FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 26, 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: Jessica R. Towhey | jessica@2eCommunications.com | 202-294-0492
Congressional Institute Commends House Modernization Committee On Passing 24 Bipartisan Reform Measures
Speaker Pelosi Should Let Each Initiative Get a Vote in Full House
ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Congressional Institute commends the U.S. House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress for unanimously passing two dozen reforms that will help improve effectiveness in Congress. Institute President issued the following statement:
“These reforms are smart solutions to some of the archaic processes in Congress and will also promote civility, which is badly needed. Just as companies and institutions of learning have to change their internal workings to stay relevant, so, too, must Congress. Technological advances will help Members and their staffs better communicate with constituents.
“Unlike previous reform committee, the Select Committee’s recommendations do not carry the weight of legislation. The rules that created the committee left it up to the discretion of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi whether to turn these initiatives into actual legislation that all Members of House can vote on. The overwhelming bipartisan support in the Committee for these measures is a strong signal that the recommendations would be well received by other Members.”
The Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress was created in the rules package that opened the 116th Congress. Led by Chair Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Vice Chair Tom Graves (R-GA), the committee has 12 Members – six Democrats and six Republicans, including a representative from each party’s freshman class. The committee has worked diligently since January to find common ground, proving that bipartisanship is alive and well in Congress.
Background
The Congressional Institute is a nonprofit organization that examines the operations of Congress and provides guidance to members, congressional staff, and the American public on understanding how Congress works and how it can work better. The Institute has published several white papers looking at reform ideas and analyzing congressional dysfunction. Mark Strand has written extensively on the need for a Joint Committee that would have the authority to recommend significant reforms to fix Congress. His opinion pieces include:
Here’s How to Reform Congress to Make It Actually Work
Published In: TIME Magazine
Joint Committee Can Make Meaningful Reforms to the Broken Budget Process
Published in: The Hill
Want Congress to Reassert Its Authority? Fix the Budget Process
Published In: Real Clear Policy
How Congress Can Make the Earmark Process Work
Published In: Stanford Law Review
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Founded in 1987, the Congressional Institute is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to helping Members of Congress better serve their constituents and helping their constituents better understand the operations of the national legislature. The Institute sponsors major conferences for the benefit of Members of the U.S. Congress as well as a number of smaller gatherings, all devoted to an examination of important policy issues and strategic planning. The Institute also conducts important research projects consistent with its mission, develops resources such as a House Floor Procedures Manual and sponsors Oxford-style bipartisan Congressional debates.