Members’ district offices now have minimum standards of technology to support staff’s service to constituents.
Why This Matters
District offices are essential to a Member’s ability to represent and serve their district, acting as the local hub for all the Member’s activities, engagement with constituents, and assistance with helping individuals address problems with a federal agency (commonly referred to as casework). However, until the start of the 118th Congress, ensuring that at least one district office was wi-fi enabled was not a priority. This left Members having to decide whether to spend a portion of their office budget on installing wi-fi, when it could go to other resources. By ensuring that every district has at least one wi-fi enabled office, Members and staff are better equipped to serve constituents and all who visit their Representative’s district office.
How It Happened
After research and discussion undertaken by Members on the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, resulting in recommendation #145, CAO partnered with all freshman Members of the 118th Congress to ensure that their flagship district offices are Wi-Fi enabled, and that all additional district offices are supported to explore the infrastructure investment needed to fully enable secure wi-fi capabilities.
The Impact
Wi-fi capabilities support a Congressional office’s ability to reliably communicate with constituents and to use a broader range of technologies with more flexibility, further empowering House offices across all states to become more modern in their daily operations.
Next Steps
The House’s institutional prioritization of ensuring that every Member’s flagship district office is wi-fi enabled was a necessary step in ensuring that Members and their staff are able to best serve constituents. However, many Members have numerous district offices. The House should continue to explore opportunities to support Members in achieving full district office wi-fi accessibility.
Glossary
ADA = Americans with Disabilities Act
AOC = Architect of the Capitol
CHA = Committee on House Administration
CAO = House Chief Administrative Officer
CDTF = Congressional Data Task Force
COLA = Cost-of-Living Adjustment
CPF = Community Project Funding
CR = Continuing Resolution
GAO = Government Accountability Office
GAO STAA = The Government Accountability Office’s Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics team
GenAI = Generative Artificial Intelligence
HIRO = House Intern Resource Office
HDS = House Digital Service
LIS = Legislative Information Service
LLM = Large Language Model
MIA = Modernization Initiatives Account
ModCom = The House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress
ModSub = Subcommittee on Modernization (ModSub) within the Committee on House Administration
MOU = Memorandum of Understanding
NMO = New Member Orientation
OCWR = Office of Congressional Workplace Rights
