without approval from the bipartisan board that oversees the office. Formal, in-depth assessments would still go through that board, which sets priorities. Requests from the two parties would have to be balanced as far as practicable, with an annual public report on the split, and completed findings would be made public.

The office would also scan for emerging trends, coordinate with the Government Accountability Office and the Congressional Research Service to avoid duplication, and could bring in scientists and engineers on leave from universities, industry or research groups for terms of up to one year.

Why AI is the stated reason

The sponsors say AI, alongside fusion energy and biotechnology, is changing the country faster than Congress can evaluate it. In a statement reported by AI News, Takano said Congress "can't continue flying blind into the future." The Federation of American Scientists has endorsed the bill, with its chief executive, Daniel Correa, arguing that AI is overturning policy assumptions faster than lawmakers can build expertise.

Open questions

The bill does not set a budget; FedScoop notes that the most recent funding request it cites was $6 million. Earlier bills to restore the OTA, including versions sponsored by Takano and Foster since 2019, did not advance. With roughly two months left in the current congressional session, FedScoop adds, the measure has little time to move. We could not open the congress.gov record to confirm the exact introduction date.