In my work I have the luxury — sometimes the necessity — of digging into Congress’s past. How did things work before? What were people thinking? Is any of this relevant today?

So when reading through comments on the introduction of Congress reform legislation from the Congressional Record in the 1960s, I ran across a mention of a “Management Study of the U.S. Congress” by Arthur D. Little, Inc. in 1965. Naturally, I wanted to read it.

Continue reading “FBF: What’s Past is Prologue” →

On Thursday, the House of Representatives did something unusual: it passed a small, bipartisan bill with a substantive and positive impact on policy. The PRESS Act, co-sponsored by Rep. Kevin Kiley [R, CA], Jamie Raskin [D, MD], and eighteen others, is a reporter shield law. The District of Columbia and every state except Wyoming provide a statutory protection or court-recognized shield for journalists.

This bill, like the ones in the states, prohibits prosecutors from forcing journalists and their IT providers to disclose information about their sources except when doing so would prevent terrorism or imminent violence. Basically, think of it as a clergy or attorney-client privilege, but for reporters talking to their sources — an entirely different form of confession. The purpose is to allow journalists to report the news without fear the government will go after them for doing their jobs. Going after the press for “leaks” is a time-honored way of distracting from the substance of the reporting.

Continue reading “FBF: How a Good Government Bill Becomes a Law” →

Congressional fellowships provide key support to Congress as an institution, but their role and the gaps they address have changed over time. My friend Lorelei Kelly was there when the House of Representatives drastically reduced its staff and diluted committee resources in favor of centralizing power at the top.

Lorelei ran a bipartisan bicameral study group starting in the late 1990s that shared information across committee jurisdictions and helped mitigate the shortfalls in staffing and Congressional attention on a wide range of national security issues.

She started her remarkable career sneaking American literature into the Soviet empire before it fell, developed deep expertise in behavioral economics, and has spent decades working to strengthen Congress’ ability to govern. Please read her first-person account of how and why she helped create the modern fellowship system in the House:

Continue reading “FBF: Evolution of Congressional Fellowships” →