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2 U.S.C. § 472 — Office of Technology Assessment
Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
**(a) Creation** In accordance with the findings and declaration of purpose in [section 471 of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title2-section471&num=0&edition=prelim), there is hereby created the Office of Technology Assessment (hereinafter referred to as the “Office”) which shall be within and responsible to the legislative branch of the Government.
**(b) Composition** The Office shall consist of a Technology Assessment Board (hereinafter referred to as the “Board”) which shall formulate and promulgate the policies of the Office, and a Director who shall carry out such policies and administer the operations of the Office.
**(c) Functions and duties** The basic function of the Office shall be to provide early indications of the probable beneficial and adverse impacts of the applications of technology and to develop other coordinate information which may assist the Congress. In carrying out such function, the Office shall:
(1) identify existing or probable impacts of technology or technological programs;
(2) where possible, ascertain cause-and-effect relationships;
(3) identify alternative technological methods of implementing specific programs;
(4) identify alternative programs for achieving requisite goals;
(5) make estimates and comparisons of the impacts of alternative methods and programs;
(6) present findings of completed analyses to the appropriate legislative authorities;
(7) identify areas where additional research or data collection is required to provide adequate support for the assessments and estimates described in paragraph (1) through (5) of this subsection; and
(8) undertake such additional associated activities as the appropriate authorities specified under subsection (d) may direct.
**(d) Initiation of
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Source location: Title 2, Chapter 15, § 472; chapter-015-office-of-technology-assessment.md
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**(a) Creation** In accordance with the findings and declaration of purpose in [section 471 of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title2-section471&num=0&edition=prelim), there is hereby created the Office of Technology Assessment (hereinafter referred to as the “Office”) which shall be within and responsible to the legislative branch of the Government.
**(b) Composition** The Office shall consist of a Technology Assessment Board (hereinafter referred to as the “Board”) which shall formulate and promulgate the policies of the Office, and a Director who shall carry out such policies and administer the operations of the Office.
**(c) Functions and duties** The basic function of the Office shall be to provide early indications of the probable beneficial and adverse impacts of the applications of technology and to develop other coordinate information which may assist the Congress. In carrying out such function, the Office shall:
(1) identify existing or probable impacts of technology or technological programs;
(2) where possible, ascertain cause-and-effect relationships;
(3) identify alternative technological methods of implementing specific programs;
(4) identify alternative programs for achieving requisite goals;
(5) make estimates and comparisons of the impacts of alternative methods and programs;
(6) present findings of completed analyses to the appropriate legislative authorities;
(7) identify areas where additional research or data collection is required to provide adequate support for the assessments and estimates described in paragraph (1) through (5) of this subsection; and
(8) undertake such additional associated activities as the appropriate authorities specified under subsection (d) may direct.
**(d) Initiation of assessment activities** Assessment activities undertaken by the Office may be initiated upon the request of:
(1) the chairman of any standing, special, or select committee of either House of the Congress, or of any joint committee of the Congress, acting for himself or at the request of the ranking minority member or a majority of the committee members;
(2) the Board; or
(3) the Director, in consultation with the Board.
**(e) Availability of information** Assessments made by the Office, including information, surveys, studies, reports, and findings related thereto, shall be made available to the initiating committee or other appropriate committees of the Congress. In addition, any such information, surveys, studies, reports, and findings produced by the Office may be made available to the public except where—
(1) to do so would violate security statutes; or
(2) the Board considers it necessary or advisable to withhold such information in accordance with one or more of the numbered paragraphs in [section 552(b) of title 5](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title5-section552/b&num=0&edition=prelim).
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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
The Congress hereby finds and declares that:
**(a)** As technology continues to change and expand rapidly, its applications are—
(1) large and growing in scale; and
(2) increasingly extensive, pervasive, and critical in their impact, beneficial and adverse, on the natural and social environment.
**(b)** Therefore, it is essential that, to the fullest extent possible, the consequences of technological applications be anticipated, understood, and considered in determination of public policy on existing and emerging national problems.
**(c)** The Congress further finds that:
(1) the Federal agencies presently responsible directly to the Congress are not designed to provide the legislative branch with adequate and timely information, independently developed, relating to the potential impact of technological applications, and
(2) the present mechanisms of the Congress do not and are not designed to provide the legislative branch with such information.
**(d)** Accordingly, it is necessary for the Congress to—
(1) equip itself with new and effective means for securing competent, unbiased information concerning the physical, biological, economic, social, and political effects of such applications; and
(2) utilize this information, whenever appropriate, as one factor in the legislative assessment of matters pending before the Congress, particularly in those instances where the Federal Government may be called upon to consider support for, or management or regulation of, technological applications.
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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
Page 153
TITLE 2—THE CONGRESS
§ 472
to provide the legislative branch with ade-
quate and timely information, independently
developed, relating to the potential impact of
technological applications, and
(2) the present mechanisms of the Congress
do not and are not designed to provide the leg-
islative branch with such information.
(d) Accordingly, it is necessary for the Con-
gress to—
(1) equip itself with new and effective means
for securing competent, unbiased information
concerning the physical, biological, economic,
social, and political effects of such applica-
tions; and
(2) utilize this information, whenever appro-
priate, as one factor in the legislative assess-
ment of matters pending before the Congress,
particularly in those instances where the Fed-
eral Government may be called upon to con-
sider support for, or management or regula-
tion of, technological applications.
(Pub. L. 92–484, § 2, Oct. 13, 1972, 86 Stat. 797.)
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
SHORT TITLE
Pub. L. 92–484, § 1, Oct. 13, 1972, 86 Stat. 797, provided:
‘‘That this Act [enacting this chapter and amending
section 1862 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare]
may be cited as the ‘Technology Assessment Act of
1972’.’’
TERMINATION OF OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
Pub. L. 104–53, title I, §§ 113, 114, Nov. 19, 1995, 109 Stat.
526, provided that:
‘‘SEC. 113. Upon enactment of this Act [Nov. 19, 1995]
all employees of the Office of Technology Assessment
for 183 days preceding termination of employment who
are terminated as a result of the elimination of the Of-
fice and who are not otherwise gainfully employed may
continue to be paid by the Office of Technology Assess-
ment at their respective salaries for a period not to ex-
ceed 60 calendar days following
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