A resolution commemorating the centennial anniversary of the establishment of the Congressional Research Service.

Mr. President, this Wednesday--July 16, 2014--marks the centennial of the Congressional Research Service, CRS. On this exact date 100 years ago, our oldest legislative support agency was created. But the idea for such an organization to provide objective information and analysis to legislators goes back to the start of our Republic. As Thomas Jefferson said 200 years ago, ``There is, in fact, no subject to which a member of Congress may not have occasion to refer.'' Jefferson's view gained adherents over time, especially at the State level first and then during the progressive era. Two Members of Congress during that early 1900s era--Senator Robert

LaFollette and Representative John Nelson, both of Wisconsin--both championed legislation that authorized the Librarian of Congress to establish a legislative reference service composed of ``competent persons to prepare such indexes, digests and compilations of law as may be required for Congress and other official use.'' President Woodrow Wilson signed the legislation--the fiscal year 1915 appropriations bill for the Library of Congress--into law on July 16, 1914. Librarian of Congress Herbert Putnam established the Legislative Reference Service, LRS, in the Library of Congress by administrative order on July 18, 1914. The reference service's location in the Library of Congress--the library both of Congress and the American people--provided researchers then and now with a treasure trove of books, materials, and collections of various sorts to answer and address the questions and inquiries that emanate from the legislative branch. The LRS was renamed the CRS in 1970.

Today, the responsibilities and roles of CRS have grown enormously. To meet the hundreds of thousands of requests made annually by Members and staff of the legislative branch, CRS employs over 600 total staff. Among the occupations represented at CRS are reference librarians, lawyers, political scientists, economists, budget analysts, scientists, engineers, and public administrators. The titles of its five interdisciplinary research divisions underscore the wide range of expertise housed in CRS: American Law; Domestic Social Policy; Foreign Affairs, Defense & Trade; Government & Finance; and Resources, Science & Industry. In addition, CRS has a Knowledge Services Group made up of research and information specialists who provide support services to CRS analysts and attorneys. In fiscal year 2013, Members and committees received information and analysis from CRS in more than 636,000 responses that took the form of 67,000 requests for custom analysis and research, 9,000 congressional participations in 350 seminars, and over half a million instances of Web site services.

At the heart of CRS's charter is that it serves both the majority and minority parties and Members of Congress elected as Independents or with a third-party affiliation. This bedrock nonpartisan principle suffuses all of CRS's endeavors, which makes it unlike the many partisan interest groups and ``think tanks'' that populate the Nation's capital. CRS's straightforward mission statement says it all: ``The Congressional Research Service serves the Congress throughout the legislative process by providing comprehensive and reliable legislative research and analysis that are timely, objective, authoritative, and confidential, thereby contributing to an informed national legislature.''

Former Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan said: ``People are entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts.'' CRS provides the facts. Providing unbiased, objective facts is an invaluable service not just to Congress but to the Nation. In my considered judgment, CRS has served Congress exceptionally well during the past 100 years and I am confident that it will continue to perform at the highest level in the years and decades ahead. No one can fully predict the challenges we will face. But I am confident that the in-depth knowledge and expertise housed in CRS will enable Members of Congress and their staff to better understand and address an increasingly complex array of domestic and global issues. I congratulate CRS and its outstanding and dedicated staff on the occasion of its 100th birthday.

Mr. President, as ranking member of the Committee on Rules and Administration with oversight of the Congressional Research Service, I offer my congratulations on the occasion of its centennial.

While it began in 1914 as a modest reference service, today it is an organization of nearly 600 analysts, attorneys, information professionals, and support staff with the core mission of providing timely and authoritative research and analysis on legislative issues of interest to Congress.

These highly trained and professional experts are dedicated to supporting the work of the Congress in an objective, unbiased, and nonpartisan manner.

Congratulations to the Congressional Research Service for 100 years of excellent service to the Congress.

Mr. President, I was honored today to join my colleague, Senator Cardin, in submitting a resolution to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Congressional Research Service, CRS. This is a historic milestone for CRS and I ask unanimous consent that a copy of a letter I recently wrote to Dr. James Billington, the Librarian of Congress, and Dr. Mary Mazanec, the Director of the Congressional Research Service, be printed the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 508.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate.