Hoyer Remarks at Fourth Congressional Hackathon
Press Types
Press Release
For Immediate Release:
April 6, 2022
Contact Info:
Margaret Mulkerrin 202-225-3130
WASHINGTON, DC – This afternoon, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) delivered remarks at the beginning of the Fourth Congressional Hackathon, an event he cohosted with Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) to bring together digital innovators with Members and staff to discuss using new technologies and platforms to make Congress more open and transparent. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:
“Good afternoon. I want to welcome you to the Capitol for our Fourth Congressional Hackathon. It is wonderful to meet in-person once again after two years of virtual events. Your collaboration at this Hackathon makes it one of our most important avenues for promoting innovation, modernizing Congress, and making the Legislative Branch more accessible, transparent, and efficient. Your contributions today will transform the digital operations of Congress for years to come.
“This event has a history of generating change. In 2011, as a result of the first Hackathon, Congress opened its databases so that anyone could access information about the Members who represent them as well as the bills, amendments, reports, and votes that impact their districts. As a result of the 2015 Hackathon, Congress modernized its committee hearings by creating a central calendar and a repository for video streams, testimony, and documents. Critically, Hackathon participants also recommended allowing committee witnesses to testify virtually, which was eventually put into practice at the start of the pandemic.
“Another major Hackathon success was the creation of a new web form for constituents to open casework inquiries and use an electronic signature to give consent for the sharing of their information for the purposes of federal casework. Before this change, whenever a constituent needed a Member’s help with a federal agency, he or she had to sign this privacy release physically and then scan or fax it back to the Member’s office. This was a source of frustration for both Congressional staff and the general public, and it demonstrated our need to adapt to a digital world. I’m proud that my office was the first to implement this solution and that more than half of Members are using it today. These events produced real change, and I am glad that our Hackathons are truly bipartisan.
“I want to thank my co-host, Republican Leader McCarthy, for his work on this Hackathon and for our successful collaboration in the past. While we come from opposite sides of the aisle, we both want to ensure that Congress continues to adapt and modernize to serve the American people in our digitally connected world.
“Today, America’s talented digital innovators will engage with Members, staff, and advocates to generate more brilliant ideas. As Majority Leader, I’ve been proud to help bring the Democratic Caucus up to date with the latest technology so we can better deliver results for our constituents. My office oversees an intensive digital training program, the Digital Academy, which has graduated over 150 staffers. We also manage 'DemCom', our Caucus’s official intranet, which we’ve expanded to serve Senate Democratic staff as well. With over 10,000 resumes in DemCom’s ‘resume bank,’ we are using this tool to promote greater diversity and excellence in hiring.
“My office continues to work on improving and updating our popular 'Dome Watch' app. The ‘4.0’ version that we launched last November added a 'floor timeline' function as well as committee videos. We also are close to announcing a ‘2.0’ version of our Dome Directory app, which helps users recognize Members of Congress. My Senior Advisor and Digital Director, Steve Dwyer, will give you a preview of ‘Dome Directory 2.0’ today.
“At our last Hackathon in 2017, I recognized Leader McCarthy’s partnership in passing the bipartisan Modernizing Government Technology act, which was successfully enacted into law. Five years later, the technology modernization fund that law created has received over a billion dollars to upgrade legacy executive-branch systems, to save money, and to reduce cyber risks. That’s one example of us working across the aisle on these issues.
“Another major example since our last Hackathon is the great work of the Select Committee on Modernization. It have given serious attention to the operations of Congress, including our use of technology. I commend Chairman Derek Kilmer for his great work leading that effort. I understand you all will receive an update from the Select Committee later in the program. Every change we consider, either through the Modernization Committee or here at the Hackathon, is intended to help Congress become more accessible and more transparent. New technologies offer an unprecedented window into the internal workings of Congress and help transform the legislative process by bringing more Americans ‘inside the room.’ I am glad that Leader McCarthy and I are working together to drive this transformation on a bipartisan basis.
“Once again, I join in welcoming you to the Capitol, and I look forward to hearing your ideas on how to improve this great institution and ensure that its technologies help Members and staff carry out our missions to govern responsibly ‘for the people.’”
“Good afternoon. I want to welcome you to the Capitol for our Fourth Congressional Hackathon. It is wonderful to meet in-person once again after two years of virtual events. Your collaboration at this Hackathon makes it one of our most important avenues for promoting innovation, modernizing Congress, and making the Legislative Branch more accessible, transparent, and efficient. Your contributions today will transform the digital operations of Congress for years to come.
“This event has a history of generating change. In 2011, as a result of the first Hackathon, Congress opened its databases so that anyone could access information about the Members who represent them as well as the bills, amendments, reports, and votes that impact their districts. As a result of the 2015 Hackathon, Congress modernized its committee hearings by creating a central calendar and a repository for video streams, testimony, and documents. Critically, Hackathon participants also recommended allowing committee witnesses to testify virtually, which was eventually put into practice at the start of the pandemic.
“Another major Hackathon success was the creation of a new web form for constituents to open casework inquiries and use an electronic signature to give consent for the sharing of their information for the purposes of federal casework. Before this change, whenever a constituent needed a Member’s help with a federal agency, he or she had to sign this privacy release physically and then scan or fax it back to the Member’s office. This was a source of frustration for both Congressional staff and the general public, and it demonstrated our need to adapt to a digital world. I’m proud that my office was the first to implement this solution and that more than half of Members are using it today. These events produced real change, and I am glad that our Hackathons are truly bipartisan.
“I want to thank my co-host, Republican Leader McCarthy, for his work on this Hackathon and for our successful collaboration in the past. While we come from opposite sides of the aisle, we both want to ensure that Congress continues to adapt and modernize to serve the American people in our digitally connected world.
“Today, America’s talented digital innovators will engage with Members, staff, and advocates to generate more brilliant ideas. As Majority Leader, I’ve been proud to help bring the Democratic Caucus up to date with the latest technology so we can better deliver results for our constituents. My office oversees an intensive digital training program, the Digital Academy, which has graduated over 150 staffers. We also manage 'DemCom', our Caucus’s official intranet, which we’ve expanded to serve Senate Democratic staff as well. With over 10,000 resumes in DemCom’s ‘resume bank,’ we are using this tool to promote greater diversity and excellence in hiring.
“My office continues to work on improving and updating our popular 'Dome Watch' app. The ‘4.0’ version that we launched last November added a 'floor timeline' function as well as committee videos. We also are close to announcing a ‘2.0’ version of our Dome Directory app, which helps users recognize Members of Congress. My Senior Advisor and Digital Director, Steve Dwyer, will give you a preview of ‘Dome Directory 2.0’ today.
“At our last Hackathon in 2017, I recognized Leader McCarthy’s partnership in passing the bipartisan Modernizing Government Technology act, which was successfully enacted into law. Five years later, the technology modernization fund that law created has received over a billion dollars to upgrade legacy executive-branch systems, to save money, and to reduce cyber risks. That’s one example of us working across the aisle on these issues.
“Another major example since our last Hackathon is the great work of the Select Committee on Modernization. It have given serious attention to the operations of Congress, including our use of technology. I commend Chairman Derek Kilmer for his great work leading that effort. I understand you all will receive an update from the Select Committee later in the program. Every change we consider, either through the Modernization Committee or here at the Hackathon, is intended to help Congress become more accessible and more transparent. New technologies offer an unprecedented window into the internal workings of Congress and help transform the legislative process by bringing more Americans ‘inside the room.’ I am glad that Leader McCarthy and I are working together to drive this transformation on a bipartisan basis.
“Once again, I join in welcoming you to the Capitol, and I look forward to hearing your ideas on how to improve this great institution and ensure that its technologies help Members and staff carry out our missions to govern responsibly ‘for the people.’”