Hoyer Remarks at the Third Congressional Hackathon
Press Types
Press Release
For Immediate Release:
November 30, 2017
Contact Info:
Mariel Saez 202-225-3130
WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) spoke at the beginning of the third Congressional Hackathon, an event he cohosted with Leader McCarthy 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’d like to welcome all of you to the United States Capitol for our third official Congressional Hackathon. This is one of the most unique and exciting events that we host. What transpires here has the potential to transform Congress for years to come. And I am glad that it continues to be a truly bipartisan endeavor.
“I want to thank my co-host, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and his staff, for working closely with me and my staff on the previous Hackathon and this event today. And I want to thank Eric Cantor who was my partner at the original Congressional Hackathon back in 2011. Kevin McCarthy, Eric Cantor, and I care deeply about the great institution of Congress and its ability to serve the American people. It is important that we take a step away from the partisan back-and-forth, and find ways, like this Hackathon, to come together to engage the public in a positive way to make Congress more open and transparent.
“Today we welcome digital innovators to the Capitol to engage with members, staff, and advocates. We can’t predict what will emerge from the conversations you have today. But what we can be sure of is that great ideas will come together and inspire new and innovative projects, both inside and outside of Congress.
“We’ve come a long way since the first Hackathon, when Eric and I asked you how we could update the old ‘Thomas.gov’ website. In the years since, we’ve seen the emergence of ‘Congress.gov,’ the release of open-source legislative data in machine-readable formats for use by third-party sites, and the creation of a bipartisan Modernization Task Force. We’ve also witnessed great change in the world of technology off Capitol Hill, with the launch of new technology tools and platforms that connect citizens with their leaders in ways never before imaginable. I don’t have to tell you how Twitter has affected politics and governing.
“Here on the Hill, I’ve been working on bringing the Democratic caucus up to date with the latest technology. I’ve continued to run the House Democratic Social Media Contest each summer. This year, with Reps. Crowley and Takano, I’ve started an intensive digital training program that we call the Digital Academy. We’ve graduated fifty staffers so far this year.
“My office continues to manage the House Democrats’ official Resume Bank, which is an innovative digital platform that allows anyone to enter, and any current staffers to submit recommendations. It has already made a difference in improving the diversity of our House Democratic staff.
“Last spring, my office launched “Whip Watch 2.0,” a major update to our popular “app,” which has 5,000 active users, including Members, staff, and people off-the-Hill, who can use the app to follow live votes and the release of House Floor information.
“All of these efforts – both bipartisan and within our respective parties – have the same goal: helping restore faith in government by making it more transparent, more accessible to those served, and more effective.
“I’ve spoken at length in recent years about the need to renew Americans’ faith in our government as a force for solving problems and improving lives. New technologies afford those of us in Congress a chance to do so in ways previously unimagined.
“As much as we’re proud of the digital achievements of the past six years, they are but small steps on the relentless march of progress. I marvel at the thought of how new digital innovations will transform Congress and the legislative process over the next several years. And I’m excited to be a part of that ongoing transformation, along with Leader McCarthy.
“I’m also excited to see that our bipartisan legislation is expected to be signed into law this week: the Modernizing Government Technology Act. This new law authorizes the creation of a fund to finance major systems upgrades across the federal government. This work is long overdue, with some agencies still using decades-old systems to handle sensitive information. This new fund operates in a way that is self-sustaining and promotes the adoption of the latest technologies. It is based on a model used in the private sector with great success. With upgraded systems, federal agencies will be better able to serve the American people more quickly and safely. This is especially critical during a time when cyber-threats loom large and ever-present. Now, I hope the Majority Leader and I can continue our work and push for the full capitalization of this new fund so that critical systems upgrades can begin soon.
“I look forward to hearing the new ideas to emerge from this year’s Hackathon, and I thank all of you for being here, to be part of the solution, to work to improve our great institution that is the United States Congress.”
“Good afternoon. I’d like to welcome all of you to the United States Capitol for our third official Congressional Hackathon. This is one of the most unique and exciting events that we host. What transpires here has the potential to transform Congress for years to come. And I am glad that it continues to be a truly bipartisan endeavor.
“I want to thank my co-host, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and his staff, for working closely with me and my staff on the previous Hackathon and this event today. And I want to thank Eric Cantor who was my partner at the original Congressional Hackathon back in 2011. Kevin McCarthy, Eric Cantor, and I care deeply about the great institution of Congress and its ability to serve the American people. It is important that we take a step away from the partisan back-and-forth, and find ways, like this Hackathon, to come together to engage the public in a positive way to make Congress more open and transparent.
“Today we welcome digital innovators to the Capitol to engage with members, staff, and advocates. We can’t predict what will emerge from the conversations you have today. But what we can be sure of is that great ideas will come together and inspire new and innovative projects, both inside and outside of Congress.
“We’ve come a long way since the first Hackathon, when Eric and I asked you how we could update the old ‘Thomas.gov’ website. In the years since, we’ve seen the emergence of ‘Congress.gov,’ the release of open-source legislative data in machine-readable formats for use by third-party sites, and the creation of a bipartisan Modernization Task Force. We’ve also witnessed great change in the world of technology off Capitol Hill, with the launch of new technology tools and platforms that connect citizens with their leaders in ways never before imaginable. I don’t have to tell you how Twitter has affected politics and governing.
“Here on the Hill, I’ve been working on bringing the Democratic caucus up to date with the latest technology. I’ve continued to run the House Democratic Social Media Contest each summer. This year, with Reps. Crowley and Takano, I’ve started an intensive digital training program that we call the Digital Academy. We’ve graduated fifty staffers so far this year.
“My office continues to manage the House Democrats’ official Resume Bank, which is an innovative digital platform that allows anyone to enter, and any current staffers to submit recommendations. It has already made a difference in improving the diversity of our House Democratic staff.
“Last spring, my office launched “Whip Watch 2.0,” a major update to our popular “app,” which has 5,000 active users, including Members, staff, and people off-the-Hill, who can use the app to follow live votes and the release of House Floor information.
“All of these efforts – both bipartisan and within our respective parties – have the same goal: helping restore faith in government by making it more transparent, more accessible to those served, and more effective.
“I’ve spoken at length in recent years about the need to renew Americans’ faith in our government as a force for solving problems and improving lives. New technologies afford those of us in Congress a chance to do so in ways previously unimagined.
“As much as we’re proud of the digital achievements of the past six years, they are but small steps on the relentless march of progress. I marvel at the thought of how new digital innovations will transform Congress and the legislative process over the next several years. And I’m excited to be a part of that ongoing transformation, along with Leader McCarthy.
“I’m also excited to see that our bipartisan legislation is expected to be signed into law this week: the Modernizing Government Technology Act. This new law authorizes the creation of a fund to finance major systems upgrades across the federal government. This work is long overdue, with some agencies still using decades-old systems to handle sensitive information. This new fund operates in a way that is self-sustaining and promotes the adoption of the latest technologies. It is based on a model used in the private sector with great success. With upgraded systems, federal agencies will be better able to serve the American people more quickly and safely. This is especially critical during a time when cyber-threats loom large and ever-present. Now, I hope the Majority Leader and I can continue our work and push for the full capitalization of this new fund so that critical systems upgrades can begin soon.
“I look forward to hearing the new ideas to emerge from this year’s Hackathon, and I thank all of you for being here, to be part of the solution, to work to improve our great institution that is the United States Congress.”