[House Prints 118-2]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
18 Congress} {
COMMITTEE PRINT REPORT
2d Session} { CP 118-2
_______________________________________________________________________
MODERNIZATION EFFORTS
IN THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
__________
A SUBCOMMITTEE ON MODERNIZATION REPORT FOR THE 118th
CONGRESS
SUBCOMMITTEE ON MODERNIZATION
OF THE COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION
OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
__________
BRYAN STEIL, CHAIR, COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION
STEPHANIE BICE, CHAIRWOMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON MODERNIZATION
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2024
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
57-715 WASHINGTON : 2024
COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION
BRYAN STEIL, Wisconsin, Chairman
BARRY LOUDERMILK, Georgia JOSEPH MORELLE, New York,
H. MORGAN GRIFFITH, Virginia Ranking Member
GREG MURPHY, North Carolina TERRI A. SEWELL, Alabama
STEPHANIE BICE, Oklahoma NORMA TORRES, California
MIKE CAREY, Ohio DEREK KILMER, Washington
ANTHONY D'ESPOSITO, New York
LAUREL LEE, Florida
SUBCOMMITTEE ON MODERNIZATION
STEPHANIE BICE, Oklahoma, Chair
MIKE CAREY, Ohio DEREK KILMER, Washington,
Ranking Member
JOSEPH MORELLE, New York
C O N T E N T S
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I. INTRODUCTION.................................................. 1
A. Chairwoman's Foreword....................................... 1
B. Subcommittee Membership and Practices....................... 2
C. The Modernization Initiatives Account....................... 4
D. Hearings and Roundtable Discussions......................... 4
II. REPORT THEMES................................................ 7
A. Strengthening Constituent Engagement and Improving the
Constituent Experience....................................... 7
1. Related Recommendations................................... 7
2. Background and Accomplishments............................ 7
3. Strengthening Constituent Casework........................ 8
4. Enhancing Constituent Service............................. 9
5. Improving Accessibility................................... 9
B. Modernizing the Legislative Process......................... 10
1. Related Recommendations and Additional Work............... 10
2. Background and Accomplishments............................ 10
3. Legislative Drafting...................................... 11
4. Committee Processes....................................... 13
C. Building Capacity and Modernizing the Workplace............. 14
1. Related Recommendations................................... 14
2. Background and Accomplishments............................ 14
3. Modernizing the Workplace Environment..................... 15
4. Improving Support Services and Tools...................... 17
D. Fostering Institutional Efficiencies........................ 19
1. Related Recommendations and Additional Work............... 19
2. Background and Accomplishments............................ 19
3. Digital Efficiencies...................................... 20
4. Process Efficiencies...................................... 21
III. CONCLUSION.................................................. 24
IV. APPENDIX I: STATUS OF SELECT COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS....... 24
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Chairwoman's Foreword
The Modernization Subcommittee was created at the beginning
of the 118th Congress via adoption of a Committee on
House Administration Resolution (118-01) establishing the
Committee's rules for the 118th Congress. According
to the resolution, the Modernization Subcommittee shall consist
of ``(t)wo majority party members and two minority party
members'' and its jurisdiction shall include ``(m)atters
relating to modernization of the House of Representatives and
the legislative branch, oversight of implementation of
modernization initiatives, and such other matters as may be
referred to the subcommittee.'' \1\
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\1\ ``Committee Resolution 118-01,'' accessed December 5, 2024,
https://cha.house.gov/_cache/files/d/7/d709698f-d1ae-490c-aff4-
ec8e1a7186e0/7F27BA05B9948C31BFEFAA13566D4E4A.resolution-118-01.pdf
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Establishing the Modernization Subcommittee fulfilled a
recommendation made by the bipartisan Select Committee on the
Modernization of Congress (Select Committee). The Select
Committee was created at the beginning of the 116th
Congress to ``investigate, study, make findings, hold public
hearings, and develop recommendations on modernizing
Congress.'' \2\ Over the course of its 4-year tenure, the
Select Committee passed 202 bipartisan recommendations to
improve the way Congress works on behalf of the American
people. In recommending the establishment of a Modernization
Subcommittee, the Select Committee's intent was to provide a
permanent home for the ongoing work of implementing its
recommendations and, more generally, to continue modernization
efforts in the House.\3\
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\2\ ``H. Res. 6, p. 46,'' accessed December 5, 2024, https://
www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-116hres6eh/pdf/BILLS-116hres6eh.pdf
\3\ ``Final Report, p. 222,'' accessed December 5, 2024, https://
www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRPT-117hrpt646/pdf/GPO-CRPT-
117hrpt646.pdf
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At the end of the 117th Congress, the Select
Committee closed 43 of its 202 recommendations and noted that
progress was underway on dozens more. During the 118th
Congress, the Subcommittee closed an additional 70
recommendations, bringing the total number of closed
recommendations to 113. Of these, 67 are implemented, 20 are
partially implemented, 16 are in progress with a partner
office, and 10 are resolved. The Subcommittee also pursued a
number of additional modernization opportunities, separate from
the recommendations.
The decision to create the Subcommittee reflects a broader
commitment to ensuring that Members can effectively fulfill
their representational and legislative responsibilities. While
Congress has established a number of temporary reform
committees over the past several decades, it has not
established separate legislative entities for the purpose of
implementing recommended reforms. In creating a subcommittee
dedicated to institutional modernization, the Committee on
House Administration charted a new path forward for the ongoing
work of improving and strengthening Congress.
While subcommittees do not routinely produce end-of-session
reports, Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil
(WI 01) directed the Modernization Subcommittee to draft an
official document describing its work and accomplishments in
its inaugural term. In addition to creating a public record of
the Subcommittee's activities in the 118th Congress,
the report is intended to provide those who will continue these
efforts, both in and outside of Congress, with a roadmap for
institutionalizing the work of modernization.
Congress needs to continually evolve if it is to remain an
effective and responsive institution. In the 2 years since it
was created, the Modernization Subcommittee has steadily worked
to modernize legislative processes, create efficiencies, build
capacity, and strengthen constituent engagement. Sustaining
these and other modernization efforts over the long-term will
help ensure that Congress can continue to fulfill its Article I
obligations on behalf of the American people.
B. Subcommittee Membership and Practices
Rep. Stephanie Bice (OK 05) serves as Chairwoman of the
Modernization Subcommittee, Rep. Derek Kilmer (WA 06) serves as
Ranking Member, and Reps. Mike Carey (OH 15) and the
Committee's Ranking Member, Joe Morelle (NY 25), hold the
Subcommittee's two remaining slots. The Subcommittee's
Membership of two Republicans and two Democrats was patterned
after the Select Committee's bipartisan composition of six
Republicans and six Democrats. The Membership structure of both
the Select Committee and the Subcommittee reflects the reality
that institutional change requires broad, nonpartisan support
if it is to be long lasting.
In addition to its unique structure, the Subcommittee also
retained some of the Select Committee's other unique practices,
including holding bipartisan planning sessions, conducting
hearings in a roundtable, discussion-oriented format, and
working closely with legislative support entities to ensure
that recommendations are successfully implemented and that
ongoing feedback from stakeholders is solicited so that
products and services can be continually improved to better
meet user needs.
Subcommittee Members met early in the 118th
Congress to discuss and establish Member priorities and develop
a blueprint for action. Planning sessions like these can
provide Members with a valuable forum for sharing their views
and ideas, and hearing those of their colleagues. Because the
Select Committee passed a total of 202 recommendations that
covered a wide range of issues, rank-ordering priorities was
the first step in developing an actionable workplan. While the
recommendations provided the Subcommittee with a roadmap for
action, Members were also interested in bringing new ideas to
the table, as well as acting on opportunities to modernize in
real time. This more expansive approach to modernization is
consistent with the Subcommittee's mandate to focus on
``matters relating to modernization'' of the House and
legislative branch.\4\
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\4\ ``Committee Resolution 118-01,'' accessed December 5, 2024,
https://cha.house.gov/_cache/files/d/7/d709698f-d1ae490c-aff4-
ec8e1a7186e0/7F27BA05B9948C31BFEFAA13566D4E4A.resolution-118-01.pdf
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The Subcommittee also maintained the Select Committee's
unique hearing format. Rather than sit on the committee dais,
Subcommittee Members joined witnesses at a roundtable so that
all hearing participants could interact on the same level.
Members also sat mixed--rather than divided--by party to
encourage cross-party conversation. To better foster open
discussion and the exchange of ideas, the Subcommittee opted
for a free-flowing question-and-answer format that allowed
Members and witnesses to dig deeper into the issues. This
approach lends itself to a more cohesive and robust discussion
because Members and witnesses can engage without being held to
strict time limits or prohibitions on speaking out of turn.
In the 117th Congress, the Select Committee
worked closely with House partners in both the recommendation
development and implementation processes. This strategy helped
the Select Committee draft viable recommendations that House
partners could effectively implement. Partnering with various
legislative support entities in this way also helped to create
a sense of shared ownership in various modernization
initiatives. The Subcommittee built upon this collaborative
model and met regularly with its House partners throughout the
118th Congress to discuss initiatives and develop
successful implementation strategies.
Along the same lines, the Subcommittee continued the
practice of soliciting user feedback while various
recommendations were in the pilot phase of implementation. This
approach helped the Subcommittee and its House implementing
partners improve and customize tools and services prior to
rolling them out House-wide.
The Subcommittee also maintained the Select Committee's
practice of routinely engaging with experts both inside and
outside of Congress to solicit ideas and assistance, and to
help build support for modernization initiatives. Whether they
work in Congress, civil society, business, or academia, many of
these experts provide valuable support and help boost the work
of the Subcommittee.
The Subcommittee introduced new strategies for implementing
modernization initiatives, as well. While the Select Committee
did not have legislative authority, the Subcommittee does, and
Subcommittee Members used this authority to co-sponsor and
introduce two modernization bills in the 118th
Congress. Both bills were marked up by the Subcommittee and the
full committee, then subsequently passed the full House.\5\ Of
note, the Subcommittee's markup was the Committee on House
Administration's first subcommittee markup in 31 years,
demonstrating that subcommittees can--and should--play an
active role in the legislative process.
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\5\ ``H.R. 7592,'' accessed on December 5, 2024, https://
www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/
7592?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22HR+7592%22%7D&s=2&r=1 and ``H.R. 7593,''
accessed on December 5, 2024, https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-
congress/house-bill/7593?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22HR+7593%22%7D&s=4&r=1
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C. The Modernization Initiatives Account
The Modernization Initiatives Account (MIA or Account) was
established in the Fiscal Year 2021 Consolidated Appropriations
Act and appropriated $2,000,000. The MIA was created to fund
``initiatives recommended by the Select Committee on
Modernization or approved by the Committee on House
Administration'' \6\ and was subsequently appropriated
$2,000,000 in Fiscal Year 2022, and $10,000,000 in Fiscal Year
2023, Fiscal Year 2024, and Fiscal Year 2025 respectively.
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\6\ ``Public Law 116-260--Dec. 27, 2020, p.455,'' accessed on
December 5, 2024, https://www.congress.gov/116/plaws/publ260/PLAW-
116publ260.pdf
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The MIA is a vital resource for funding the implementation
of Select Committee recommendations, particularly those that
propose developing and/or purchasing new tools, products or
services, acquiring licenses for new tech tools, as well as for
new modernization initiatives. While disbursements from the
Account are ``subject to approval of the [House] Committee on
Appropriations,'' the MIA's authorizing language did not create
formal guidelines for approving project proposals or establish
a formal process for vetting projects for funding.
Prior to the 118th Congress, modernization
projects were considered and approved for funding via an
informal process that involved the Select Committee, the
Committee on House Administration, and the Committee on
Appropriations. Once the Modernization Subcommittee was
established, it began working more directly with the House's
support entities and the Committee on House Appropriation's
Legislative Branch Subcommittee to recommend projects for MIA
funding. During the 118th Congress, the Subcommittee
also began integrating new steps into the project approval
process like asking for detailed project descriptions,
timelines, and estimated longer-term budget impacts to be
included in requests.
The Subcommittee appreciates its partnership with the
Appropriations Committee and their continued support of
modernization efforts.
D. Hearings and Roundtable Discussions
The Modernization Subcommittee held five hearings, three
roundtables, and one markup during the 118th
Congress. The hearings and roundtables focused on topics
connected to broader themes that Subcommittee Members had
identified as priorities, including modernizing the legislative
support agencies, building capacity, and improving House
processes. While hearings are an effective way to draw public
attention to policy issues, roundtables can provide a more
conversational forum where Members and experts can discuss
complex issues, ask tough questions, and consider various
solutions in a more informal setting. The Subcommittee used
roundtables to explore ways to improve the House's bill
drafting and procurement processes to great effect and in doing
so, paved the way for the committee's other subcommittees to
experiment with using roundtables, as well.
A chronological list of the Subcommittee's hearings,
roundtables, and markup follows:
On March 9, 2023, the Subcommittee on Modernization held a
hearing titled, ``A View of House Modernization: Perspectives
from the CAO.'' The purpose of the hearing was to provide
Members with a baseline understanding and update on
modernization efforts in the House from the perspective of the
CAO. The Subcommittee heard testimony from the House's Chief
Administrative Officer (CAO), Catherine Szpindor.
On April 26, 2023, the Subcommittee on Modernization held a
hearing titled, ``The Path Toward a More Modern and Effective
Congressional Research Service.'' The hearing focused on CRS's
leadership and strategic goals and how CRS can best meet the
needs of a modern Congress, including by incorporating
technology to better advise and assist Congress. The hearing
was a first step in a longer-term process of strengthening and
improving the agency to meet the needs of an evolving Congress.
The Subcommittee heard testimony from Dr. Mary B. Mazanec, CRS
Director, Joseph Dunne, Director of the European Parliament
Liaison Office in Washington, DC, and formerly a Director in
the European Parliamentary Research Service, Richard Coffin,
Chief of Research and Advocacy at USA Facts, and Kevin Kosar,
Senior Fellow of Legal and Constitutional Studies at American
Enterprise Institute.
On September 13, 2023, the Subcommittee on Modernization
held a closed-door roundtable discussion titled, ``Stresses on
the Legislative Process: Challenges and Solutions.'' The
purpose of this roundtable was to provide representatives from
the Office of the Clerk, the Government Publishing Office
(GPO), and the House Office of the Legislative Counsel (HOLC)
an opportunity to discuss pressure points in the legislative
process that affect workflows, cause delays, and create
backlogs, and to identify short-term steps, and longer-term
solutions to address these challenges. Discussion participants
included Kirsten Gullickson, Director for Analysis, Quality
Assurance, and Product Support with Legislative Computer
Systems, Office of the Clerk; E. Wade Ballou, Legislative
Counsel for the House; and Hugh Halpern, Director, U.S.
Government Publishing Office.
On September 27, 2023, the Modernization Subcommittee held
a hearing titled, ``Legislative Branch Advancement: GAO
Modernization.'' The hearing focused on GAO's strategic
positioning as a critical agency within the legislative branch,
its plans and vision for the future, and potential updates to
its 1970's statutory framework. The Subcommittee heard
testimony from Dan Lips, Head of Policy, Foundation for
American Innovation; Tim Persons, Principal, Digital Assurance
and Transparency, PricewaterhouseCoopers; and James-Christian
Blockwood, Executive Vice President, Partnership for Public
Service.
On March 20, 2024, the Subcommittee on Modernization held a
legislative hearing titled, ``Legislative Proposals to Support
Modernizing the Congressional Research Service and the Use of
Federal Data.'' The purpose of the hearing was to receive
testimony on three measures referred to the Subcommittee: H.R.
7592, To Direct the Librarian of Congress to promote the more
cost-effective, efficient, and expanded availability of the
Annotated Constitution and pocket-part supplements by replacing
the hardbound versions with digital versions; H.R. 7593, the
Modernizing the Congressional Research Service's Access to Data
Act and; H. Con. Res 49, the Congressional Evidence-Based
Policymaking Resolution. The Subcommittee heard testimony from
Robert Newlen, CRS Interim Director, Elise J. Bean, Director,
Washington Office, Carl Levin Center for Oversight and
Democracy at Wayne State University Law School, Dr. Matthew
Glassman, Senior Fellow, Government Affairs Institute at
Georgetown University, and Dr. Nicholas Hart, President and
CEO, Data Foundation.
On April 11, 2024, the Subcommittee on Modernization held a
markup on two measures: H.R. 7592, To Direct the Librarian of
Congress to promote the more cost-effective, efficient, and
expanded availability of the Annotated Constitution and pocket-
part supplements by replacing the hardbound versions with
digital versions, and H.R. 7593, the Modernizing the
Congressional Research Service's Access to Data Act.
On May 15, 2024, the Subcommittee on Modernization held a
closed-door roundtable titled, ``Improving the Process for
Doing (or Seeking to Do) Business with the House.'' This
roundtable was the first in a two-part series generally focused
on improving and modernizing how the House solicits, approves,
and does business with outside vendors. The roundtable focused
on identifying problems with the current process, particularly
those that hinder or prevent new vendors or new products and
services from entering the House marketplace, impose time-
consuming and confusing requirements on vendors, create
inefficiencies, thwart competition, and waste taxpayer dollars,
and developing a set of viable solutions to address these
problems and to modernize the process going forward. Roundtable
participants included Brittany Comins, Founder and President of
Amplify, Inc.; Sean Fromm, Senior Vice President, Gunnison;
and, Corey Westerman, Customer Engineer, Google.
On June 27, 2024, the Subcommittee on Modernization held a
closed-door roundtable titled, ``Roundtable with CAO: Improving
the Process for Doing (or Seeking to Do) Business with the
House.'' This roundtable was the second in a two-part series
generally focused on improving and modernizing how the House
solicits, approves, and does business with outside vendors.
This roundtable focused on some of the unique requirements for
doing business with the House, some of the challenges in
determining (and trying to meet) a vast array of Member needs,
and some ideas for improving these processes. Roundtable
participants included the House's Chief Administrative Officer
(CAO), Catherine Szpindor and four CAO staff with technical
expertise on procurement matters.
On September 18, 2024, the Subcommittee on Modernization
held a hearing titled, ``Continuity of Congress: Preparing for
the Future by Learning from the Past.'' This hearing focused on
various institutional vulnerabilities like the lack of a quick
process for filling House vacancies, questions about what
number constitutes a quorum in the event of a catastrophe, the
constitutionality of the post-9/11 House rules changes,
uncertainty over how and when to declare a Member
incapacitated, and deficient emergency State election laws.
Subcommittee Members heard testimony from Thomas J. Wickham,
Jr., former House Parliamentarian, Eric Petersen, Specialist in
American National Government at CRS, Rebecca Gambler, Director,
Homeland Security and Justice at GAO, and Rep. Brad Wenstrup
(OH 2).
II. REPORT THEMES
The next four sections of this report focus on particular
themes which encapsulate the Modernization Subcommittee's work
and accomplishments in the 118th Congress:
LStrengthening Constituent Engagement and
Improving the Constituent Experience
LModernizing the Legislative Process
LBuilding Capacity and Modernizing the Workplace
LFostering Institutional Efficiencies
Each section provides topical background and describes
connected Select Committee recommendations, as well as
additional modernization initiatives that were implemented or
are in progress as of this writing. Select Committee
recommendations are designated by number and short title.\7\
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\7\ An updated list of all Select Committee recommendations can be
found in the Appendix of this report.
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A. Strengthening Constituent Engagement and Improving the Constituent
Experience
1. Related Recommendations
L#154: Facilitating Constituent Service Events
L#172: Anonymized Constituent Casework Data
Tracker
L#155: Increase Constituent Casework Transfers
L#178: Tool for Tracking and Managing Constituent
Flag Requests
L#114: ADA Drop off/Pick up Zone
L#115: Security Screening for Persons with
Disabilities
L#27: Improving Access to Congressional Websites
2. Background and Accomplishments
Constituents engage with their Representatives via mail,
email, phone calls, text messaging, and social media. They can
also attend town hall meetings, district-based events,
participate in telephone town halls, and visit their
Representative's offices in the district and in Washington, DC.
Constituent expectations for how Members should engage and
address their concerns are in part a reflection of how their
concerns are addressed by other entities with whom they
regularly interact. As the communications landscape continues
to evolve and expand, many Member offices are experimenting
with new technologies and platforms to improve how they engage
and interact with constituents.
One of the most important ways Members directly interact
with their constituents is through casework. Constituents
regularly reach out to Member offices for help with accessing
Federal services and benefits, cutting through agency red tape,
obtaining information and more. The work is often complicated,
time-consuming, and typically requires expertise and experience
in navigating Federal agencies. Because there is no central,
standardized House-wide system for tagging or tracking
casework, it is also difficult for Member offices to spot
broader trends in casework requests, potential problems with
particular agencies or programs, and policy areas that may
require attention.
The Modernization Subcommittee prioritized several
important initiatives to modernize and improve the way Members
and constituents interact and worked to address engagement
issues from both Member and institutional perspectives during
the 118th Congress. Included in these efforts were
important actions to improve accessibility to ensure that all
people have access to the People's House and can interact with
their Federal representatives.
3. Strengthening Constituent Casework
One area of particular interest to Subcommittee Members was
increasing constituent casework transfers from outgoing to
incoming Members (#155) so that constituents with open cases
receive continuous support. After examining transfer rates in
prior congressional transitions and exploring why, in some
instances, open casework may not have been transferred, the
Subcommittee, working closely with the CAO, recommended
significant revisions to the ``CMS Data Consent Form'' which is
provided to outgoing Members, to emphasize the importance of
transferring open casework to incoming Members. The revised
form includes more options for dropping subsets of data, notes,
and tags, prior to transfer, to alleviate concerns about
transferring potentially sensitive information. The new form
will be provided to both departing and new Members and will be
featured in sessions hosted by the CAO for these Members. The
goal of these efforts is to ensure that constituent casework
doesn't fall through the cracks in the transition process. Once
available, final data from the 119th transition
should shed light on whether the enhanced data transfer form
and the added focus on continuity of casework helped to
increase casework transfer rates, or if more work may be
needed.
Constituents can also benefit when Congress quickly
identifies and addresses problems with Government programs or
within specific Federal agencies. With this in mind, the Select
Committee recommended that the House develop a way for offices
to share and aggregate anonymized constituent casework data so
that broader casework trends can be detected across States,
regions, and the Nation as a whole (#172). The Subcommittee
worked with HDS to develop CaseCompass, an optional tool that
allows offices to anonymize and tag casework data, then upload
it to a shared portal where it is aggregated with data from
other offices. CaseCompass was rolled out as a pilot in May
2024, with a small bipartisan group of offices participating
and providing feedback. The tool will continue to be fine-tuned
while it is in pilot status, then expanded to additional
offices. The data that CaseCompass will eventually provide has
the potential to inform congressional oversight and legislation
in ways that will improve the casework process, help
constituents receive better support from the Federal
Government, and help congressional offices identify casework
backlogs within agencies and policy issues that may need to be
addressed.
4. Enhancing Constituent Service
The Subcommittee also prioritized providing new House
guidance governing co-sponsored constituent events. In May
2024, after several months of staff-level research and
discussion, the Committee on Ethics, the Committee on House
Administration, and the Communications Standards Commission
approved new joint guidance that provides flexibility within
both House Rule 24 and the Member's Congressional Handbook to
allow Members to co-sponsor constituent service events with
local, non-governmental organizations to provide information
and other resources to constituents (#154). The Subcommittee
partnered with Ethics, House Administration, and the
Communications Standards Commission to develop the new
guidance, shepherd it through the approval process, and educate
staff about the changes. The updated guidance provides Members
and their staff with much-needed flexibility and clarity on how
they can work with local organizations to provide constituents
with information and help on a host of issues.
One of the most essential constituent services Member
offices provide is fulfilling flag requests. When constituents
make a flag request through their Member's office, staff
initiate, process, and track the request from start to finish.
But because of the number of entities involved at different
stages in fulfilling a flag request, the process can be slow
and cumbersome. In 2024, the Subcommittee partnered with HDS
and with support from the MIA to launch the FlagTrack tool,
which automates and streamlines the process for tracking and
managing constituent flag requests (#178). FlagTrack was first
piloted with a control group of staff so that HDS could use
their feedback to improve the tool before it was successfully
rolled out House-wide in September 2024. Staff feedback on
FlagTrack has been overwhelmingly positive.
5. Improving Accessibility
Subcommittee Members strongly agreed that making the
People's House accessible to all people should be a top
priority for the Subcommittee. For individuals with
disabilities, navigating the Capitol campus can be challenging
due to a lack of ADA compliant drop-off and pick-up zones,
heavy doors, narrow spaces, and outdated restrooms. The Select
Committee made several recommendations to improve
accessibility, including one to designate a centrally located
drop-off and pick-up zone for visitors with mobility
impairments (#114). The Subcommittee worked closely with the
AOC, the House Sergeant at Arms (HSAA), and USCP to locate an
appropriate spot for the zone and develop a plan of action.
Construction began in August 2024 on a new ADA compliant zone,
located on First Street NE, directly across from the Library of
Congress, and was completed in October 2024. The location is
big enough to accommodate large passenger vans and access to
the Capitol and House Office Buildings is easy to navigate. The
Subcommittee also paved the way for the Senate to create a
similar ADA compliant zone on the Senate side of the Capitol,
mirroring the House's efforts.
The Subcommittee also worked to implement a Select
Committee recommendation to make public the security screening
protocols for individuals with disabilities visiting Congress
(#115). For people who use wheelchairs or other assistive
walking devices, as well as individuals who are hearing or
visually impaired, security screening processes can be unclear,
inconsistent, and can sometimes seem intrusive. Knowing what to
expect can alleviate anxiety and uncertainty about which
screening methods will be used. The Capitol Visitors Center now
provides this information, as well as other useful information
for visitors with disabilities, on its website.\8\
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\8\ ``Accessibility Services,'' accessed December 5, 2024, https://
www.visitthecapitol.gov/visit/accessibility-services
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Efforts to make Congress more accessible extend beyond the
physical Capitol campus to the digital realm. The Select
Committee called for improved access to congressional websites
for individuals with disabilities (#27) and in 2019, the CAO
began working to ensure that House websites are fully
accessible and compliant with the Web Content Accessibility
Guidelines (WCAG) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
The CAO developed a new 508 compliant platform that is now used
to create new Member websites. While the process of bringing
hundreds of House websites into compliance is ongoing, 98-
percent of CAO managed websites and 67-percent of vendor
managed websites currently meet industry compliance standards.
Taken together, the House's overall website compliance rate is
84-percent. The Subcommittee is continuing to work with the CAO
on completing this process and on developing a plan to monitor
compliance and train House staff on 508 guidelines so
compliance is maintained going forward.
B. Modernizing the Legislative Process
1. Related Recommendations and Additional Work
L#59: Committee Calendar Portal
L#170: Collaborative Legislative Drafting
LWork is underway on a Centralized Committee
Portal that could eventually encompass several Select Committee
recommendations, including:
+ L#5: One-click Access to Committee Votes
+ L#167: Modernize Bill Referral and Tracking
+ L#55: Bipartisan Committee Planning on Incorporating
Technology and Innovative Platforms
LNew efficiencies were introduced to the bill
introduction and drafting processes
2. Background and Accomplishments
An institution's legislative processes include everything
from bill drafting to committee referrals to voting systems and
more. While these processes are often technical or
administrative in nature, they can also be complex, involve
several different entities, and deeply rooted in history and
tradition. For these reasons, changing an institution's
processes requires a methodical approach and time to properly
implement and socialize the changes.
The Select Committee made a number of recommendations
focused on modernizing different aspects of the legislative
process and Modernization Subcommittee Members identified
several of these recommendations as priorities. In order to
explore potential solutions to some of the legislative process
challenges identified by the Select Committee, the Subcommittee
held a closed-door roundtable discussion with representatives
from the Office of the House Clerk, the Government Publishing
Office (GPO), and the House Office of Legislative Counsel
(HOLC).\9\ The roundtable focused on various pressure points in
the legislative process that affect workflow, cause delays, and
sometimes lead to Member and staff frustration. In discussing
these systemic strains, the goal was to identify meaningful
short-term steps, as well as longer-term solutions, to address
these challenges.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ Closed-Door Roundtable Discussion on Modernizing the
Legislative Process, September 13, 2023.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the biggest strains on the system is the increasing
volume of bills introduced by Members each session. Members
introduced 11,461 bills during the 117th Congress--
nearly 1,000 more bills than the previous Congress and the most
bills introduced since the 95th Congress (1977-1979). In the
118th Congress, Members have already surpassed last
session's totals and introduced 12,264 bills and
resolutions.\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\ As of December 5, 2024, congress.gov.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
While Members do not have to use HOLC for bill drafting,
many do. The HOLC's drafting attorneys have expertise in a wide
range of policy issues and are experienced at drafting bill
text so that it fits accurately within current law. The
tradeoff in using HOLC, however, is an often-long wait time for
initial bill drafts. Because the current demand for HOLC's
drafting services is so high, and because bills that are
actually moving through the legislative process are
prioritized, individual Member requests can be significantly
delayed.
The increase in bill introductions also strains the House
Clerk's office. In addition to facilitating and transcribing
floor proceedings, producing the House Journal, operating the
House's electronic voting system and more, Clerk staff are
responsible for processing every bill that is introduced. And
as bill volume has increased, the Clerk's Office has had to
devote more time and resources to processing bills, very few of
which actually pass the House. Of the 12,264 bills and
resolutions introduced so far in the 118th Congress,
only 80 have become law.\11\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\11\ Ibid.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The GPO is similarly burdened. Through a largely paper-
based process, GPO reviews, edits and publishes bills that have
been introduced. GPO staff must ensure that the digital bill
text prepared by the HOLC aligns with the version introduced by
Members via the Hopper or the eHopper. This review and
proofreading process may sometimes require queries back to the
House Clerk and to the bill sponsor, all of which can add
additional time to the review process. This quality assurance
work is undoubtedly important, but it can delay the public
availability of the printed and digital versions of the bill--a
major source of frustration for Members who are typically
anxious to provide a public link to the text of the bills they
have introduced.
3. Legislative Drafting
Because all of these processes are so intertwined, the
Subcommittee was careful to consider how a proposed solution in
one area might affect the other areas. Bringing the HOLC, the
House Clerk, and GPO together for a roundtable discussion with
Subcommittee Members was a first step in helping to forge a
mutual understanding of the various process challenges from
which to consider solutions recommended by the Select
Committee, as well as new ideas.
The Select Committee recommended that the House leverage
existing enterprise-wide applications and develop other tools
and solutions to better facilitate legislative drafting and
collaboration between Member, committee, and leadership offices
and the HOLC (#170). But given the scope and complexity of the
process challenges discussed at the roundtable, Subcommittee
Members agreed with a recommendation put forward by the House
Clerk and the HOLC to first conduct a comprehensive study of
the current bill drafting process to identify pain points and
propose potential solutions.
The Subcommittee requested funding from the MIA to pay for
the study and in July 2024, the CAO's procurement office
released an RFI (Request for Information) on SAM.gov.\12\
Vendor responses were reviewed and a Statement of Work (SOW)
for the legislative drafting study was developed and sent to
vendors that responded to the RFI with the intent of eventually
awarding contracts to industry and subject matter experts. The
work will include user discovery sessions, market reviews, and
analysis of available tools and approaches for improving bill
drafting and collaboration. As of this writing, vendor
responses are under review.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\12\ The System for Award Management (SAM.gov) is a U.S. Government
website for publishing and managing Federal contracting opportunities.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
While the study is focused on longer-term solutions to
improve drafting and collaboration, Subcommittee Members were
also interested in identifying and addressing other systemic
pain points that exist alongside these processes. One approach
that roundtable participants agreed would be helpful is for the
HOLC to generate a Microsoft Word draft of each bill to
accompany the PDF draft that is sent to staff for review and
edits. This process change, which was introduced in February
2024, allows staff to edit bill drafts using the track changes
feature in Word, which is easier for staff to access and use.
While helpful, the provision of Word files is a first step. The
collaborative drafting study is expected to lead to the
development of a new drafting tool to improve collaboration,
productivity, and accountability in the drafting process.
Importantly, the new process also secures PDF drafts against
text editing, though functions like commenting and printing are
still available. The goal of these changes is to decrease the
likelihood of HOLC, the House Clerk, and GPO having to
reconcile different bill drafts. In instances where, for
example, staff have edited a PDF draft without sharing those
edits with HOLC, the bill that is introduced does not match
HOLC's version and the differences must be resolved. This takes
additional time and can delay the process of publicly posting
the bill.
The House Clerk introduced two additional efficiencies
alongside the drafting process changes described above: While a
Member signature is no longer needed if a bill is introduced
via the eHopper, a Member signature can now also be affixed to
a PDF draft through a new ``sign yourself'' feature. Staff can
also now electronically add bill co-sponsors through the
eHopper. Both of these updates streamline the bill introduction
process and save staff valuable time.
The Modernization Subcommittee worked closely with the HOLC
and House Clerk to introduce and explain these new processes to
House staff. In addition to partnering on an ``e-Dear
Colleague'' letter to introduce the new processes House-wide,
the Subcommittee joined the HOLC and the Clerk on a series of
targeted briefings for staff. The Clerk's Office plans to
monitor whether the new drafting process reduces the average
time it takes for an introduced bill to be printed and posted
online and, depending on what the data show, additional process
changes may be evaluated and considered.
4. Committee Processes
The Subcommittee also prioritized several Select Committee
recommendations to assist committees. Overlapping hearing
schedules often mean that Members are expected to be in two,
and sometimes three places at once. Because these frequent
scheduling conflicts can make it difficult for Members to
fulfill their legislative and oversight responsibilities, the
Select Committee recommended creating a common committee
calendar portal (#59). The Deconflict Committee Scheduling
Tool, which the House Digital Services (HDS) team developed in
coordination with the Subcommittee, can potentially help reduce
scheduling conflicts between committees. When a committee clerk
adds a ``draft'' hearing to the portal, they can see if other
committees have hearings scheduled at the same time and which
of their committee Members have conflicts. For now, the
Deconflict Tool provides an important data-gathering service in
that it captures the many scheduling conflicts that Members
must contend with whenever Congress is in session. Committees
are currently not required to enter their hearing and markup
schedules into the Deconflict Tool, so the data is not perfect.
However, early feedback indicates that some committee clerks
are using the tool to check for conflicts and making schedule
adjustments accordingly. As more committees begin to use the
Deconflict Tool and as the data eventually becomes more robust,
the tool could potentially be a valuable resource for
leadership to consider when developing the House calendar and
schedule, and for committee chairs to use when scheduling
hearings.
The Subcommittee also prioritized and requested MIA funding
for the Clerk to begin work on a Centralized Committee Portal
that will eventually incorporate a few Select Committee
recommendations. Initially, the Portal will provide the
infrastructure to track legislative histories of bills referred
to a committee (#167). In the longer term, it could feature
several additional modules, including one to make committee and
subcommittee activity more transparent by publishing committee
votes online in a centralized hub (#5). Another potential
module could replace the applications that committees currently
use to publish meeting information on the Committee Repository
and to the Deconflict Tool. The Clerk's office and HDS are
currently conducting ``user discovery'' meetings with
bipartisan committee staff to better understand pain points in
their processes and get their input on what features the Portal
should include. This work, which in part addresses a Select
Committee recommendation that committees develop bipartisan
plans to incorporate technology and innovative platforms into
daily work (#55), is key to the Portal development process.
Finally, at the request of Speaker Mike Johnson's office,
the Subcommittee assisted in efforts to make electronic voting
systems available to all House committees that choose to use
them. The Select Committee's recommendation that committees
develop bipartisan plans to incorporate technology and
innovative platforms into daily work (#55) referenced committee
use of electronic vote systems among other new technologies.
While a few committees already use electronic vote systems,
most committees do not. The Subcommittee partnered with the
Speaker's Office and the House Clerk to support this initiative
and requested MIA funding to help participating committees
cover the initial costs associated with deploying an electronic
vote system. Committees that use electronic systems report that
their Members appreciate the efficiency of voting quickly,
especially when there are a lot of Members on the committee and
when markups require many separate votes.
Modernizing the legislative process in ways that boost
efficiency and streamline systems builds institutional strength
and helps Members and staff do their jobs more effectively.
Taken together, the recommendations and initiatives that the
Subcommittee worked to implement in the 118th
Congress will improve bill drafting and collaboration and
provide committees with tools to streamline their processes
while paving the way for additional innovations.
C. Building Capacity and Modernizing the Workplace
1. Related Recommendations
L#66: Revaluate the MRA Funding Formula
L#200: Align Treatment of Member Travel-Related
Expenses
L#130: Co-working Spaces for Staff
L#161: Offer Expanded Options for Meeting Space
L#144: Improved Access to Document Review
Software
L#110: Intern and Fellowship Program Office or
Coordinator
L#63: Offer Staff Certifications Through
Congressional Staff Academy
L#143: Optional Bipartisan Oversight Training
L#181: Institutionalize and Expand Technology
Education and Innovation Initiatives
L#194: Business and Support Offices ``Open-
House''
L#135: Enhance the Customer Experience at GAO
L#138: Enhance CBO Outreach to Congress
L#140: Modernize the Congressional Support
Agencies
L#106: Update the Student Loan Repayment Program
2. Background and Accomplishments
Capacity building efforts in Congress generally focus on
ways to strengthen the institution by strengthening its various
support systems. This can take the form of providing staff with
tools and resources that will help them do their jobs more
efficiently, improving institutional access to new technologies
and platforms, strengthening legislative support agencies, and
enhancing the workplace environment to bolster productivity,
among other things. The overarching goal of these efforts is to
ensure that Congress remains consistently capable of carrying
out its Article I legislative and representative obligations,
efficiently and effectively.
The Select Committee passed many recommendations in the
capacity building space and Modernization Subcommittee Members
prioritized implementing a number of these proposals. During
the 118th Congress, the Subcommittee held hearings
focused on modernization efforts at congressional support
entities including the CAO, GAO, and CRS. The hearings provided
Subcommittee Members with updates on the implementation status
of various Select Committee recommendations and offered a forum
for discussing steps each entity can take to better support the
work of an evolving Congress. The Subcommittee also worked to
implement several recommendations focused on improving the
workplace environment to enhance productivity for both Members
and staff.
3. Modernizing the Workplace Environment
As part of its work to boost congressional capacity, the
Select Committee explored various ways to make congressional
jobs more competitive with the executive branch, as well as
with the private and non-profit sectors. These efforts focused
on updating some aspects of current staff benefits to improve
recruitment and retention, as well as on updating and
modernizing the tools and services that Members and staff use
to do their jobs.
As a first step, the Committee worked to implement a Select
Committee recommendation to reevaluate the funding formula and
increase the funds allocated to each Member office (#66). The
Members' Representational Allowance (MRA) is the budget
authorized by CHA for each Member of Congress and covers
personnel compensation, official expenses, district office
rent, and official mail. CHA worked with the CAO ``to revise
the MRA formula taking into consideration the unique makeup of
each district to ensure that each MRA is calculated based on
data that accurately reflects the actual expenditures and needs
of that district, while ensuring that in a redistricting year
that no MRA would be less than the prior legislative session.''
\13\ The revised formula, which was adopted by Committee
Resolution on March 8, 2023, allows for recalculations each
year that account for changes in the price of materials,
services, technology, office space, and rates of pay.\14\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\13\ ``Committee Resolution 118-13,'' accessed December 5, 2024,
https://cha.house.gov/_cache/files/a/e/aee4200a-bbc0-44ce-bb05-
c124c1a08790/685FCB546D11D6A68BD9AE15C99281F5.cmte-res-118-13-adopting-
the-mra-formula.pdf
\14\ Ibid.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The MRA formula had not been updated since 1995 and since
then, reapportionment and subsequent redistricting have
significantly changed the makeup of congressional districts.
The cost of running an office has also increased since 1995.
The updated formula helps build capacity by providing Member
offices with an operating budget that more accurately reflects
their districts, allowing them to better serve their
constituencies.
In addition to updating the MRA formula, the Committee took
steps to implement a Select Committee recommendation to better
align the treatment of Member travel-related expenses with
Federal agencies, State legislatures, and the private and non-
profit sectors (#200). The program, which was authorized in
2022 and made available to Members in early 2023, updates the
travel-related expense reimbursement rules for Members, who,
prior to the update, paid out-of-pocket for lodging and meals
when in Washington, DC, for official congressional business.
Participating in the program is optional and to date, it enjoys
strong bipartisan support. Adopting this standard business
practice makes serving in the House a more viable option for
Members and potential Members who might otherwise determine
that the cost of serving in Congress is too high.
One of the House's most important staff recruitment and
retention tools is the Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP).
Established by the House in 2003, the SLRP provides that
employing offices may agree to repay ``any student loan
previously taken out'' by an employee.\15\ Payments are made by
the CAO from an account separate from the MRA.\16\ CHA
promulgated implementing regulations that established aggregate
annual limits for employing offices, as well as monthly and
aggregate payment limits for eligible employees. The SLRP also
requires participating employees to sign a 1-year service
agreement, pledging to reimburse payments if they are
terminated for cause or a voluntary separation occurs prior to
the end of the agreement, subject to waiver by the office.\17\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\15\ Consolidated Appropriations Resolution, 2003, P.L. 108-7, Div.
H, Title I, Sec. 105, Feb. 20, 2003.
\16\ A similar program was established in the Senate in 2001. See
P.L. 107-68; 2 U.S.C. Sec. 4579, Nov. 12, 2001.
\17\ Employing offices can establish additional or alternative
terms and conditions with participating employees.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Following a Select Committee recommendation (#106),
Congress included a provision in the Consolidated
Appropriations Act of 2023 to expand the SLRP beyond its
``payment for loans incurred'' construct. Specifically, in
addition to student loan repayments, the law authorizes
payments for expenses paid by the employee for ``educational
and professional development'' as well as for ``credentialing,
professional accreditation, professional licensure, and
professional certification.'' \18\ The law also clarifies that
both Federal and private student loans are eligible for
reimbursement.\19\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\18\ In practice, this means that employees could be reimbursed for
tuition assistance for an educational degree or certificate program
and/or for fees associated with professional credentials and
licensures. Regulations promulgated by CHA define these new categories
and set parameters on allowable reimbursements.
\19\ The 2003 law technically allowed reimbursement for private
loans (authorizing offices to agree to repay ``any student loan
previously taken out''), but CHA's original implementing regulations
limited the program to Federal student loans.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Subcommittee worked closely with CHA and the CAO over
several months to develop new implementing regulations, with
the goal of strengthening the program's staff recruitment and
retention focus. The newly updated program, named the ``House
Retention through Educational Advancement Program'' (REAP),
would maintain the SLRP's funding structure, including the per
office allocation and the employee monthly and aggregate
limits. In other words, the program's expansion occurs within
the existing funding limits. Service agreements under REAP
would require employers and employees to attest that
educational and professional expenses incurred are connected to
the employee's official responsibilities. REAP also would
tighten the existing service agreement waiver provision to
bolster accountability.
Expanding the SLRP beyond payment for loans incurred brings
the House into better alignment with private sector businesses
and organizations that offer competitive employee benefits for
the purpose of recruiting and retaining top talent. REAP is
expected to go into effect early next year, pending CHA
approval.
Because enhancing the workplace environment can boost
capacity by helping staff work more efficiently, the
Subcommittee prioritized two Select Committee recommendations
to create bipartisan co-working and meeting spaces that staff
can use on a drop-in basis (#130 and #161). The Subcommittee
worked with the AOC and CAO to identify opportunities to
convert open rooms and spaces into collaborative working spaces
for staff and in 2024, piloted three shared workspaces, two in
the Cannon House Office Building, and one in the O'Neill House
Office Building. The workspaces have received overwhelmingly
positive feedback and are frequently used by staff looking to
meet and collaborate outside of their offices. These pilot
workspaces provide a model for creating more such spaces in
other House office buildings as rooms become available.
4. Improving Support Services and Tools
Building capacity also extends to providing staff with
access to services and technologies that will help them work
more effectively and efficiently. The new Intern Program Office
is a case in point: by creating a ``one-stop shop'' for offices
seeking assistance with onboarding interns, developing
educational curriculums, and promoting professional
development, the office helps intern coordinators by
streamlining processes and resources. The Select Committee
recommended creating the office to serve as a centralized
resource for Member offices and to help build consistency
across internships (#110). An Intern Office Director was hired
in early 2024 to manage programming and to continue improving
and expanding the office's offerings.
Providing staff with opportunities to enhance their career
skills through targeted training can boost both employee and
institutional capacity (#63). The Congressional Staff Academy
has built out their programming to include career path training
tracks where staff can choose a path (communications or
legislative, for example) and then take the courses within that
track to improve their skills and marketability within the
House. Staff receive a certificate of completion after each
course so they can document fulfilling the requirements in a
particular path. Staff benefit by expanding their career skills
and the institution is strengthened by having a better trained
workforce.
Another example of tailored training for staff is a new
course, developed and taught by GAO, focused on effective tools
and techniques for conducting oversight (#143). The course
reflects the agency's oversight and investigatory mission and
is led by GAO experts. GAO is planning to review staff feedback
from the first training in November 2024 and then make
adjustments to improve the quality of the training going
forward.
Staff can also learn a lot from each other. The CAO has
introduced a number of initiatives to facilitate information
sharing between district staff who work directly with
constituents (#148). Regular meetups for staff who handle
constituent casework are organized by the CAO Coach Program, as
are virtual panels with Federal agency representatives. The CAO
also conducts casework best practice sharing sessions at their
Caseworker Staff Conferences. The CAO Coach website hosts a
page with casework resources and information and established a
dedicated Teams channel to enable easy interaction between
caseworkers and a way for them to crowdsource questions.\20\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\20\ ``Casework,'' accessed December 5, 2024, https://
caocoach.house.gov/caseworker
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another way to build institutional capacity is to improve
access to technologies that will boost staff productivity. In
partnership with the CAO, the Subcommittee worked to implement
a Select Committee recommendation to provide committee staff
with industry standard electronic discovery (``eDiscovery'')
software to improve and streamline document review and
processing capabilities (#144). This software, which is
routinely used across Federal agencies and in the private
sector, increases the ability of committee staff to quickly
access and review documents as part of their investigatory and
oversight work, a critical aspect of Congress's Article I
responsibilities. The Subcommittee received MIA funds to
support implementation of this program, which is designed to
increase staff efficiency, improve the quality and accuracy of
investigative work, and directly address the resource imbalance
that can exist between Congress and Federal agencies in
carrying out important oversight.
Congress can also build capacity by institutionalizing and
expanding initiatives like the Congressional Hackathon (#181).
In 2024, the CAO facilitated the fifth annual hackathon with
full institutional support, including from Republican and
Democratic party leadership. The hackathon showcases innovative
technological solutions to a broad range of legislative and
representative challenges. Through presentations and
brainstorming sessions, participants can pitch ideas to a broad
audience, including congressional staff. Some of the proposals
featured in past hackathons have been implemented by the House,
demonstrating an institutional openness to adopting innovative
ideas.
Strengthening the legislative support entities so that they
can better support Congress is another way to improve capacity.
The legislative branch support agencies--CRS, CBO, and GAO--
provide essential expertise and services to Congress but have
sometimes neglected to do the outreach necessary to make
Members and staff aware of the vast array of resources they
offer. To remedy this, Subcommittee Members prioritized efforts
to encourage agency outreach and personal engagement with
Members and staff and to modernize the services and products
they offer to better meet the needs of today's Congress.
Working with the Subcommittee, both CBO and GAO have taken
proactive and impressive steps toward fulfilling the Select
Committee's recommendations to bolster outreach to the Hill and
to improve the customer experience (#135 and #138). Both
agencies have developed new, targeted publications for
congressional staff and now routinely reach out to and visit
House offices. Additionally, GAO has created a new ``Ambassador
Program,'' which assigns senior program directors to Member
offices so that all offices have a GAO point-of-contact they
can reach out to for information and assistance. The program
directors routinely visit their assigned offices so that staff
know who they are and what services they provide. GAO also
hosts regular policy-focused roundtables for staff, as well as
drop-in time for staff to meet with GAO's Chief Scientist.
While the legislative support agencies provide Members and
staff with policy expertise, the House's business and support
offices provide a broad range of important administrative
services. To increase awareness of these services, the Select
Committee recommended that the offices hold annual ``Open-
Houses'' to provide Members and staff with the opportunity to
learn about the range of services they offer (#194). New Member
Orientation now includes a bipartisan welcome reception for
newly elected Members, featuring the House Officers who lead
the chamber's business and support offices. Members and staff
can also now visit the Longworth Main Street Project, which
includes a corridor of public-facing offices for the House's
business and support entities. Additionally, the Agency
Connection Center, the most recent addition to the Main Street
Project, opened in March 2024 and provides Members and staff
with quick access to information from support and Federal
agencies that will help them better serve constituents.
Building capacity in Congress can take many forms, from
enhancing the work environment, to modernizing support systems
and benefits to improve staff recruitment and retention, to
upgrading and expanding access to new technologies, and more.
In order for Congress to remain an effective and responsive
institution, capacity building efforts need to be ongoing and
focused on the institution's shifting needs. The Subcommittee
intends to continue building on these efforts, with an eye
toward improvements that will boost staff and institutional
efficiency and effectiveness.
D. Fostering Institutional Efficiencies
1. Related Recommendations and Additional Work
L#100: Real Time Payroll Information
L#139: Legislative and Support Agency Staff
Directory
L#162: Portal for Reservable Space
L#190: Update Capitol Switchboard
L#189: Digital Service Advisory Board
L#22: Single Point of Contact for Technology
Services
L#146: Single Point of Contact for District
Office Setup
L#184: Align House and Senate Technology
Standards and Processes
L#36: Identify Ways for House and Senate to
Streamline Purchases
L#136: GAO Annual Report on Unimplemented
Recommendations
L#140: Modernize the Congressional Support
Agencies
L#137: GAO Report on Legislative Options
L#185: Improving/Modernizing the House
Procurement Process
LReal-Time Digital House Calendar for Staff
2. Background and Accomplishments
Congress, like other large public and private institutions,
relies on hundreds--if not thousands--of administrative
processes to carry out a broad range of activities. Routine
tasks like communicating with constituents, scheduling hearings
and meetings, drafting legislation, contracting with vendors,
and managing payroll are typically bound by any number of
administrative practices and protocols, some of which are
determined by the institution and others by individual offices.
While these functions typically don't grab headlines, they form
the operational backbone of Congress and are essential to its
institutional performance.
When administrative functions become outdated and
inefficient, staff can become mired down in time-consuming
process requirements. And rather than allocate limited
resources toward activities that support constituent and
legislative work, staff sometimes get stuck on the processes
(paperwork, data entry, approvals, etc.) required to do that
work. While some Member offices have instituted internal
practices or utilized technology solutions to create
efficiencies in their office workflows, institution-wide
efficiencies can vastly improve the way Member offices interact
with various congressional entities on a day-to-day basis. The
Modernization Subcommittee prioritized implementing several
Select Committee recommendations that streamline outdated
processes or create new, more efficient ones.
3. Digital Efficiencies
The House Digital Service (HDS) was created in 2022 to
develop, obtain or build innovative technology tools to improve
House operations. HDS evolved out of a Select Committee
recommendation (#95) and has played a key role in developing
tools to implement several Select Committee proposals. The
Select Committee also recommended creating a Digital Service
Advisory Board to help plan and prioritize the work of HDS
(#189). An Advisory Board, made up of congressional staff from
leadership, committee and personal offices, was established in
January 2023 and helps HDS accurately capture staff views on
process challenges and potential solutions. The Subcommittee
partnered with HDS to pilot and introduce several tools, based
on Select Committee recommendations, that modernize a range of
routine processes.
The Subcommittee also partnered with HDS to implement a
Select Committee recommendation to create a searchable data
base of anonymized staff compensation information (#100). The
SalarySense Compensation Dashboard was conceived as a tool to
help hiring managers better understand the staff salary
marketplace to ensure that they are compensating staff fairly
and making competitive job offers. At its core, the dashboard
was designed to help improve staff recruitment and retention.
While it serves as a general salary guide, it does not account
for important factors like experience, educational background,
and job performance. The Subcommittee also worked closely with
the Office of House Employment Counsel (OHEC) to ensure proper
vetting of the dashboard's data and how to use it most
effectively. The dashboard was first piloted with a bipartisan
group of chiefs of staff to solicit user feedback and improve
the dashboard before it was rolled out to office hiring
managers House-wide in September 2024. SalarySense has been
received positively by staff and will continue to evolve and
improve based on staff feedback and enhancements to the
underlying data. During New Member Orientation, Members-elect
were given access to the dashboard to ensure they had benchmark
salary information as they began making budget and staffing
decisions for the 119th Congress.
Another recommendation under development by HDS in
partnership with the Subcommittee is LegiDex, a digital
legislative and support agency staff directory (#139). The
directory creates efficiencies by providing staff with one
centralized resource for finding staff by office, title, and
policy area. The directory is designed to facilitate the
exchange of information and collaboration across the House and
Senate, as well as with GAO, CBO, and CRS. HDS has so far
compiled House staff data and is working to gather information
from the legislative support agencies and the Senate.
HDS also developed and released HouseCal, an all-in-one
calendar for tracking voting days, hearings, markups, and
meetings. HouseCal evolved from and expands upon the Committee
Deconflict Tool's scheduling features and eliminates the need
for staff to manually log their Members' committee and caucus
events into a calendar platform and provides quick and easy
access to live committee and floor video feeds. These features
will allow for better coordination within offices and more
efficient scheduling across multiple offices. After piloting
HouseCal with a small group of staff, HDS, with the help of the
Subcommittee, rolled it out House-wide in July 2024. So far,
HouseCal has received overwhelmingly positive feedback.
Another initiative to improve staff efficiency addresses
the perennial challenge of finding and reserving meeting spaces
outside of the office. The Subcommittee worked with the CAO to
support their development of a web portal, as well as an app,
for reservable spaces in the House, managed by the CAO (#162).
Staff can use the portal to check room availability and room
features (size, furniture, technology, etc.), view photos of
rooms, and reserve rooms by date and time. By taking the guess
work out of finding and reserving a meeting space, the portal
streamlines the room reservation process and saves staff time
and frustration. The portal also includes information and
instructions for reserving rooms in the CVC, as well as
Speaker's rooms.
Calls transferred from the Capitol Switchboard to Member
offices have long been another source of frustration for staff.
The Select Committee recommended updating the switchboard so
that Member offices could properly identify the phone numbers
of callers who are connected to their offices via the
switchboard (#190). Previously, calls transferred from the
switchboard would not register as an identifiable phone number,
so staff had no way of knowing where these incoming calls
originated. While the upgrades need some additional fine-
tuning, they will enhance efficiency by greatly improving the
U.S. Capitol Police's (USCP) ability to quickly identify and
investigate individuals who make threatening or harassing calls
to Member offices and by providing staff with a number they can
use to follow up with constituents who are connected to the
office via the switchboard.
4. Process Efficiencies
In order to help staff do their jobs more efficiently, the
Subcommittee looked to implement a number of process fixes that
would reduce the amount of time staff spend trying to figure
out which support entity to call and who to ask for assistance.
Member offices routinely need help addressing a range of
technology issues but figuring out who to call can sometimes
turn into a seemingly endless game of phone tag. To address
this inefficiency, the CAO has established one point of contact
for technology services for each Member office (#22). While
every office now has a technology point of contact, the CAO
Customer Advocates will eventually fill this role. Customer
Advocates serve as the first point of contact for offices that
need assistance with any office-related question. Adding
technology services to their portfolios should greatly
streamline the process of getting help from the right
technology specialist.
Along the same lines, Customer Advocates will eventually be
the single point of contact for all district office setup
questions (#146). For new offices in particular, navigating the
process of negotiating leases, procuring furniture and
equipment, setting up phones, and establishing a secure WiFi
connection can be overwhelming. Providing district staff with
one point of contact for all district office questions saves
staff time and frustration.
Institutions can also be made more efficient by sharing
best practices and aligning processes where mutual benefits may
be realized. The Select Committee recommended that the House
and Senate work to align their technology standards and
processes to better support technology initiatives across
Congress (#184). A number of bicameral groups, including the
Bulk Data Task Force, the Chief Information Officers Council,
the Chief Information Security Officers Council, and the House
and Senate Modernization Working Group are now meeting
regularly to share information and consider areas where the two
chambers might partner. Along the same lines, the CAO reports
that the House and Senate have begun coordinating negotiations
with a common infrastructure vendor, yielding significant
savings for both chambers. The House and Senate Modernization
Working Group has led these efforts with the goal of taking
advantage of bulk purchasing opportunities when they arise
(#36). Additionally, the legislative branch Procurement
Council, which includes procurement officers from the House,
Senate and all legislative branch entities, meets regularly to
identify cost-saving opportunities. Joint efforts like these
can help both chambers streamline internal processes and save
taxpayer dollars.
The legislative support agencies make Congress more
efficient by providing on-call expert support to Members and
staff, as well as independently compiling data and producing
research and analysis that can help Congress legislate and
conduct oversight more effectively. GAO's compilation of
unimplemented recommendations is a case in point. The Select
Committee recognized that this information could be used to
help inform congressional oversight and reforms, improve agency
performance, and save taxpayer dollars, and recommended that
GAO report annually on the estimated cost savings of its
unimplemented recommendations (#136).\21\ GAO is now producing
this report annually, most recently on July 11, 2024, and
promoting it on the Hill.
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\21\ Rep. Derek Kilmer (WA 05) and Rep. William Timmons (SC 04),
the respective Chair and Vice Chair of the Select Committee during the
117th Congress, introduced legislation in the 117th
Congress requiring GAO, in its annual report to Congress, to
consolidate matters for congressional consideration into one report,
organized by policy topic, and to identify congressional oversight
actions that can help agencies implement unimplemented priority
recommendations. The legislation also requires GAO to publish the above
information and publish any known costs of unimplemented priority
recommendations. H.R. 7331 passed the House on July 12, 2022, and
awaits action in the Senate. See ``H.R. 7331,'' accessed December 5,
2024, https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/
7331?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22HR+7331%22%7D&s=8&r=1
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The Select Committee also recognized that GAO's
recommendations can provide a starting point for bipartisan
legislative reform. Every 2 years the agency produces a High-
Risk List, which reports on Federal programs and operations
that are vulnerable to waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement,
or that need broad reform. The Select Committee recommended
that GAO report annually to congressional committees on
legislative options to address its open priority
recommendations (#137), and GAO has begun producing this report
and briefing committee staff on options. By packaging its
unimplemented recommendations and High-Risk List for a
congressional audience, and by doing outreach to promote and
explain the value of the work, GAO is providing a useful
service to committee staff, particularly those who are charged
with conducting oversight and investigations.
The Subcommittee also worked closely with CRS to update the
agency's authorizing statute to improve agency efficiency.
Subcommittee Members co-sponsored two measures to streamline
and modernize the way CRS works to support Congress: H.R. 7592,
a bill to replace the Constitution Annotated print requirement
with a digital requirement and H.R. 7593, a bill to strengthen
CRS's access to Federal agency data and information, better
equipping the agency to support Congress in its legislative,
oversight, and representative functions. Both bills were marked
up in the Subcommittee and full committee, then passed by voice
vote on the House floor.
The House's internal support entities routinely engage in a
range of complex administrative processes, including managing
financial transactions, administering employee benefits,
assessing new technologies and software, maintaining strict
cybersecurity protocols and much more. Subcommittee Members
were interested in exploring a Select Committee recommendation
to improve the House procurement process (#185) and began by
holding two roundtable discussions to learn more about the
current process. The first roundtable included three outside
vendors who do business with the House and focused on
identifying problems that hinder or prevent new vendors or new
products and services from entering the House marketplace and
impose time-consuming and confusing requirements on vendors.
The second roundtable included representatives from the CAO's
office and generally focused on how the House can improve and
modernize how it solicits, approves, and does business with
outside vendors. These discussions shed light on the unique
requirements for doing business with the House and provided
some ideas for how these processes might be improved. The
Subcommittee is engaged in ongoing work with the CAO to clarify
the vendor approval process, improve transparency, encourage
innovation, and center the House's procurement process around
the priorities of Member offices. These efforts will continue
in the 119th Congress.
Institutional processes and procedures can easily become
outdated and inefficient if steps aren't taken to regularly
monitor how these processes and procedures perform. Routine
reviews help identify pain points that can be addressed as they
arise and encourage a solutions-oriented, rather than a
reactive approach to problem solving. Subcommittee Members
agreed that efficient systems are critical to institutional
success and partnered with various House entities to begin the
process of exploring and developing solutions to improve a
range of existing processes. Even in cases where there is no
identifiable problem to solve, reviewing processes can shed
light on inefficiencies and help generate improvements.
III. CONCLUSION
In order for Congress to consistently and effectively meet
its Article I obligations, the institution must continually
evolve. Congress should be capable of adapting to the way
constituents communicate and interact, have access to the
latest technologies and platforms, ensure that its workplace
rules align with present-day standards, and provide the level
of customer service that constituents expect.
The Modernization Subcommittee was created in recognition
of the fact that modernization is an ongoing process. When the
Select Committee's tenure ended at the close of the 117th
Congress, the work of modernizing the institution was in many
ways just beginning. Throughout the 118th Congress,
the Subcommittee worked steadily to implement Select Committee
recommendations and pursue new opportunities to improve and
modernize the institution's processes, systems, and workplace
environment. While much of the Subcommittee's work takes place
behind the scenes, it serves an important public purpose. By
identifying where change is needed and then figuring out how to
make change happen, the Subcommittee is fulfilling its mission
to make Congress work better for the American People.
IV. APPENDIX I: STATUS OF SELECT COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
While the Select Committee's jurisdiction centered on
making recommendations to modernize and improve how Congress
works, the Subcommittee is charged with implementing and
overseeing the Select Committee's recommendations. Subcommittee
staff began this work by conducting a thorough review of the
status each recommendation was assigned at the end of the
117th Congress. Working closely with House
implementing partners like the CAO, the House Clerk, the House
Office of Legislative Counsel and others, the Subcommittee
gained additional clarity on progress made toward implementing
recommendations, as well as work remaining. In some cases, the
status that recommendations were previously assigned were
adjusted to reflect new or clarifying information gathered by
the Subcommittee.
At the end of the 117th Congress, the Select
Committee closed 43 of its 202 recommendations and noted that
progress was underway on dozens more. During the 118th
Congress, the Subcommittee closed an additional 70
recommendations, bringing the total number of closed
recommendations to 113. Of these, 67 are implemented, 20 are
partially implemented, 16 are in progress with a partner
office, and 10 are resolved.\22\
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\22\ Note that the 113 closed recommendations do not include 10
recommendations that were closed but not implemented.
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Of the 79 open recommendations at end of 118th,
25 have seen progress, meaning they have been partially
implemented or are in progress with the Subcommittee. Of the
202 total recommendations, only 54 are designated as open and
needing attention.
The following pages present the updated status, as of
December 10, 2024, of each of the Select Committee's 202
recommendations. The status categories described below are the
same as those used by the Select Committee in its Final Report
for the 117th Congress,\23\ with a few exceptions.
The Subcommittee created two new ``Closed'' categories--one to
designate recommendations that are partially implemented and
unlikely to be fully implemented, and one to designate
recommendations that are being implemented by a partner office,
with no additional Subcommittee action needed. These two
categories are meant to further clarify the exact status of
some recommendations that have been closed. Additionally, the
Subcommittee redesignated the previous ``Open-In Progress''
category to ``Open-In Progress with Subcommittee'' to clarify
that the Subcommittee is working on recommendations in this
category. Descriptions of the updated recommendation status
categories are as follows:
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\23\ ``Final Report, p. 229'' accessed on December 5, 2024, https:/
/www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRPT-117hrpt646/pdf/GPO-CRPT-
117hrpt646.pdf
LClosed-Implemented: An entity has taken action
pursuant to a recommendation that addresses the problem that
prompted the recommendation.
LClosed-Resolved: An entity has taken action or
provided additional information independently of the literal
recommendation but that still addresses the problem that
prompted the recommendation.
LClosed-Partially Implemented: Elements of the
recommendation have been fully implemented, or administrative
or legislative actions to implement the recommendation are at
an advanced stage of progress, but the elements that have not
been implemented are unlikely to be implemented or are
satisfied by the implementation of the other elements.
LClosed-In Progress with Partner Office: The
responsible House office has begun administrative or
legislative actions to implement the recommendation.
LClosed-Not Implemented: The Select Committee or
the Subcommittee determined that further action to implement
the recommendation is either impossible or highly unlikely due
to technical or logistical barriers.
LOpen-Partially Implemented: Elements of the
recommendation have been fully implemented, or administrative
or legislative actions to implement the recommendation are at
an advanced stage of progress, and the unimplemented elements
are likely or possible to be implemented.
LOpen-In Progress with Subcommittee: The
Subcommittee has begun conversations and/or administrative or
legislative actions to implement the recommendation.
LOpen-Needs Attention: No meaningful progress
toward implementation of the recommendation has taken place.
Recommendations are presented in the same topic area format
used by the Select Committee in its Final Report for the
117th Congress.\24\
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\24\ Ibid
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