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Accountability and Oversight, Appropriations, Congressional Workplace Fairness and Inclusion, Ethics and Influence, Modernization, Rules, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for September 9, 2020.

By DanielSchuman September 9, 2020 11 min read

Did you miss us? Welcome back to the First Branch Forecast! August was surprisingly busy so we have a pretty robust newsletter for you. Keep your eyes on appropriations, COVID-relief, the NDAA, the upcoming House Rules process, possible reforms in the Senate, and Executive branch efforts to undermine Congress. We put six months of effort […]

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Rules, Reports, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

Select Recommendations for Updating the House Rules 117th Congress

By DanielSchuman September 9, 2020 9 min read

Introduction Demand Progress released 129 recommended updates to the Rules of the House of Representatives and separate orders the House should adopt for the 117th Congress as part of an August 20, 2020 report. The report is the culmination of months of work, reflects significant engagement with experts on Congress, and addresses ten major thematic […]

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Modernization, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

Foresight: A Tool for a Proactive Government

By DanielSchuman September 1, 2020 4 min read

Someone on the Hill once told me that Congress was “constitutionally reactive.” That is, Congress and the law would always lag behind society, and the system was intentionally designed that way. The current rapid pace of change — in our culture and particularly with technology — only makes the gap between policy and our lives […]

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Modernization, Reports, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

Foresight in the Federal Government

By DanielSchuman September 1, 2020 7 min read

In “Strategic Foresight in the Federal Government: A Survey of Methods, Resources and Institutional Arrangements,”[1] authors Joseph Greenblott, Thomas O’Farrell, Robert Olson, and Beth Burchard analyzed foresight activities in 19 federal agencies (18 in the Executive Branch and 1 in the Legislative Branch). This article summarizes the findings (all numbers and quotes are from that […]

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Modernization, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

September Update: What Items are Due in the Modernization Committee Resolution

By DanielSchuman September 1, 2020 8 min read

In early March, the House passed H.Res 756, adopting modernization recommendations of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. The resolution included 29 recommendations that were unanimously reported by the Fix Congress Committee last year. The resolution calls on legislative support offices to start a number of projects and report back on how to […]

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Appropriation Tracking, Blog posts

Congress’ Power of the Purse

By DanielSchuman August 27, 2020 7 min read

Congress holds the power of the purse. That is, they decide where to spend federal money. The Constitution expressly provides that “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” The process is convoluted, opaque, and subject to exceptions and personalities. The purpose of this article is to […]

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Rules, Reports, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

House Rules: How Committees Operate

By DanielSchuman August 25, 2020 2 min read

Each House committee has rules that dictate how the committee will function. These rules govern how many members must be present to take an action (i.e., quorum requirements), subpoenas, and other actions. The committees are (theoretically) the workhorses of Congress — legislation, reports, budgets, appropriations, and oversight all originate in committees.  Committee rules exist under […]

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Rules, Reports, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

What’s the Difference? Senate Committee Quorum Rules and Procedures

By DanielSchuman August 25, 2020 7 min read

Despite the longstanding warnings from the Capitol attending physician and D.C. health official extending the stay-at-home order from May 15 to June 8, the Senate chose to return to Washington DC on May 4 for regular business. This includes voting on voting on nominations on the Senate floor as well as holding various committee proceedings. […]

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Congressional Security, Reports, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

Capitol Police Release 2019 Complaints Data With Significant Omissions That Reduce Clarity

By DanielSchuman August 20, 2020 3 min read

The U.S. Capitol Police is notoriously opaque; among the limited information they will provide to the public are summary statistics on employee misconduct, published in their Annual Statistical Summary Report. This report provides a high level summary of the number of complaints made against USCP employees. We requested a copy of the 2019 data in […]

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Continuity and Resiliency, Ethics and Influence, Modernization, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for August 17, 2020.

By DanielSchuman August 17, 2020 6 min read

THE TOP LINE In and Out. The House and Senate were “officially” out until September — officially as of this past Friday — with fewer than a dozen voting days remaining in the House until the government shuts down. Fyi, the Senate has yet to move an approps bill. (Send me what we should call the COVID-CR-Approps-Postal omnibus.) Just when you thought they […]

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Accountability and Oversight, Continuity and Resiliency, Modernization, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for August 10, 2020.

By DanielSchuman August 10, 2020 8 min read

THE TOP LINE The House and Senate are basically out — with a skeleton crew staying in DC until a Coronavirus deal is struck or they give up. Members have been told they have 24-hours notice to return for a vote. Talks have apparently failed; this weekend the president took executive actions of dubious utility and questionable legality in an […]

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Modernization, Reports, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

House Advances Franking Modernization Bill

By DanielSchuman August 4, 2020 1 min read

The House passed a bill last week designed to bring the Franking Commission into the 21st century. The Communications Outreach Media and Mail Standards Act, or COMMS Act (H.R.7512), extends the commission’s authority to regulate mass communications (i.e., to 500 people or more) by Members and Members-elect. The commission’s authority has historically been limited to […]

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