Tillis proposes bipartisan, bicameral reform of independent technology office

U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) on Sept. 19 introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to revamp the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), an independent, bipartisan agency set up to provide unbiased information on technology and its potential impacts.

Sen. Tillis and U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and U.S. Reps. Mark Takano (D-CA) and Bill Foster (D-IL) introduced the Office of Technology Assessment Improvement and Enhancement Act, S. 2509/H.R. 4426, to rename the OTA as the Congressional Office of Technology and to revise its functions and duties, according to the congressional record.

“A revised and reformed Office of Technology Assessment will play a crucial role in helping Congress tackle issues as diverse as data privacy, energy independence, and American innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Sen. Tillis, who sponsored S. 2509.

If enacted, the measure would bolster the existing Office of Technology Assessment statute to provide expertise with quicker turnaround times, and would serve all members of Congress, for instance by allowing each lawmaker to request a technology assessment, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Tillis’ office.

Among numerous other provisions, the bill also would improve transparency by requiring an annual report on requests received, assessments completed, and those that are ongoing, and would introduce a rotator program modeled after one at the National Science Foundation to hire experts from academia and industry, according to the summary.

Sen. Tillis said that the bill would “give Congress the tools, resources, and policy expertise it needs to address the most pressing technological issues facing our country.”