House Administration And Modernization Committees Publicize Reports To Improve Congress

Statement

Committee on House Administration Chairperson Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Ranking Member Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) and Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress Chair Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.) and Vice Chair Tom Graves (R-Ga.) announced that the congressional reports from the Select Committee's ongoing work will be made public. The reports - mandated in legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in March - detail how the Select Committee's recommendations could be implemented in the legislative branch. The recommendations included in the legislation increase transparency, boost technology capabilities, reform human resources, improve accessibility and include efforts to build bipartisanship throughout the House.

"Congress should continually change in order to better serve the American people. Successful reform efforts in Congress are rare, but the bipartisan work of the Select Committee is already having a tangible effect on how this institution operates," said Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, Chairperson of the Committee on House Administration and Member of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. "As we make these reports public, I'm glad to be laying the groundwork towards implementing the Select Committee's recommendations into internal reforms that make the House of Representatives more transparent, cultivate diversity and improve retention among staff, promote civility and collaboration, and create a more effective legislative branch."

"Understanding how this institution works, and sometimes doesn't work, is half the battle in getting the results Americans deserve," said Congressman Rodney Davis, Ranking Member of Committee on House Administration and Member of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. "Over the last year and a half, the select committee has worked with experts across the board to study this institution and identify ways to make Congress more efficient and effective. Many of these changes can be implemented now and others will take more time. Making these reports publicly accessible allows the hard work of this committee to continue beyond this Congress and keeps our commitment to transparency."

"This committee's mission is to make Congress work better for the American people, which includes boosting transparency and finding ways to "open up' the People's House with just a click of a mouse," said Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress Chair Derek Kilmer and Vice Chair Tom Graves. "These public reports are another step towards increased accountability and a true team effort in the House to modernize and rethink some of our current procedures. We are grateful to our colleagues at House Administration for their continued partnership in this effort and will continue working to make the House more reflective of -- and responsive to -- all Americans."

On March 10, 2020, the House approved H.Res. 756, the Moving Our Democracy and Congressional Operations Towards Modernization Resolution, the first piece of legislation introduced by the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. The legislation included 29 recommendations from the Select Committee's findings on ways to bring Congress into the 21st Century, and called for over 20 reports that would pave the way for the institution's advancement. Additionally, the resolution required these reports to be submitted to the Committee on House Administration. The legislation marked the first time in recent history that a Select Committee has turned recommendations into legislative action.

The following reports have been submitted to date:

A Resolution to Adopt Hiring Regulations for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion

Feasibility of Establishing a Congressional Staff Academy Needs Assessment

Adopting Standardized Format for Legislative Documents

Clerk Comparative Print Report

Assignment of Unique Identifiers for Reports Filed by Legislative Lobbyists

Database of Information on the Expiration Dates of All Federal Programs

Database of Votes Taken in Committees