{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://susanwbrooks.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/brooks-announces-select-committee-on-the-modernization-of-congress", "Brooks Announces Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress Adopts Recommendations to Make Congress Work Better for the People", "2020-09-25", "2020", "2020-09", "Republican", "Senate", "IN", "Susan Brooks", "B001284", "susanwbrooks.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON -- Congresswoman Susan W. Brooks (R-IN05) provided the following statement yesterday after the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress passed its final recommendations to make Congress more effective, efficient, and transparent for all Americans:\n\"As a member of the Select Committee, which consists of six Republicans and six Democrats, I am extremely proud this bipartisan group of members unanimously passed a total of 97 recommendations to improve the way the House of Representatives works for the American people. One of the reasons I ran for Congress in 2012 was to work towards restoring confidence in Congress. Since my first election, I have strived to be a leader who promotes civility and cooperation across party-lines. Over the past 18 months we developed strong bipartisan recommendations that will strengthen the working relationships and civility within Congress. Other important recommendations include reclaiming constitutional authorities to make Congress work better. Article I of the Constitution gives Congress the authority to tax and spend  or the power of the purse'  arguably one of the body's most essential constitutional responsibilities. By setting up a program, such as the Community-Focused Grant Program, we would enhance Congress' ability to exercise this authority to appropriate federal funds. This competitively awarded grant program would fund projects that have the broad support of local communities throughout the United States.\n\n. \nClick here to watch Rep. Brooks and other committee members speak about the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress' work to provide these recommendations. \n\nClick here to watch Rep. Brooks give remarks on the final passage of recommendations in today's hearing. \n\nBackground:\nSummary of the recommendations passed by the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress:\nMaking Congress More Effective, Efficient and Transparent\n Streamline the bill-writing process to save time and reduce mistakes.\n\tFinalize a new system that allows the American people to easily track how amendments change legislation and the impact of proposed legislation to current law.\n\tMake it easier to know who is lobbying Congress and what they're lobbying for.\n\tOne-click access to a list of agencies and programs that have expired and need Congressional attention.\n\tOne-click access to see how Members of Congress vote in committees.\n Streamline and Reorganize House Human Resources\n Creating a one-stop shop Human Resources HUB for Member, committee, and leadership staff.\n\tMaking permanent the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.\n\tExamining and updating the staff payroll system from monthly to semimonthly.\n\tRaising the cap on the number of staff in Member offices.\n\tRegularly surveying staff on improving pay and benefits.\n Overhaul the Onboarding Process and Provide Continuing Education for Members\n Allowing newly-elected Members to hire and pay one transition staff member.\n\tOffering new-Member orientation in a nonpartisan way.\n\tMaking new-Member orientation more comprehensive.\n\tPromoting civility during new-Member orientation.\n\tCreating a Congressional Leadership Academy to offer training for Members.\n\tMaking cybersecurity training mandatory for Members.\n Modernize and Revitalize House Technology\n Reestablishing and restructuring an improved Office of Technology Assessment.\n\tImproving IT services in the House by reforming House Information Resources (HIR).\n\tRequiring House Information Resources (HIR) to prioritize certain technological improvements.\n\tRequiring House Information Resources (HIR) to reform the approval process for outside technology vendors.\n\tRequiring House Information Resources (HIR) to allow Member offices to test new technologies.\n\tCreating one point of contact for technology services for each Member office.\n\tCreating a customer service portal to improve technology services in the House.\n\tLeveraging bulk purchasing of the House by removing technology costs out of Member offices' budgets and moving into a centralized account.\n\tPrioritizing a rapid response program at the Congressional Research Service for nonpartisan fact sheets on key issues.\n\tDeveloping a constituent engagement and services best practices HUB for Members.\n Make the House Accessible to all Americans\n Improving access to congressional websites for individuals with disabilities.\n\tRequiring all broadcasts of House proceedings to provide closed caption service.\n\tRequiring a review of the Capitol complex to determine accessibility challenges for individuals with disabilities.\n Encouraging Civility and Bipartisanship in Congress\n Create a bipartisan Members-only space in the Capitol to encourage more collaboration across party lines.\n\tInstitute biennial bipartisan retreats for Members and their families at the start of each Congress.\n\tUpdate committee policies to increase bipartisan learning opportunities for staff.\n\tEstablish bipartisan committee staff briefings and agenda-setting retreats to encourage better policy making and collaboration among Members.\n Streamlining Processes and Saving Taxpayer Dollars\n Update House procedures to allow members to electronically add orremove their name as a bill cosponsor.\n\tRequire Members to undergo emergency preparedness training toensureour government is fully prepared in the event of a crisis.\n\tIdentify ways the House and Senate can streamline purchases and savetaxpayer dollars.\n\tEncourage House-wide bulk purchasing of goods and services to cutback on waste and inefficiency.\n\tUpdate travel expenditure policies to improve efficiencies, and boostaccountability and transparency.\n Increasing the Quality of Constituent Communication\n Consolidate the regulations governing Member office communications, including digital communications, into one easy to find place.\n\tRename the House Commission on Mailing Standards, also known as theFranking Commission, the House Communications StandardsCommissionto reflect 21st Century communications.\n\tIncrease opportunities for constituents to communicate with theirRepresentatives.\n\tIncrease accountability and tracking for all Member-sponsoredcommunications mail.\n\tAllow for faster correspondence between Representatives and theirconstituents.\n\tUpdate House social media rules to allow for better communicationonlinebetween Members of Congress and their followers.\n\tAllow the public to better access and view the types of communication sentby Members of Congress to their constituents.\n Continuity of Operations\n Each office should have a continuity of operations plan, including minimum safety requirements and an emergency communications plan, that is made available to all staff so offices continue functioning for the public.\n\tEnsure that staff have the most up-to-date technology and equipment to continue effectively working on behalf of constituents in the event of a disruption or emergency.\n\tEstablish regular maintenance plans for office technology, so the equipment and technology needed during remote operations and telework is functional.\n\tCrisis communications guidelines for constituent communication, including outreach plans for extended telework periods, should be approved and shared with all Member offices.\n\tTo help streamline casework requests and help constituents better access federal agencies and resources, the House should implement a secure document management system, and provide digital forms and templates for public access.\n\tThe House should prioritize the approval of platforms that staff need for effective telework, and each individual staff member should have licensed access to the approved technology.\n\tCommittees should establish telework policies on a bipartisan basis.\n\tThe House should make permanent the option to electronically submit committee reports.\n\tExpand the use of digital signatures for a majority of House business, including constituent communications.\n\tCommittees should develop bipartisan plans on how technology and innovative platforms can be best incorporated into daily work.\n\tA bipartisan, bicameral task force should identify lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and recommend continuity of Congress improvements.\n\tContinuity, telework and cybersecurity training should be given to all new Members of Congress.\n Improve the Congressional Schedule and Calendar\n Establish specific committee-only meeting times when Congress is in session.\n\tCreate a common committee calendar portal to help with scheduling and reduce conflicts.\n\tEstablish specific days  or weeks  where committee work takes priority.\n\tEnsure there are more work days spent working than traveling.\n\tThe congressional calendar should accommodate a bipartisan member retreat.\n Boost Congressional Capacity\n Offer staff certifications, in additions to trainings, through the nonpartisan Congressional Staff Academy.\n\tProvide institution-wide, standard onboarding training for new employees, including required training.\n\tRemove constituent communications costs from Member office budgets and create a share account for communications.\n\tRevaluate the funding formula and increase the funds allocated to each Member office.\n\tEstablish a nonbinding, voluntary pa band system for House staff that includes a salary floor and average salary for each position in Member offices. Regular services should be done to ensure the most up-to-date salary information.\n\tExpand access to health insurance for congressional staff.\n\tProvide more financial stability for congressional staff enrolled in the federal student loan program.\n\tStaff pay should be delinked from Member pay and a new cap specific to staff should be established.\n\tAllow Congressional Member Organizations to access benefits, and hire one intern to help support their work.\n\tPublish a list of active Congressional Member Organizations annually to ensure transparency in the policy making and caucus creation process.\n Reclaim Article One Responsibilities\n Incentivize committees to experiment with alternative hearing formats to encourage more bipartisan participation.\n\tCommittees should hire bipartisan staff approved by both the Chair and Ranking Member to promote strong institutional knowledge, evidence-based policy making, and a less partisan oversight agenda.\n\tCommittees should hold bipartisan pre-hearing committee meetings.\n\tEncourage subcommittees to pilot rules changes that could have a positive effect committee-wide.\n\tBipartisan Member retreats should encourage committee agenda-setting and civil decorum.\n\tEstablish committee-based domestic policy CODELs.\n\tTo encourage thoughtful debate and deliberation, establish a pilot for weekly Oxford-style debates on the House floor.\n\tProvide Members and staff with training for debate and deliberation skills.\n\tIdentify how increased regulatory and legal resources could help strengthen the role of the legislative branch.\n\tFacilitate a true system of checks and balances by ensuring the legislative branch is sufficiently represented in the courts.\n\tEstablish a district exchange program to allow Members to use the Members' Representational Allowance for traveling to other Members' districts.\n\tIncrease capacity for policy staff, especially for Committees, policy support organizations and a restored Office of Technology Assessment.\n\tReduce dysfunction in the annual budgeting process through the establishment of a congressionally-directed program that calls for transparency and accountability, and that supports meaningful and transformative investments in local communities across the United States. The program will harness the authority of Congress under Article One of the Constitution to appropriate federal dollars.\n Reform the Budget and Appropriations Process\n Require an annual Fiscal State of the Nation.\n\tRequire a biennial budget resolution.\n\tImplement a deadline for Congress to complete action on a biennial budget.\n\tEnhance the budget submission process from the executive branch.\n\tEvaluate the effects of the biennial budget process to expediting congressional work.\n\tStrengthen budget enforcement through the reconciliation process.\n\tAllow more information to be included in the budget resolution.\n Identify Administrative Inefficiencies\n Identify areas in the U.S. Capitol Complex that could benefit from architectural modernization.\n\tDevelop a practice of negotiating House district office leases to lower costs, improve consistency of rental rates and save taxpayer dollars.\n Improve Technology and Continuity in Congress\n Establish a Congressional Digital Services Task Force to examine the need for and role of a specialized group of technologists, designers, and others to support the House's internal and public facing operations.\n\tMake permanent the Bulk Data Task Force and rename it the Congressional Data Task Force.\n\tIdentify changes made to House operations due to the COVID 19 pandemic and determine what  if any  additional changes should be made.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://susanwbrooks.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/brooks-announces-select-committee-on-the-modernization-of-congress"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9279921650886536, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}