House members voted 395-13 on March 10 to adopt recommendations from the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress on establishing a centralized human resources (HR) system and modernizing House IT resources.
Introduced in December 2019, the Moving Our Democracy and Congressional Operations Towards Modernization Resolution details 29 recommendations to help bring Congressional tech and processes into the 21st century. At the vote, members praised the bipartisan efforts behind the resolution.
Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., called it “the product of a bipartisan desire to make Congress work better for the American people.” Reps. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., and William Timmons IV, R-S.C., shared similar sentiments.
Newhouse added, “It requires out technology offices to streamline the approval processes for new and innovative technologies and house-wide bulk products and services and save members money.”
The recommendations include providing tech to improve constituent engagement, streamlining the approval process for technology vendors, enabling early adoption of new technology by House offices, leveraging bulk purchasing power for tech, and improving accessibility of House websites. It also includes a complete overhaul of the House HR to create a centralized system and updated payroll mechanisms.
