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1 1 (September 22, 2015)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthaafpn0001 and id is 1 raw text is: -~~Congressional Research Service POLICY ON CONFIDENTIALITY Purpose The purpose of this policy is to ensure that all Congressional Research Service (CRS or Service) employees recognize the long-standing requirement for preserving the confidentiality of our work for Congress, and understand the obligations for adhering to this fundamental core value. Scope This policy applies to all CRS employees and all other persons working in CRS (including, but not limited to, probationary period employees, contractors, interns, resident scholars, volunteers, and individuals on detail from another agency). The term staff' as used in this policy refers to all CRS employees and all other persons as defined here. This policy does not nullify additional or specific professional or ethical obligations that may attach to CRS employees. Policy Statement CRS staff members have knowledge of the services we provide to Congress and the majority of our staff produce, or become privy to (through collaboration or otherwise), work for specific congressional clients. (A Congressional client may be an individual Member, someone on a Member's personal staff, or a Member or theirstaff acting in their capacity as a member of House or Senate leadership, a committee or subcommittee chair or ranking member, or on behalf of a recognized congressional commission or caucus.) CRS staff must consider and treat as confidential all information related to CRS' work for Congress. Only in very limited circumstances may the principle of confidentiality be relaxed. One such example is when a congressional client has granted permission for CRS to share the work or knowledge of the work with another congressional client, or with another governmental entity or official (e.g., for purposes of the Member obtaining information from the Executive Branch). Adherence to CRS policy requires the following understanding: Staff must maintain a confidential relationship with congressional clients at all times. Each and every inquiry CRS receives is part of a confidential relationship. The sources or content of congressional inquiries, or the responses thereto, must not be revealed outside of CRS to other congressional offices, the public, the media, or another governmental entity or official, either through written, oral, or electronic communications. No exceptions are made for categories of individuals in the public (e.g., attorneys, potential future employers, professional contacts, former CRS employees) absent explicit permission from an Assistant or Associate Director or his/her Deputy, and the Office of the Counselor to the Director. * Copies of confidential memoranda, briefing materials, substantive email responses, and other materials prepared specifically for one congressional client may be shared with another client only with the former's express permission (e.g., commonly when a

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