Every so often, Congress establishes bipartisan select committees to look inward, reflect, and propose reforms that allow its Members and operations to work better for the American people.

At the beginning of the 116th Congress, one of the first votes Congress took was to establish the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. As the leaders of this truly bipartisan committee—six Republicans and six Democrats—we take this task seriously. We are committed to finding a path forward on some of the tough issues facing the legislative branch, and delivering durable solutions for the future.

The Committee was tasked with researching and offering solutions to strengthen the legislative branch. This includes a wide range of issues, from improving technology and increasing transparency, to reclaiming Congress’ Article One powers, and exploring a more productive congressional calendar. The scope is massive. The mission is vital to the future of our government and our nation.

We knew that if we were going to enact real change, a new approach would be needed. We started by emphasizing bipartisanship at every level of our committee—we worked together not as Republicans or Democrats, but as colleagues. We shared our resources and staff, and continually sought out compromises that an overwhelming majority of our committee members could support. We engaged in tough discussions and didn’t allow our differences to block a path forward.

The Committee was originally designed to last only a year, but with the support of our colleagues and leadership on both sides of the aisle, we received an extension through the 116th Congress to finish our work. We worked together, side by side, even amidst political divisions (including an impeachment process).  Civility and bipartisanship were more important than ever, and we worked hard to chart a path forward.

A few months into 2020, as the entire world faced a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, we knew we had to adapt. Our Members identified ways to communicate our work and deliver solutions for those we serve. And as the country grappled with a racial injustice crisis, the Committee considered how to improve diversity in Congress. We hosted virtual discussions to understand some of the challenges facing our staff and our communities and issued recommendations specific to the challenges we faced.

The result over the last 20 months was a series of reforms targeted at improving transparency in Congress, streamlining constituent engagement, cultivating staff diversity and retention, and revitalizing our Article One responsibilities bestowed in the Constitution. We also passed reforms to boost civility and bipartisanship throughout Congress, to make the Capitol more accessible to Americans with disabilities, and to improve technology capabilities in the House. Several of these reforms have already been implemented throughout the House, making us the first select committee in recent history to see our recommendations turned into action. This report provides an overview of our proposals, as well as areas that warrant additional attention by future select committees. We also provide background on the issues we found plaguing Congress and how our recommendations ultimately address them.

Our guiding principle was to make Congress work better for the American people. Problem solving isn’t partisan. Over the past two years, we worked across the aisle, with Members from all parts of the country, and with a variety of backgrounds and beliefs. At times, it felt like we were going against the grain by issuing recommendations on some tough topics. But that’s why this Committee’s work mattered so much—even in times of division, we were committed to finding a path forward. The result is a roadmap that current and future Congresses can use to fix both major and minor issues—hopefully with continued enthusiasm for generations to come.

Although the Modernization Committee did not have any legislative authority, per its creation in H.Res.6, Members worked with other committees to introduce and pass legislation throughout its tenure. This successful approach made the Modernization Committee the first select committee in recent history to effectively turn suggested reforms into legislative action.[1] This chapter outlines recommendations that were successfully implemented in the House during the Committee’s tenure. The Committee’s remaining recommendations have not yet been considered on the floor, largely due to the House’s ongoing remote work schedule.

H.Res.756, The “MODCOM Resolution”

On March 10, 2020, the House overwhelmingly passed, with bipartisan support, H.Res.756, “Moving Our Democracy and Congressional Operations Towards Modernization Resolution” (MODCOM Resolution). This resolution included 24 of the Committee’s passed recommendations. All 12 Committee Members co-sponsored this legislative text, led by Chair Derek Kilmer and Vice Chair Tom Graves. The legislation was passed under the jurisdiction of the Committee on House Administration. Administration Committee Chair Zoe Lofgren and Ranking Member Rodney Davis were also Members of the Modernization Committee—and played a pivotal role in seeing these bills pass the House. 

The resolution included recommendations to streamline and reorganize House Human Resources (Title I), improve orientation and education opportunities for Members (Title II), modernize House technology (Title III), improve accessibility (Title IV), and improve accessibility and transparency by making congressional documents more accessible (Title V). As Chair Derek Kilmer said on the House floor, prior to the vote: 

Membership

Title II of H.Res. 6 directed the Speaker to appoint 12 Members, Delegates, or the Resident Commissioner to serve on the Select Committee, including two Members serving in their first term, two Members of the Committee on Rules, and two Members from the Committee on House Administration. Six of the 12 Members were required to be appointed on the recommendation of the Minority Leader, including one Member from each of the three described categories. The Speaker was directed to designate a Chair, and, on the recommendation of the Minority Leader, a Vice Chair. Full bios of the Members can be found in Section I, Chapter 2.

The following Members were named to the Modernization Committee:

Hearings and Recommendations

In total, the Modernization Committee held 17 hearings between March 19, 2019 and February 5, 2020. The Committee also held six business meetings to pass the recommendations outlined in this report. Following the transition to remote work in the wake of the Coronavirus Pandemic in March 2020, the Committee held an additional six virtual meetings. In these hearings and meetings, Committee Members heard from dozens of witnesses that spanned from current and former members, academic experts, advocacy organizations, and state and local policymakers. A full list of the hearings, Members present, and witnesses can be found in the Appendix.[22] In addition to congressional hearings, Members participated in round-table discussions and member-only meetings to discuss potential reforms.

At the direction of Select Committee Chair Derek Kilmer and Vice Chair Tom Graves, the committee operated on a fully bipartisan basis. Bipartisan practices included: 1) scattered seating rather than partisan seating at committee hearings; 2) regular bipartisan Member meetings and issue briefings; 3) bipartisan staff operations, including all staff briefings and meetings; 4) regular bipartisan “listening sessions” at the Member and staff levels; and 5) regular joint media appearances and interviews by the Chair and Vice Chair. Chair Kilmer and Vice Chair Graves met regularly with bipartisan groups of colleagues to hear their suggestions for modernizing Congress, and the Committee’s staff director and deputy staff director regularly met with bipartisan groups of congressional staff to hear their suggestions for modernizing Congress.

Hearings

On March 19, 2019, the Select Committee held a Member Day Hearing, as required by Title II of H. Res. 6. Thirty-two House Members testified before the Committee and a total of 35 House Members submitted written testimony. Member testimony covered a wide range of reform topics, including but not limited to: increasing pay for congressional staff and interns; updating House technologies; increasing legislative branch capacity; improving the House schedule and calendar; and, improving civility and bipartisan collaboration in Congress.

The Select Committee held a hearing entitled “Congressional Reforms of the Past and Their Effect on Today’s Congress” on March 27, 2019. This hearing explored the work and recommendations of previous select committees. The hearing also considered how the Committee jurisdiction intersects with previous efforts and how the current political and institutional environments will impact the Committee’s agenda and work.

The Select Committee held a hearing entitled “Former Members Hearing: Speaking from Experience” on May 1, 2019. This hearing featured a bipartisan panel of six former Members of Congress who shared their experiences while serving in Congress and highlighted a number of possible areas for reform. The witnesses focused on a broad range of issues including staff recruitment, transparency, technology, building civility and trust, and improving the quality of life for those working in the legislative branch.

The Select Committee held a hearing titled “Opening up the Process: Recommendations for Making Legislative Information More Transparent” on May 10, 2019. This hearing explored the benefits of making more legislative information available online, the challenges of making information available at scale, and the unintended consequences of too much transparency in the legislative process. The hearing also considered recommendations for making the legislative process more transparent.

The Select Committee held a hearing entitled “Improving Constituent Engagement” on June 5th, 2019. This hearing focused on the current state of constituent communications, new technologies for improving deliberative dialogue between Member offices and constituents, the future of constituent engagement, and recommendations for improving the way Members and staff interact with constituents.

The Select Committee held a hearing titled “Cultivating Diversity and Improving Retention Among Congressional Staff” on June 20, 2019. This hearing focused on fostering diversity in the staff recruitment process, as well as how an inclusive work environment improves staff retention. The hearing also considered benefits available to staff, as well as current trends in public and private employee benefits.

The Select Committee held a hearing titled “Fostering the Next Generation of Leaders: Setting Members up for Success” on July 11, 2019. This hearing focused on the transition to serving in Congress, current resources available for incoming Members, what Congress can do to improve the onboarding experience for new Members, and how Congress can help new Members succeed. The hearing also focused on leadership training best practices at the state level. The hearing was chaired by the Freshmen Members of the Committee—Reps. Mary Gay Scanlon and William Timmons.

The Select Committee held a hearing titled “Modernizing Legislative Information Technologies: Lessons from the States” on July 24, 2019. This hearing focused on innovative uses of legislative information technologies in the states. The Committee heard from top technology officers from the legislatures of Washington, California, and Virginia about how they are using new technologies to improve Member and staff access to legislative information, constituent engagement, and legislative processes. The hearing was designed to stimulate discussion about legislative information technology and constituent engagement innovations that might be relevant to Congress.

The Select Committee held a hearing titled “Recommendations for Improving the Budget and Appropriations Process: A Look at the Work of the Joint Select Committee” on September 19, 2019. This hearing focused on the work of the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform (JSC), with emphasis on recommendations made by the JSC that attracted broad bipartisan and bicameral support. The Select Committee focused on perceived problems with the budget and appropriations process and explored recommendations for improving the process in ways that ultimately help Congress better serve the American people.

The Select Committee held a hearing titled “Promoting Civility and Building a More Collaborative Congress” on September 26, 2019. This hearing explored recommendations for promoting civility and encouraging more collaboration across the aisle. The goal of this hearing was to generate a set of realistic, institutional-based recommendations for promoting civility and collaboration.

The Select Committee held a hearing titled “The House Calendar and Schedule: Evaluating Practices and Challenges” on October 16, 2019. This hearing explored the challenges of establishing and managing a House calendar and schedule, including historical and contextual information about prior attempts by Congress to address the calendar and schedule, what happened with prior attempts, and the challenges of imposing one calendar on Members who have multiple, competing demands and different ideas about what the calendar should look like. The hearing also included a look at how Virginia manages its legislative calendar and schedule, including efficiencies undertaken to help members better manage time. The goal of this hearing was to generate a discussion about how the House calendar and schedule might be improved and what measures might be taken to make Member schedules more predictable and efficient.

The Select Committee held a hearing titled “Congress and the Frank: Bringing Congressional Mailing Standards into the 21st Century” on October 31, 2019. The purpose of this hearing was to understand the history of the frank, how it’s been regulated and reformed over the past few decades, and current trends in Member use of the frank. The hearing also considered the rise of social media as a means for constituent and political outreach, trends in how Member offices use social media, and whether Member digital outreach should be regulated in any way. Outside vendor experience in dealing with the frank, along with recommendations for streamlining the way Members communicate with constituents was also discussed.

The Select Committee held a hearing titled “Administrative Efficiencies: Exploring Options to Streamline Operations in the U.S. House of Representatives” on November 15, 2019. This hearing considered a range of options for encouraging administrative efficiencies in Member offices and more generally in the House. Witnesses provided perspective on the House’s historic preference for autonomy in administrative related decision-making, administrative centralization efforts in the Senate (including, for example, IT services, printing, subscriptions, and district leases), and federal agency best practices.

The Select Committee held a hearing titled “Rules and Procedures in the U.S. House of Representatives: A Look at Reform Efforts and State Best Practices” on December 5, 2019. The hearing considered the recent history of proposed changes to House rules and procedures, including efforts to update the rules governing the House floor and committee operations. Witnesses addressed how and why rules reform efforts evolved in the past, whether those reforms were successful, and why changing the House’s rules and procedures often presents challenges. The hearing also considered innovative rules and procedures that state legislatures have implemented, particularly those that promote bipartisan collaboration.

The Select Committee held a hearing titled “Article One: Restoring Capacity and Equipping Congress to Better Serve the American People” on January 14, 2020. This hearing explored Congress’ diminished capacity to function as a co-equal branch of government. The goal of this hearing was to understand why the executive branch has expanded while the legislative branch has not, and to consider recommendations for building capacity and ensuring that Congress can perform its Article One obligations.

The Select Committee held a hearing titled “Article One: Fostering a More Deliberative Process in Congress” on February 5, 2020. This hearing explored the impact of increased political polarization and partisanship on Congress’ ability to execute the Article One principle of debate and deliberation. Witnesses addressed recent historical changes in the procedures and politics of the House that have contributed to this trend and suggested recommendations for fostering a more deliberative process on the House floor and in committee.

The Select Committee held a virtual discussiontitled “Continuity of Committee Work Virtual Discussion” on May 7, 2020. The meeting explored how to continue working effectively on behalf of the American people during the ongoing global pandemic. The Select Committee met virtually with Marci Harris, CEO of PopVox, and Beth Simone Noveck, Director of The Governance Lab and Chief Innovation Officer for the State of New Jersey. The Members and guests discussed best practices for remote committee and Member operations, and ways other legislatures around the world are handling business.

The Select Committee held a virtual discussion titled, “Congress’ Tech Capacity” on May 15, 2020. The goal of the meeting was to evaluate current technical needs for Congress, given the abrupt transition to remote work. Members heard from Travis Moore, Founder and Director of Tech Congress, and Lorelei Kelly Leader of the Resilient Democracy Coalition & based at the Beeck Center for Social Impact and innovation Georgetown University.

The Select Committee held a virtual discussion titled, “Conversation on Remote Work and Best Practices from Federal Agencies” on May 20, 2020. The two guests discussed best practices and identified the challenges facing district staff while working remotely, and the steps federal agencies put in place to protect employees once they return to work in an office environment. Peter M. Weichlein, Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress (FMC), and Kristine Simmons, Vice President for Government Affairs at the Partnership for Public Service, joined the Select Committee virtually to share their expertise.

The Select Committee held a virtual discussion titled, “Conversations on Congressional Staffing” on June 4, 2020. Casey Burgat, director of the Legislative Affairs program at the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University, and Kathryn Pearson, Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota, joined the Members to share their expertise and research surrounding congressional staff and staffing trends on Capitol Hill.

The Select Committee held a virtual discussion with the American Political Science Association task force on June 18, 2020. The Members and guests discussed ongoing recommendations for congressional reform, with a specific focus on congressional capacity, the need for a diverse congressional staff, and the congressional schedule and calendar. The witnesses reflected on the 2019 APSA Task Force on Congressional Reform, comprised of more than 30 congressional experts from the academic, think tank and advocacy community that examined the same set of issues given to the Select Committee, and produced a report on their findings along with own recommendations for reform in the House.

The Select Committee held a virtual discussion on boosting internal expertise in Congress on June 25, 2020. The meeting examined the importance of congressional staff expertise, and the role that Congressional Member Organizations (CMOs) play in providing Members with additional information and resources to assist them in their policy making and representational roles. The Select Committee was joined by Lee Drutman, senior fellow in the Political Reform program at New America Foundation; Paul Brathwaite, former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) under three CBC chairs, and; Maria Meier, former senior leadership staffer and director of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Senate Democratic Diversity Initiative.

Legislative Output

On December 10, 2019, Select Committee Chair Derek Kilmer introduced H.Res. 756, the “Moving Our Democracy and Congressional Operations Towards Modernization Resolution.” The “MODCOM” resolution implemented the first 29 recommendations adopted by the Committee and was co-sponsored by the other 11 Committee Members. Upon introduction, H.Res. 756 was referred to the Committee on House Administration, and was passed by the House of Representatives on March 10, 2019, in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote.

H.Res. 756 included recommendations to streamline and reorganize human resources, improve orientation and continued learning opportunities for Members-elect, modernizing and revitalizing technology in the House, improving accessibility both on the Capitol Grounds and online, and improving public access to documents and publications. Full text of the legislation and recommendation can be found in the Appendix, and Section I, Chapter 4 details these, and other, recommendations implemented by the full House.

In addition, the Committee passed two additional packages of recommendations in 2020. While these recommendations did not receive a vote on the floor, largely due the limited congressional schedule during the remote work period, they successfully passed the Committee in a unanimous, bipartisan vote. Full text of these recommendations is provided in the Appendix, and will be detailed throughout this report.

As detailed in this report’s previous chapters, the Committee prioritized reforms to help the legislative branch work more effectively and efficiently for all Americans. Committee Members approached their work with the understanding that recommendations to improve the People’s House should ultimately serve the people. A Congress that works better is better equipped to fulfill its obligations, as the Framers intended, to represent and legislate on behalf of the American people.

Section II describes the important work of previous select committees, some of which recommended reforms that are still utilized in the House today. This Committee broke with the tradition of holding back votes on recommendations until just before the committee is set to expire. Too often, this approach positions committees to succeed—or fail—in one fell swoop. Any public engagement or perception of the committee’s work is limited to just one day and one vote.

Committee Members decided to take a different and more active approach to passing recommendations. As detailed throughout this report, the Committee consistently sought input from internal and external stakeholders, allowing them to actively participate in the process. Committee Members were determined to see the Committee succeed and agreed that listening to the people who work in the People’s House was key to understanding what needed to be fixed. That meant public hearings and public votes on recommendations on a rolling basis. When the Committee had consensus, it took action. 

The result was 97 recommendations, all designed to make Congress work better for all Americans.

These recommendations boost Congress’ technology capacity and communications capabilities so Members can better connect with their constituents. They “open up” Congress so that the American people can see how their Members are voting in committee, and how proposed policies change current law. They create more opportunities to encourage greater bipartisan collaboration, ultimately improving the way Representatives connect, communicate, and legislate for their constituents. And they improve the congressional schedule and calendar, allowing Members less time traveling and more time to meaningfully legislate and solve problems for the people they were elected to serve.

Recommendations to support and improve benefits for congressional staff will help recruit and retain talented individuals who are committed to public service. The recommendations also reflect Committee Members’ desire to see Congress recruit staff who are truly reflective of our nation—diverse in background and in experience.

The Committee also passed recommendations to help Congress reclaim its role as a truly co-equal branch of government and fulfill its constitutional obligations as outlined in Article One. In the midst of a global pandemic, the Committee highlighted gaps in congressional operations and made recommendations that will help future leaders continue serving their constituents without delay.

Despite the Committee’s success in passing 97 recommendations, there are still areas of reform that need to be addressed. Because the Committee’s lifespan was limited, Members chose to focus on areas where there was consensus. There were also many important issues that fell outside of the Committee’s jurisdiction. Committee Members heard many worthy ideas and encourage future select committees, as well as internal and external reformers, to pursue these issues.

Incomplete Reforms and Further Considerations for Future Committees

The recommendations passed by the Committee were designed to bring real, tangible reform to the legislative branch. And because of its commitment to passing recommendations on a rolling basis, the Committee was able to see many of its recommendations implemented in real time. Committee Members, however, acknowledge that many of the issues facing Congress—including technological challenges, the need for more bipartisan collaboration and improved civil discourse, and stronger staff capacity—are not new and will require continued investment and attention in the coming years.

The Committee’s final recommendation is to make modernization a permanent effort. For an institution to remain current, it needs to constantly assess and update. The ability to rapidly adjust operations to reflect modern standards is good practice. An ongoing commitment to modernization and transparent reform on behalf of the American people will ensure the Committee’s mission lives on for future Congress.