POPVOX Foundation Applauds Passage of Legislation to Improve Government Modernization and Accountability

Today, the House passed two bills that would further modernize government and save taxpayer dollars. H.R. 7592 will eliminate the required printing of the Constitution Annotated and replace it with a digitized version, which is a valuable educational resource that explains the US Constitution section by section. By no longer requiring hard copies of this resource through the proposals within H.R. 7592, it would save taxpayers nearly $1 million every ten years. Meanwhile, H.R. 7593 (the “Modernizing the Congressional Research Service’s Access to Data Act”) would improve CRS’ access to Executive branch information, enabling the support office to provide more timely and accurate research and analysis to Congress.

Commenting on the two bills, POPVOX Foundation Director of Government Capacity Taylor J. Swift said:

“The two pieces of legislation passed today are a testament to the bipartisan work of the Committee on House Administration’s Modernization Subcommittee to promote commonsense policies to strengthen Congress as an institution while also eliminating wasteful spending. By passing H.R. 7592, the House has put in motion a reform that will save taxpayers nearly $1 million every ten years. It’s 2024, and yet the ‘Constitution Annotated’ (or CONAN) is still printed and delivered to Members in hardbound volumes. We applaud the House for requiring its digital delivery instead, ensuring this valuable educational resource more efficiently serves Members, staff, and the public. The passage of H.R. 7593, the ‘Modernizing the Congressional Research Service’s Access to Data Act’ ensures that CRS has proper access to the most current federal regulatory information and data so Members of Congress can make more informed policy decisions and conduct better oversight of the federal government.”

The bills passed today bolster the Legislative branch by providing Congress and its support agencies with streamlined, essential data for their operations while also providing cost savings to the American people.