Senator Elizabeth Warren has joined a small but steady chorus line of Washington lawgiver work to revive a little - know government agency that , not so long ago , serve members of Congress grasp how cutting - edge technology could help tackle the deluge of complex policy challenges that face them — from Alzheimer ’s and the decrease of nursery gases to arms mastery in outer space .
The Office of Technology Assessment ( OTA ) was shuttered most 25 yr ago against the wishes of many U.S. lawmakers who had relied heavy on its accusative , scientific story . Over its 23 - year lifespan , the OTA get some 700 studies — all of whichcan still be understand onlinethanks to Princeton University — covering a unfeignedly diverse scope of topics . Many of the problems it tackle still plague the state and the world over : What should we do about get on nuclear power plants and how do we decently screen for dangerous chemicals in our food for thought , water and line ?
The questions it asked and to which it offered answers would help Congress write law of nature that were in reality useful and that saved taxpayer millions . In “ Science and Technology Advice for Congress , ” M. Granger Morgan , a professor of engineering at Carnegie Mellon University , notedthat OTA ’s depth psychology was polar to modernize the Social Security Administration ’s IT infrastructure , save taxpayers an estimated $ 368 million .
Photo: Scott Eisen / Getty
contend to resurrect the agency , Celia Wexler , a journalist and instance of the Center for Science and Democracy , wrote in 2015 : “ The world actually existed , ” before the OTA was defunded , “ a casualty of then - Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich ’s budget - clipping . ” Its death , astrophysicist and former U.S. Congressman Rush Holttold Mother Jonesin 2013 , did much to worsen technical school analphabetism on Capitol Hill .
In a statement Friday , Warren pointed to the 2018 Facebook hearings before the Senate Judiciary and Senate Commerce , Science , and exile committee . A stunning number of lawmaker seemedblissfully ignorantof how the cyberspace work . “ How do you hold up a business model in which users do n’t devote for your religious service ? ” Senator Orrin Hatch enquire at one distributor point during the infamous academic session .
It is becoming harder and harder , Warren suppose , for members of Congress to use single experts :
Our government works best when it can pull in the top talent to harness the difficult problems that we present . But congressional stave salaries for most roles have in reality declined over the past few decade , make it hard for authorities to compete — and far more tempting for those who do in government to go through the revolving door into the private sphere .
In a commonwealth , Members of Congress invariably will come in from a variety of background — and that ’s a good thing . But we are increasingly asking them to rise extortionate learning curves on these technical content without much help other than from incarnate lobbyists whose end is n’t to find the right insurance answer but rather to secure the most profitable issue for their companies .
Warren , in an effort to reduce Congress ’ reliance on incorporated lobbyists as technology experts , has proposed not only reviving the OTA but increasing funding for other congressional support means , include the Congressional Budget and Accountability offices and the Congressional Research Service . What ’s more , she require congressional staff member to start receiving private-enterprise salaries . “ My plan would address congressional faculty like other federal employees , transitioning them to competitive salaries to draw and retain committed , heavily - play public servants from diverse setting , ” she said .
Warren is not the first lawgiver hoping to revive the OTA , but is so far the only 2020 presidential candidate to give the campaign a phonation . congressman Bill Foster and Mark Takana , Democrats of Illinois and California , respectively , introduceda resolutionlast class to restore the agency . Senator Ron Wyden , a Democrat of Oregon , introduced a fellow bill in the Senate .
“ If Congress is to do its task , and counterbalance the executive director , it has to get it on what it ’s talking about , ” Barry Lynn , executive director of the Open Markets Institute , said last yearof the lawmakers ’ exploit . “ This is especially honest in today ’s earned run average of platform monopoly and AI . A new Office of Technology Assessment would facilitate phallus from both parties to understand and address some of the most pressing challenges in our society . ”
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