Travis Moore and New America’s Open Technology Institute announced the creation of TechCongress, a new fellowship program that places technologists in congressional offices. It will launch in 2016, and they are actively seeking applicants. This is a great initiative with tremendous promise.
Continue reading... October 2, 2015
Join Us for a Reception Following the Congressional Hackathon
Join the Congressional Data Coalition, the R Street Institute, Demand Progress, and the OpenGov Foundation for a reception at Google DC following the Congressional Hackathon. WHEN: Friday, October 23, at 5:30 pm WHERE: 25 Massachusetts Ave NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC RSVP: https://congressdata.splashthat.com/
Continue reading... September 18, 2015
Save the Date: Second Congressional Hackathon Oct. 23
The Second Congressional Hackathon will take place at the U.S. Capitol on October 23 from 10-5. Hosted by Majority Leader McCarthy and Democratic Whip Hoyer, the hackathon is intended to explore how we can modernize Congress–from open data to updating constituent engagement. To RSVP, go here. The First Congressional Hackathon–#InHackWeTrust–was a great event, with tons […]
Continue reading... July 27, 2015
Congressional Open Source Technology Caucus Launches
Reps. Blake Farenthold (R-TX) and Jared Polis (D-CO) announced the formation of the Congressional Open Source Technology Caucus last week and are looking for other representatives to serve as founding members. This comes after a June announcement that open source software is now permitted in the House of Representatives.
Continue reading... June 25, 2015
Open Source Software Now Permitted in the U.S. House of Representatives
Members and staff may use official resources to participate in open source projects, procure and publish open source software WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 25, 2015) — The OpenGov Foundation, the Sunlight Foundation and the Congressional Data Coalition (CDC) today announced that Members, Committees, and staff within the U.S. House of Representatives are now able to use […]
Continue reading... June 24, 2015
The GovTrack Insider
Legislative data is only the beginning to understanding what Congress does and how it works. That’s why earlier this month GovTrack.us launched GovTrack Insider, a blog on Medium covering Congress’s daily activities. Each post on GovTrack Insider summarizes recent major legislative activity that would be hard to find just by looking at the official record. Recent […]
Continue reading... June 17, 2015
It’s Time for Congress to Publish CRS Reports
This morning the New York Times editorialized in favor of public access to Congressional Research Service reports. Given the extreme partisanship and gridlock in Congress, it’s more crucial than ever to have an informed electorate. Putting these reports in the public domain is an important step toward that goal. Over the years our coalition has submitted testimony […]
Continue reading... June 12, 2015
Senate Preview of the Next Day’s Floor Schedule and Activity Wrap-up
While leadership for Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives send email floor alerts for the upcoming day’s legislative activities (and House Dems have a neat new mobile app), the Senate does not. Senate Democrats and Republicans publish on the web a daily summary of the prior day’s activities and what they expect will […]
Continue reading... June 12, 2015
Meet “Whip Watch”
Yesterday congressional Democrats released “Whip Watch,” an app that provides the public (and congressional staffers) a real-time mobile view into the Democrats’ whip operation. Most notably, it includes a live floor feed showing upcoming votes, with links to bills and amendments, and an extensive list of job announcements for House Democratic offices. Also included are the […]
Continue reading... June 11, 2015
Legislink Goes Back in Time (and Bicameral)
The free roll call vote comparison tool Legislink has gone bicameral and back in time. It now is possible to compare roll call votes in the House and Senate going back to 1990. Previously, the site only worked for the House and only went back to 2003. Developer Joe Carmel extended the vote data by […]
Continue reading...