The Top Line

Good morning, everyone.

I recently had the opportunity to attend LegisTech: Artificial Intelligence in Parliaments, a conference hosted by Bússola Tech and the Organization of American States here in Washington, D.C. The event, which brought together experts from around the world, was a fascinating look at the cutting edge of the intersection of AI and parliaments. A few newly released publications caught my eye, including a list of 60 AI use cases actively under consideration by parliaments around the world.

I’ve also been keeping up with the Hansard Society’s take on the British parliament’s current agenda. It’s intriguing to see the similarities and differences compared to our Congress. They’re wrestling with some of the same issues—like managing member conduct, addressing seniority, and reviewing ethical guidelines.

On a different note, the potential election of Sarah McBride, set to become the first openly transgender member of Congress, raises important questions about how the House will handle the expected hostile welcome and commensurate security risks arising from how she is greeted by some quarters of the chamber.

For those who love procedural deep dives, Senate reform is on the table once again. There’s buzz about changing Senate Republican Conference rules and some discussion of changes to the Senate seniority system and concerns arising from how seniority operates in the House. I also took a quick detour on the effects of tv cameras in the Senate.

Rounding things out are a discussion of how the Congress keeps track of past-due agency reports and the Washington Post‘s look at reimbursing members for work-related expenses.

Continue reading “FBF: AI, Senate Reform, and Big Challenges for Congress (10/14/2024)” →

The Top Line

This week we’re covering everything from AI innovations to shifts in congressional power.

AI tools like NotebookLLM are making it easy to turn lengthy reports into podcasts, streamlining how we consume complex information. We illustrate some ways it could change the Congressional information environment.

There’s a lot happening in Congress post-Chevron, and we cover how the Legislative branch can regain its footing after the SCOTUS decision, especially as we have hit a point of cultural inflection on Capitol Hill.

We also explore new oversight tools, such as OpenOMB, which sheds light on how federal agencies spend taxpayer dollars. Plus, some notable retirements from government, and there’s progress on efforts to modernize Congress.

Continue reading “FBF: AI for EZ learning & building a post-Chevron Congress (10/7/2024)” →

The Top Line

I feel a little like Robert Caro this week except his prose sparkled and he had a much better editor. This week we cover a bit of everything.

We look at efforts to weaken the discharge petition and let Member Moms vote. We dip our toes into continuity of Congress and reveal that the member back-pay lawsuit can go forward.

We go document diving and read what the Library of Congress had to say about what it’s doing on Congress’s behalf, and spend a fair amount of time quibbling over public access to historical CRS reports.

And we cover a legislative good idea – tracking nomination – and another that’s almost at the finish line – a journalist shield law.

This was way too much writing, but with six weeks off, you need something fun to read. As always, send me a note to let me know what you think.

Continue reading “FBF: You’d think it’d be quiet (9/30/2024)” →

The Top Line

This past week was insanely busy, which is not surprising considering it’s the penultimate week before Congress goes on recess for the election, not returning until November 12th.

Inside we cover everything from some great suggestions for updating the rules of the House of Representatives, a public conversion on Congress.gov, the Congressional Hackathon 6.0, the overprioritization of constituent communications by some offices, congressional unions, an odd lobbying loophole, and what happens when you read too many government documents.

There’s also an interesting article on the lack of philanthropic support for investing in democracy reform. Boy, is that true – especially for what happens in between elections. That is also an opportunity for me to shamelessly ask you to support this little newsletter, which is a lot of work.

Notable bills on the floor this week include: the CBO Data Access Act (S. 1549), the NAPA Reauthorization Act (S. 133), the GAO Database Modernization Act of 2024 (S.679), and, of course, a continuing resolution.

Continue reading “FBF: The last week before splitsville (9/23/2024)” →

The Top Line

This week contains the International Day of Democracy (generally not celebrated in the US), Constitution Day, a House Rules Committee hearing on the chamber rules for the 119th Congress, the Congress.gov forum and Congressional Hackathon, and so much more. Keep cool and keep caffeinated.

If you want to brush up on your personal cybersecurity at an event tailored for staff, RSVP to this virtual training next Monday hosted by the American Governance Institute, the R Street Institute, and Demand Progress Education Fund.

Continue reading “FBF: Christmas in September (9/16/2024)” →