Public access to budget data

2 U.S.C. § 603

• Title: 2 — The Congress
• Chapter: 17 — CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE

Text

(a) Right to copy
Except as provided in subsections (c), (d), and (e), the Director shall make all information, data, estimates, and statistics obtained under section 601(d) and (e) of this title available for public copying during normal business hours, subject to reasonable rules and regulations, and shall to the extent practicable, at the request of any person, furnish a copy of any such information, data, estimates, or statistics upon payment by such person of the cost of making and furnishing such copy.
(b) Index
The Director shall develop and maintain filing, coding, and indexing systems that identify the information, data, estimates, and statistics to which subsection (a) applies and shall make such systems available for public use during normal business hours.
(c) Exceptions
Subsection (a) shall not apply to information, data, estimates, and statistics—
(1) which are specifically exempted from disclosure by law; or
(2) which the Director determines will disclose—
(A) matters necessary to be kept secret in the interests of national defense or the confidential conduct of the foreign relations of the United States;
(B) information relating to trade secrets or financial or commercial information pertaining specifically to a given person if the information has been obtained by the Government on a confidential basis, other than through an application by such person for a specific financial or other benefit, and is required to be kept secret in order to prevent undue injury to the competitive position of such person; or
(C) personnel or medical data or similar data the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;
unless the portions containing such matters, information, or data have been excised.
(d) Information obtained for committees and Members
Subsection (a) shall apply to any information, data, estimates, and statistics obtained at the request of any committee, joint committee, or Member unless such committee, joint committee, or Member has instructed the Director not to make such information, data, estimates, or statistics available for public copying.
(e) Level of confidentiality
With respect to information, data, estimates, and statistics obtained under sections 601(d) and 601(e) of this title, the Director shall maintain the same level of confidentiality as is required by law of the department, agency, establishment, or regulatory agency or commission from which it is obtained. Officers and employees of the Congressional Budget Office shall be subject to the same statutory penalties for unauthorized disclosure or use as officers or employees of the department, agency, establishment, or regulatory agency or commission from which it is obtained.

History

(Pub. L. 93–344, title II, §203, July 12, 1974, 88 Stat. 305; Pub. L. 106–554, §1(a)(7) [title III, §310(b)], Dec. 21, 2000, 114 Stat. 2763, 2763A–639.)

Editorial Notes

Editorial Notes

Amendments
2000—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 106–554, §1(a)(7) [title III, §310(b)(2)], substituted "subsections (c), (d), and (e)" for "subsections (c) and (d)".
Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 106–554, §1(a)(7) [title III, §310(b)(1)], added subsec. (e).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date
Section effective on day on which first Director of Congressional Budget Office is appointed under section 601(a) of this title, see section 905(b) of Pub. L. 93–344, formerly set out as a note under section 621 of this title.