Coalition Urges House of Representatives to Continue Modernization Efforts

Dear Chairwoman Bice and Ranking Member Torres,

We, the undersigned organizations, are writing to express our gratitude for the work the Subcommittee on Modernization and Innovation has done throughout the 119th Congress to move the institution forward by continuing the implementation of the recommendations made by the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress and by exploring new areas for further innovation.

In particular, we are excited that the Subcommittee has created a process to solicit ideas for new recommendations from internal and external stakeholders. As external organizations that have long engaged with House modernization efforts, we know that efforts to encourage bold thinking and surface new ideas have been, and will continue to be, essential to ensuring the House can meet the evolving needs of members, staff, and the nation.

Many of our organizations participated in this process by formally submitting recommendation ideas through the official portal. Now that the submission period has closed, we would like to draw your attention to the common themes we see across the submissions.

• Opportunities for Continual Innovation: Throughout the month that the Subcommittee portal was available, one thing became clear within the community-appetite for modernization and innovation is as strong as ever. Not only has the external stakeholder community contributed dozens of recommendations, but we have also heard from numerous internal stakeholders of the many ideas they have for improving the functioning of Congress.
  
  As such, we strongly encourage the Subcommittee to support more regular opportunities, venues, and mediums to collect modernization proposals. This could take many forms including continuation of the submission portal, regular staff and member listening sessions, or more formal and regular outreach to Congressional Member Organizations (CMOs) and Congressional Staff Organizations (CSOs).
  
• Think Baskets of Work, Not Just Bespoke Projects: We encourage the Subcommittee to examine each area of potential action holistically. Submissions include many ideas for individual projects that could improve the efficiency and functionality of a certain task, staff position, or office. However, we believe modernization has reached a point of maturity in which attention to discrete problems is 1) less urgent, thanks to previous Subcommittee work, and 2) no longer a sufficient strategy for achieving systemic change.
  
  Before pursuing a list of one-off projects, the Subcommittee should assess the full list of submitted projects to identify areas where work can be grouped to support the better integration of complex systems across areas of focus. For example, many of our organizations submitted technology project proposals that would help support congressional staff in their day-to-day operations. Before prioritizing certain projects or allocating funds, the House would benefit from thinking through how these projects fit together and what infrastructure they require in the short term to build upon them in the long. Doing so will help enable interoperability and consistency across projects, provide a more fiscally sustainable approach, and ensure that all recommendations are building toward a shared vision for the future of Congress.

We thank you for your work and for the opportunity to engage on these issues.

Sincerely,

American Governance Institute
Bipartisan Policy Center Action
Brennan Center for Justice
Fix Our House
Inclusive Abundance Action
POPVOX Foundation
Public Good Group
Recoding America
R Street Institute

For further inquiries or requests please contact J.D. Rackey (jrackey@bipartisanpolicy.org).