A more transparent and accountable Senate starts with keeping up with the pace of innovation
Over the past few months, without fanfare, Congress made several changes which represent significant progress toward a more open, efficient, and transparent institution.
In November, the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration released a new set of rules governing the usage of internet services and technology resources by senators.
Now, the Government Publishing Office (GPO), the Library of Congress (LOC), the Clerk of the House, and the Secretary of the Senate have begun posting bill status data publicly and in machine-readable format.
These announcements represent significant steps forward for transparency and accountability in the way senators communicate with constituents and the public.
Last year, Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill and I called for changes to the Senate technology infrastructure — starting with removing unnecessary barriers to the way we use technology — to serve constituents with more transparency and accountability, aiming to save taxpayer resources along the way.
I’m proud that some of the changes we sought are being implemented:
1. Making constituent feedback mechanisms work better
In order better to inform efforts to reach constituents, get feedback from them, and help provide them services, Senate offices are now able to collect and analyze performance data on social media posts.
2. Keeping up with the pace of innovation
Across sectors in America, new web development tools are expanding the way we access information and interact with one another. Yet, Senate offices wishing to pursue the use of new tools and develop third-party web sites or applications operated in a murky gray area. It was clear that technology was outpacing the rules. The new Senate rules allow for the evaluation of new tools as they are launched. Now, we can keep up with the pace of innovation while also ensuring we remain on firm footing in accordance with Senate rules.
3. Introducing transparency by publishing bill status in bulk format
Outside observers of Congress — journalists, entrepreneurs, and interested citizens — are often excluded from the most important knowledge: what legislation is moving in Congress, where bills stand in the legislative process, and likelihood of passage. An insider information culture and a behemoth lobbying industry are partly the result of this information disconnect. But now, essential bill status information will be posted in bulk, machine-readable format on both the House and Senate public webpages. I hope to see this first step followed up with further victories for transparency in Congress, and to witness a more collaborative and open culture surrounding the public’s interaction with their legislators.
With these changes and others, the Senate has taken a significant step forward in keeping up with the pace of 21st-century innovation.
Rules Committee Chair Roy Blunt, Ranking Member Charles Schumer, and their staffs deserve recognition for the countless hours they’ve spent on important updates to Senate rules. And members of the Legislative Branch Bulk Data Taskforce — and government transparency advocates at the Congressional Data Coalition — deserve accolades for the steady, patient work they’ve done to make it possible for Congress to publish detailed and timely bill status updates in bulk.
We still face barriers to providing truly open, transparent government and innovative constituent services in the Senate. Services like expanded newsletter options, digital franking, opening up the contracting process, and a truly up-to-date technology infrastructure that keeps constituent data secure are still far from reality.
But I am encouraged by the steps we are taking toward modernizing the Senate, and I look forward to working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to continue this important work.
