CHA Subcommittee on Modernization Markup a Step Towards Increasing Congressional Capacity
On Thursday, April 11, the Committee on House Administration’s (CHA) Subcommittee on Modernization marked up two pieces of legislation focused on eliminating waste and strengthening Congress as an institution.
Congressional modernization is not a destination to be reached, but rather an ongoing opportunity for Members, staff, and constituents to challenge the status quo and initiate changes that make our institutions more effective, efficient, and accountable. Today’s actions by the CHA Modernization Subcommittee, led by Chairwoman Stephanie Bice [R, OK] and Ranking Member Derek Kilmer [D, WA], are material steps forward in boosting Congressional capacity.
The successful review and approval of H.R. 7593, “Modernizing the Congressional Research Service’s Access to Data Act,” strengthens the ability of Congress’ top research entity to access information from the Executive branch, in turn leading Members to have better information on hand to make more informed policy decisions.
In challenging the status quo, the Subcommittee has also put in action steps to eliminate the required annual printing of the “Constitution Annotated,” which is a valuable educational resource for Members, staff, and the public – but one that has been successfully adapted to an interactive, online platform since 2019. By no longer requiring hard copies of this resource through the proposals within H.R. 7592, the Subcommittee has put in motion a reform that will save taxpayers nearly $1 million every ten years.
This first CHA subcommittee markup to take place in nearly three decades is just the most recent demonstration of the CHA’s Modernization Subcommittee’s vital work in making Congress work better for the American people through strengthening the institution and fighting wasteful spending.
