November 24, 2017

Congressional Hackathon Set for Nov. 30

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer are hosting the Third Congressional Hackathon on Thursday, Nov. 30 from 2-6 pm in the U.S. Capitol Building. RSVP here.

The event will bring together a bipartisan group of Members of Congress, Congressional staff, Legislative Branch agency staff, open government and transparency advocates, civic hackers, and developers from digital companies to explore the role of digital platforms in the legislative process. Discussions will range from data transparency, constituent services, public correspondence, social media, committee hearings and the broader legislative process.

They ask everyone submit ideas to be covered in the Hackathon by 6pm Monday concerning (1) existing projects worth sharing (on stage), and (2) projects/problems worth hacking in breakout sessions. For existing projects, individuals will be invited on stage to give quick pitches on projects they’ve been working on that are Congress-related and technologically innovative. For problems worth hacking, participants will break out into groups to work through problems that people suggest in advance.

Once you RSVP, they’ll send more logistical information. There also will be a happy hour the day before co-hosted by Google, the OpenGov Foundation, the R Street Institute, and Demand Progress. RSVP here.

The hackathons are well worth attending and are an excellent example of bipartisan cooperation inside Congress focused on making it a better institution. Here are our write-ups of the first and second hackathons. Also notable was the Congressional hackathon hosted by the OpenGov Foundation and the 2016 legislative data and transparency conference. (I still have to write up my notes from the 2017 conference, but it was great.)

If you’re looking for a list of neat tools for opening up Congress, here’s a 2014 roundup up a congressional toolbox,  a list of sources of structured data about Congress, a list of legislative tools, and a wishlist for new tools.

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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 of information about the ongoing work of the House and, equally as important, it presented a fantastic opportunity for real conversations between staff, technologists, and advocates. I wrote about it here.

With the same offices behind this hackathon, we have high hopes. Since the first congressional hackathon, there has been a series of public meetings and conferences hosted by the Clerk of the House, the launch of new pro-transparency congressional policies and tools, the creation of the open source caucus, and a civil society-organized congressional hackathon entitled #Hack4Congress. With so many new resources available (and more coming soon), and a spirit of cooperation between congressional staff and the public, I cannot wait to see what can be accomplished.

We will post more information as it becomes available.

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December 1, 2014

Save the Date: 1st of 2 Multidisciplinary Hackathons on U.S. Congressional Data & Processes

Boston Kickoff Weekend Co-Hosted by Harvard University’s Ash Center and The OpenGov Foundation; Finals on Capitol Hill Spring 2015

The weekend of January 30, 2015, The OpenGov Foundation and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government will host a multi-disciplinary hackathon to design what the future of the US Congress should look like.

The event will bring together political scientists, designers, technologists, lawyers, organizational psychologists, and lawmakers to look for multi-layered, thoughtful ways for citizens to get involved in their government, and for elected officials to better communicate with citizens and understand their needs, more efficiently craft legislation, and more effectively address the complex issues of the 21st Century.

Projects presented at the end of the hackathon will be evaluated by a panel of judges. After a second hackathon hosted by The OpenGov Foundation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. in spring 2015, the winning teams will have an opportunity to present their projects to lawmakers and other high-level officials inside Congress.

The event is co-sponsored by The Sunlight Foundation, Congressional Management Foundation, Microsoft New England, CODE2040, and Generation Citizen.

You can register here.

Schedule:
Friday, January 30, 2015
4:10pm: Introductory Panel followed by happy hour

Saturday, January 31 and Sunday, February 1, 2015
8:30am- 5 p.m.: Hackathon

Location:

Harvard Kennedy School of Government
79 JFK St., Cambridge, MA

View/submit project proposals:
https://hackpad.com/Hack4Congress-kiKLDML5Rr9

Click here for more information.

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