Congressional Transparency Starts With Web Sites
Editor’s note: Welcome to our newest contributor, Chris Golden, a sophomore at American University in Washington.
To a member of Congress, the congressional Web site may just be another aspect of the responsibilities of their elected office, but to their constituents, having an up-to-date and effective portal may be their most valuable connection to the labyrinth of legislative procedure and executive agencies.
Rep. David Price, D-N.C., author of The Congressional Experience: Transforming American Politics writes of his duties as a member: “I am only one of [many] strong-willed people trying to shape national policy outcomes, but as I often remind constituents…I am the only one of the 435 who is responsible for assisting individuals, organizations, and local governments in the Fourth District in their dealings with the federal government.” The Congressional Web site is where the power of transparency and open government can be fully realized.
The Congressional Management Foundation has outlined “Five Building Blocks of Effective Congressional Web Sites,” Audience, Content, Usability, Interactivity and Innovation. These suggested categories, and the annual Congressional “Gold Mouse Award” given to members who meet them best, are primarily created to enhance and improve a Congressional office’s online communication strategy. At the same time that effective communication with constituents and organizations is important, so too is the ability of a constituent to use the Web site as a tool to see, unfiltered, how their member of Congress is representing them.
According to the Sunlight Network’s “Punch Clock Campaign,” only four United States Senators and four members of the House of Representatives currently post their daily schedules, showing constituents whom they are meeting with, on their official Web sites. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D, was one of the first leaders of this openness when she was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2006. Since she was appointed by New York Governor David Patterson, D, to fill the Senate seat vacated by now Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Gillibrand has continued a commitment to transparency, in what she calls “The Sunlight Report,” by prominently displaying it on the homepage of her Web site. In addition to providing online access to her financial disclosure forms and earmark requests, Gillibrand has utilized social media to deliver her message of openness, saying in a YouTube video last month, “I think New Yorkers deserve leaders who are honest and up-front with the public. To address are economic challenges, we need greater transparency in government.”
Especially for new members of Congress, faced with comparably small budgets and staff, committing to transparency on their official Web sites can pose a burden. The Washington Examiner reported this week that about half of the 55 members of the House first elected last November still have the basic template-form Web sites they choose from the Office of House Information Resources (HIR). “The member can choose from five design templates, which provide basic information. Some are colorful and eye catching while others are sharp and formal. Representatives also have the choice to contract out for their own independent Web site design, but they have to pay out of their own office budget,” the article says.
The Democratic majorities in Congress have pledged to restore a commitment to openness in the appropriations process. In February, House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., sent a letter to members saying that all offices, “must post information on the requests they have submitted to the Appropriations Committee on their official House Web site at the time the request is made.” Lawmakers were to have until April 4 to publish all requests, however, according to The Hill newspaper, over 70 offices did not comply. On Wednesday, it was reported that those members that missed the deadline, or are still not in compliance, will not be punished in any way, raising questions about the Leadership’s commitment to earmark transparency and reform.
As more members of Congress take to Tweeting and hosting their floor speeches or district events on YouTube, and with large and divisive issues including health care and energy expected to be debated in the next several months, the constituent demand for transparency from their members of Congress will only increase. In the weeks ahead, I hope to take a closer look at specific members’ websites and other issues concerning transparency in the legislative branch.
