Moving Our Democracy and Congressional Operations Towards Modernization Resolution of 2022

Bill: 117-hres-1331
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Kilmer, Derek [D-WA-6]
Introduced: 2022-09-06
Policy area: Congress
Latest action: action_date: 2022-09-07
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.

Summaries:
action_date: 2022-09-06
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Moving Our Democracy and Congressional Operations Towards Modernization Resolution of 2022</b></p> <p>This resolution implements recommendations made by the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress.</p> <p>The recommendations include</p> <ul> <li>enhancing bipartisan collaboration by, for example, establishing a space in the U.S. Capitol for bipartisan gathering and encouraging committees to experiment with alternative hearing formats;</li> <li>revising various administrative matters, such as authorizing the use of bulk purchases for supplies and services for Member offices, requiring offices to establish continuity of operations plans, and implementing secure information transfer practices;</li> <li>supporting efforts related to workforce and human resource management in the House; and</li> <li>improving accessibility of congressional spaces and websites for individuals with disabilities.</li> </ul> <p>The resolution also requires (1) reevaluating the method of calculating Representational Allowances (funds provided to Members for operating their offices and carrying out their official and representational duties), and (2) publishing information about the expenditures and staffing of eligible Congressional Member Organizations (groups of Members that register with the Committee on House Administration in support of a common legislative objective).</p>

tv_txt: IV 117th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1331 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 6, 2022 Mr. Kilmer (for himself and Mr. Timmons ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration , and in addition to the Committees on Rules , and Transportation and Infrastructure , for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned RESOLUTION Carrying out recommendations issued by the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, and for other purposes.

1. Short title; table of contents (a) Short title This resolution may be cited as the Moving Our Democracy and Congressional Operations Towards Modernization Resolution of 2022 . (b) Table of contents The table of contents of this resolution is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Title I—Reclaiming Article I Responsibilities and Enhancing Congressional Effectiveness Through Improved Collaboration; Promoting Collaboration and Efficiencies in Committee Operations Subtitle A—Reclaiming Article I Responsibilities and Enhancing Congressional Effectiveness Through Improved Collaboration Sec. 101. Bipartisan space in United States Capitol. Sec. 102. Congressional retreats. Sec. 103. Encouraging substantive debate and deliberation among Members. Subtitle B—Promoting Collaboration and Efficiencies in Committee Operations Sec. 111. Encouraging experimentation with alternative formats. Sec. 112. Avoiding committee scheduling conflicts. Sec. 113. Regulations. Title II—Streamlining Processes and Improving Technology and Continuity of Operations in Congress Sec. 201. Coordinated procurement and bulk purchasing for House offices. Sec. 202. Increase accountability and tracking for all Member-sponsored communications mail. Sec. 203. Continuity of operations and telework plans for House offices. Sec. 204. Secure document practices. Sec. 205. Promoting use of electronic and digital technologies. Title III—Strengthening Congressional Capacity Sec. 301. Task force on the House workforce. Sec. 302. Assistance for employees of contractors. Sec. 303. Talent acquisition software. Sec. 304. Making internships more accessible. Sec. 305. Access of fellows and detailees serving in House offices to office resources. Title IV—Expanding Accessibility to Congress and Promoting Efficient Use of Space Sec. 401. ADA drop-off and pick-up zone. Sec. 402. Information on security screening procedures. Sec. 403. Accessibility of doorways. Sec. 404. Accessibility of websites. Title V—Miscellaneous Recommendations Subtitle A—Modernization of Member Office Budgets and Operations Sec. 501. Re-evaluation of Members’ Representational Allowance. Subtitle B—Modernization of Legislative Support Agencies Sec. 511. Examining support agencies. Subtitle C—Eligible Congressional Member Organizations Sec. 521. Eligible Congressional Member Organization. Sec. 522. Eligible Congressional Member Organization defined. I Reclaiming Article I Responsibilities and Enhancing Congressional Effectiveness Through Improved Collaboration; Promoting Collaboration and Efficiencies in Committee Operations A Reclaiming Article I Responsibilities and Enhancing Congressional Effectiveness Through Improved Collaboration 101. Bipartisan space in United States Capitol (a) Establishment of bipartisan space It is the sense of the House of Representatives that the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives, in consultation with the House Office Building Commission, should establish a space in the United States Capitol which may be used for bipartisan gatherings of Members of the House to meet and collaborate on a bipartisan and private basis. (b) Identification of space It is the sense of the House that the Committee should consult with the Architect of the Capitol to identify suitable space in the United States Capitol in close proximity to the Hall of the House for purposes of this section. 102. Congressional retreats (a) Biennial retreats for Members and spouses It is the sense of the House of Representatives that, at the beginning of each Congress, the House of Representatives shall hold a bipartisan retreat for Members and their families at a location within driving distance of the District of Columbia. (b) Organization and agenda It is the sense of the House that the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives shall consult with the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives, the Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives, and any other House office or appropriate entity as may be necessary to facilitate the retreat under this section, subject to regulations issued by the Committee on House Administration. (c) Accommodation within congressional calendar In planning the retreat under this section, the Chief Administrative Officer and the Committee on House Administration shall consult with the majority leader to ensure that the retreat may be accommodated within the congressional calendar. (d) Regulations It is the sense of the House that the Committee on House Administration should issue regulations or take any other steps as may be required to carry out this section. 103. Encouraging substantive debate and deliberation among Members (a) Training in debate as part of new Member orientation The Committee on House Administration shall include as part of the orientation program for new Members of the House a program to train Members on how to participate in debates on legislative policy issues, including workshops on processing and understanding opposing points of view on such issues and training with respect to the Rules of the House of Representatives and rules regarding decorum in the House. (b) Specifications The program under subsection (a) shall be conducted by professionals in the field of debate with expertise in the Rules of the House of Representatives, decorum in the House, and the legislative process and shall be carried out on a bipartisan basis. (c) Program for staff To the extent practicable, the Congressional Staff Academy shall offer a program for staff which is similar to the program under subsection (a). B Promoting Collaboration and Efficiencies in Committee Operations 111. Encouraging experimentation with alternative formats (a) Alternative formats for hearings It is the sense of the House of Representatives that each committee of the House should experiment with alternative formats for conducting hearings which encourage an open exchange of information and civility among members of the committee. (b) Pilot programs for proceedings of subcommittees It is the sense of the House that each committee of the House should experiment with pilot programs for alternative formats for conducting hearings of any of its subcommittees, and should use the results of such programs to implement such formats on a broader basis. (c) Alternative formats described The alternative formats described in subsections (a) and (b) are— (1) alternatives to the five-minute rule for questioning witnesses while preserving the opportunity for all members to participate; and (2) seating Members and witnesses at the same table, or seating Members of opposing parties next to each other, to encourage better dialogue and civility. 112. Avoiding committee scheduling conflicts (a) Avoiding conflicts It is the sense of the House of Representatives that standing and select committees of the House should, to the greatest extent practicable, schedule meetings and activities at times that do not conflict with the times of meetings and activities of the other committees on which their Members serve. (b) Common committee scheduling tool To assist in carrying out the purpose of subsection (a), the Clerk of the House of Representatives, in consultation with committees of the House, shall investigate and recommend options for the creation and operation of an internal common web portal for posting and displaying, in advance of public notice, dates and times for planned meetings and activities of committees of the House. 113. Regulations It is the sense of the House of Representatives that the Committee on House Administration should promulgate such regulations as may be necessary to carry out this subtitle. II Streamlining Processes and Improving Technology and Continuity of Operations in Congress 201. Coordinated procurement and bulk purchasing for House offices (a) Arrangements for House offices Entities of the House of Representatives may enter into arrangements to coordinate the procurement of equipment, supplies, and services for offices of the House, including by entering into contracts covering multiple offices of the House and by entering into bulk purchasing arrangement. (b) Regulations The Committee on House Administration may issue regulations or take any other steps as may be required to carry out this section. 202. Increase accountability and tracking for all Member-sponsored communications mail It is the sense of the House that the House Communications Standards Commission of the House of Representatives, in consultation with the Committee on Oversight and Reform of the House of Representatives and the United States Postal Service, should develop and implement methods to modernize the operations of the House with respect to the reporting and tracking of franked mail from the district offices of Members of the House of Representatives to eliminate the need for the self-reporting of such mail by the district offices. 203. Continuity of operations and telework plans for House offices (a) Establishment of plan It is the sense of the House that each office of the House of Representatives should establish a plan for the continuity of the operations of the office during emergencies, including minimum safety requirements for the operation of the office, an emergency communications plan covering communications by telephone, electronic mail, and video, and a plan for personnel of the office to work remotely. (b) Ensuring availability of technology, equipment, and support necessary To carry out plans It is the sense of the House that each office should ensure that it has the technology, equipment, and technical support necessary to implement its plan under this section, including VPN-capable laptops and telephone forwarding technology, and that House Information Resources and the Emergency Management Division, should, at the request of an office, assist the office in obtaining such technology, equipment, and support. (c) Inclusion of requirements for plans in new Member orientation It is the sense of the House that the Committee on House Administration and the Chief Administrative Officer should ensure that information on the requirements for plans under this section is included in the orientation program provided to new Members of the House and routinely communicated to all Members at the start of each Congress. 204. Secure document practices It is the sense of the House that the Chief Administrate Officer of the House of Representatives should establish, adopt, and implement secure information transfer practices, such as document management systems, secure digital forms, and other practices to facilitate the internal and external exchange of data, including documents containing personally identifiable information, payroll changes, personnel matters, constituent casework information, and other sensitive data. 205. Promoting use of electronic and digital technologies (a) Use of digital signatures The Committee on House Administration, in consultation with the Committee on Ethics of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Rules of the House of Representatives, shall ensure that House offices are not prohibited from the use of a digital signature and that each House office is capable of using a digital signature on any official documents to the extent feasible when a non-digital signature is not required, including communications with officials of the executive branch and State, local, Tribal, and foreign governments and communications with constituents. (b) Regulations The Committee on House Administration may issue regulations or take any other steps as may be required to carry out this section. III Strengthening Congressional Capacity 301. Task force on the House workforce (a) Findings The House of Representatives finds the following: (1) On July 1, 2021, House Report 117–80 that accompanied H.R. 4346, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act of 2022, directed the establishment of a task force on the House workforce (in this section referred to as the Task Force ). (2) Report 117–80 directed the Task Force to develop a methodology and frequency for regularly surveying the House workforce on pay and benefits issues, provide guidance and support for the content and development of the Human Resources Hub, and make policy recommendations that improve human resource management practices throughout the House. (3) The Task Force is composed of representatives of the Chief Administrative Officer, Office of House Employment Counsel, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and Office of Employee Assistance and any such other House office as may be necessary to regularly study issues related to the House workforce. (4) The Task Force should be made permanent. (b) Task Force made permanent The Task Force shall continue to operate in accordance with House Report 117–80 that accompanied H.R. 4346, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act of 2022. (c) Initiatives for consideration The Chief Administrative Officer, using the Task Force, shall implement or make policy recommendations to the House as necessary with respect to the following initiatives: (1) Establishing a standardized program through the Congressional Staff Academy which may be used by offices of the House of Representatives to provide supervisors with optional training and coaching with respect to management skills and best practices, competency, and methods to support an inclusive work environment. As practicable, the Congressional Staff Academy may partner with universities and outside experts to provide optional management program offerings. (2) Developing and making available to offices of the House of Representatives a searchable database of anonymized average staff compensation information using available information on staff salaries and payroll data. The database developed under this paragraph shall include the ability to provide staff compensation comparisons by region, State delegation, and with respect to the seniority of offices and employees of the House of Representatives. (3) Developing and implementing a mentorship program which may be used by offices of the House of Representatives to provide an opportunity for less experienced staff to be matched with and learn from more experienced staff. In developing the mentorship program under this paragraph, the Task Force shall consider and support best practices developed by currently existing staff association mentorship programs in the House of Representatives. (4) Developing a proposal under which— (A) staff of offices of Members of the House, committees of the House, and leadership of the House may participate in professional development opportunities that provide a certification; (B) an appropriate source of funding is identified which may be used to pay the cost of participating in a professional development opportunity described in subparagraph (A), including the cost of participating in such an opportunity for the purpose of maintaining as valid a previously provided certification; and (C) offices of Members of the House, committees of the House, and leadership of the House have discretion with respect to the opportunities described in subparagraph (A) in which the staff of such offices may participate. (5) Developing and providing to all new employees of the House a standardized onboarding packet that— (A) includes comprehensive information with respect to the benefits and resources available to employees of the House; and (B) shall be used to improve the collection of anonymized demographic data through an optional form provided to all House employees. (6) Developing a proposal to provide tuition assistance payments to employees of the House, under terms and conditions similar to those under the existing program for making student loan repayments on behalf of employees of the House. 302. Assistance for employees of contractors The Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives shall continue working with contractors, through the regular procurement process, to ensure to the greatest extent practicable that such contractors provide their employees with access to employee assistance services comparable to the services offered by the House Office of Employee Assistance to House employees. 303. Talent acquisition software The Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives, in consultation with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, shall consider options and develop recommendations for providing industry-leading talent acquisition software to assist offices of the House to manage the recruitment and hiring processes for such offices. 304. Making internships more accessible (a) Assessing intern cost of living in the National Capital Region To assist offices of the House of Representatives with establishing an appropriate level for the stipends paid to interns who serve in the District of Columbia, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, in consultation with the Chief Administrative Officer of the House, shall provide the offices with information on the cost of living in the Washington metropolitan area. (b) Study The Office of Diversity and Inclusion, in consultation with the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives, shall carry out a study of the feasibility of permitting offices of the House to appoint compensated interns who will carry out their duties at a location other than the location of the office. (c) Issues considered In carrying out the study under subsection (b), the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, in consultation with the Committee on House Administration and other offices as necessary, shall address the following issues: (1) The need to ensure that the educational requirements of House internships are being met and the extent to which meeting such requirements may be more challenging in a remote situation. (2) Oversight of program participants. (3) Providing, tracking, and accounting for House resources and equipment, and ensuring security and confidentiality, including network security. (4) Other issues the Office determines necessary to making internships more accessible. (d) Report Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this resolution, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion shall submit a report of the findings of the study carried out under subsection (b) to the Committee on House Administration. 305. Access of fellows and detailees serving in House offices to office resources (a) In general The Committee on House Administration shall analyze existing rules and regulations regarding the use of equipment, supplies, and other office resources by individuals serving qualified fellowships in House offices and individuals temporarily detailed to House offices from Federal agencies to determine the feasibility of expanding the access and use of such equipment, supplies, and other office resources to such fellows and detailees in a manner that is similar to that of House employees. (b) Development of standardized agreement for use of resources The Committee on House Administration shall develop an optional, standardized agreement for use by offices utilizing the services of fellows or detailees that outlines relevant responsibilities and obligations of service in the House, including, but not limited to, House ethics rules, equipment and security requirements, required training, and other issues relevant to temporary service in the House. (c) Applicability of expanded access Expanded access to office resources as described and determined to be feasible under subsection (a) shall apply to individuals serving fellowships or details who enter into a fellowship or detail agreement developed under subsection (b). IV Expanding Accessibility to Congress and Promoting Efficient Use of Space 401. ADA drop-off and pick-up zone (a) Establishment of zone The Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives, in consultation with the Chief of the Capitol Police, the Director of the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services, and the Architect of the Capitol, shall establish a designated zone near an accessible entrance to the House side of the United States Capitol and each House office building for dropping off and picking up individuals with disabilities. (b) Procedures for access In carrying out subsection (a), the Sergeant at Arms shall develop procedures through which individuals may obtain access to the zone designated under such subsection. 402. Information on security screening procedures The Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives, in consultation with the Chief of the Capitol Police, the Architect of the Capitol, the Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives, the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives, and the Executive Director of the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, shall make publicly available information on the security screening procedures individuals with disabilities, including employees of the House, will encounter upon entering areas of the Capitol complex which are under the jurisdiction of the House. 403. Accessibility of doorways The Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives, in consultation with the Architect of the Capitol and the Director of the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services, shall prioritize making all areas of the Capitol accessible through remediation of doors, including those identified in the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights biennial accessibility report. 404. Accessibility of websites The Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives shall provide offices of the House with information and ongoing training, including information and training on compliance with applicable laws and best practices, to enable the offices to ensure that their websites are accessible to individuals with disabilities. V Miscellaneous Recommendations A Modernization of Member Office Budgets and Operations 501. Re-evaluation of Members’ Representational Allowance The Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives shall re-evaluate the factors and the formula used to determine the Members’ Representational Allowance for the Congress to ensure that the Allowance accurately reflects the costs expected to be incurred by Members in carrying out their official and representational duties during the Congress. B Modernization of Legislative Support Agencies 511. Examining support agencies It is the sense of the House of Representatives that the committees of jurisdiction should regularly examine the authorities provided to the Government Accountability Office, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Congressional Research Service to determine if such authorities are sufficient or need to be updated to ensure such agencies may better serve an evolving Congress. C Eligible Congressional Member Organizations 521. Eligible Congressional Member Organization During each Congress, the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives shall publish online and regularly update a list of all eligible Congressional Member Organizations with respect to the Congress and the monthly expenditures and staffing information for each eligible Congressional Member Organization. 522. Eligible Congressional Member Organization defined In this subtitle, the term eligible Congressional Member Organization means, with respect to a Congress, an organization meeting each of the following requirements: (1) The organization is registered as a Congressional Member Organization with the Committee on House Administration. (2) The organization designates a single Member of the House of Representatives to be responsible for the administration of the organization and includes the identification of such Member with the statement of organization that the organization files and maintains with the Committee on House Administration. (3) At least 3 employees of the House are assigned to perform some work for the organization. (4) During the previous Congress, at least 15 Members of the House of Representatives used a portion of the Members’ Representational Allowance of the Member for the salary and related expenses of an employee who was a shared employee of the Member’s office and the organization.