| This dissertation investigated two questions: why did Congress establish the Office of Technology Assessment in 1972, then abolish it in 1995? To the first question, the historical record provides answers are clear and compelling; to the second, answers that are not so clear and not so compelling. In the 1960s, Congress launched hearings to address a series of environmental catastrophes and policy conflicts over the Cold War and to establish parity with the executive branch in technical expertise related to science and technology. P.L. 92-484 established OTA in 1972 to provide Congress with independent technology assessments of policy issues and options related to science and technology. OTA used information from a vast network of public and private sources across the political spectrum, did not recommend policies to Congress, and achieved an international reputation for bipartisan objectivity. The political perceptions and intentions in both the county and Congress changed with the Republican Revolution in 1994, allowing the 104th Congress to abolish OTA as a stalking horse in an unsuccessful attempt to generate support for reducing government expenditures under its Contract with America. The irony of this decision is implicit in the Bush administrations' budget request for 2005, in which the combined increase in congressional agency budgets between 2004 and 2005 alone was {dollar}35 million---some 50 percent greater than OTA's budget. OTA's permanent authorization remains in place, so Congress could reestablish it, and there have been several unsuccessful attempts to do so. Without OTA Congress is largely dependent for science and technology information upon interested stakeholders, particularly from the executive branch and business sector. This raises Eisenhower's warning about the influence of both the military-industrial complex and special interest groups in science and technology. However OTA is perceived on Capitol Hill, Congress does NOT currently have sufficient, independent technical expertise, either in its Members or staff, to secure, understand, and use science and technology information and analysis in the legislative process. How Congress addresses this deficiency is vital to guarantee that future science and technology policy protects and promotes both the public and private interests. |
