{
  "id": "R42406",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "R42406",
  "active": true,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 436663,
      "date": "2012-03-14",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-06T21:50:16.775364",
      "title": "Congressional Oversight of Agency Public Communications: Implications of Agency New Media Use",
      "summary": "This report intends to assist Congress in its oversight of executive branch agencies\u2019 public communications. Here, \u201cpublic communications\u201d refers to agency communications that are directed to the public.\nMany, and perhaps most, federal agencies routinely communicate with the public. Agencies do so for many purposes, including informing the public of its rights and entitlements, and informing the public of the agency\u2019s activities. Agencies spent more than $900 million on contracts for advertising services in FY2010, a figure that does not include all agency communications expenditures.\nCongress frequently has investigated agency public communication activities. For example, in late February 2012 the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee\u2019s Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight began investigating 11 federal agencies\u2019 public communications activities and expenditures.\nCongressional oversight of agency public communications activities is not new; it has occurred frequently since at least the beginning of the 20th century. Congress has enacted three statutory restrictions on agency communications with the public. One limits agencies\u2019 authority to hire publicity experts, another prohibits using appropriated funds to lobby Congress, and a third disallows using appropriated funds for \u201cpublicity or propaganda.\u201d For a number of reasons, enforcing these restrictions has been challenging, not least of which is that these statutory prohibitions do not well clarify licit from illicit public communications.\nMany federal agencies have adopted new electronic communication technologies over the past two decades. These \u201cnew media\u201d technologies include e-mail, websites, weblogs (or blogs), text messaging, and social media such as Facebook and Twitter. \nAgencies\u2019 use of these new media has implications for congressional oversight of agency public communications. Most fundamentally, the ease of use of new media and the nature of digital communications further complicates congressional oversight and enforcement of the public communications restrictions.\nThis report will be updated in the event of any significant developments.",
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      "typeId": "REPORTS",
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      "topics": []
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  "topics": [
    "Economic Policy"
  ]
}