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Accountability and Oversight, Congressional Security, Congressional Workplace Fairness and Inclusion, Modernization, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

First Branch Forecast for October 17, 2022: Looking Ahead

By DanielSchuman October 17, 2022 16 min read

TOP LINE Abby Livingston has had enough. After carving out a successful career as a Capitol Hill journalist – becoming a one-woman DC bureau for the nonprofit Texas Tribune – she quit. The trigger, she shared last week, was realizing a corridor in the Capitol that had felt like the safest place in the world to […]

Tags: Office of Legal Counsel, Freedom of Information Act, Staff Pay, Congressional Unionization, January 6, Congressional Data Task Force, factions, Statements of Disbursements, NDAA, Office of Congressional Workplace Rights

Accountability and Oversight, Congressional Security, Continuity and Resiliency, Ethics and Influence, Modernization, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

First Branch Forecast for September 19, 2022: Fixing Congress

By DanielSchuman September 19, 2022 17 min read

TOP LINE The Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress held its final hearing last Wednesday, aptly on how Congress should continue its work. The Committee has issued 177 recommendations over its three-and-a-half year tenure and likely will surpass the 200 mark before its work concludes at the end of this Congress. By its own […]

Tags: Office of Legal Counsel, Freedom of Information Act, Modernization, Staff Clearances, January 6, ethics, Continuity

Appropriations, Congressional Security, Congressional Workplace Fairness and Inclusion, Modernization, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

First Branch Forecast for May 23, 2022: Member Days

By DanielSchuman May 23, 2022 17 min read

TOP LINE This week. The Senate is back Tuesday; the House has a committee work week. Approps hearings continue, with USCP, GAO, and the Library of Congress testifying re: their budget requests before the Senate Leg Branch SubCmte on Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, HSGAC will hold a markup for a slate of good government bills, some of which are […]

Tags: Congressional Unionization, Modernization, Staff Pay, Freedom of Information Act, Office of Legal Counsel, Legislation, January 6

Accountability and Oversight, Congressional Security, Congressional Workplace Fairness and Inclusion, Ethics and Influence, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

First Branch Forecast for April 4, 2022: 4/04 Resolution Not Found

By DanielSchuman April 4, 2022 19 min read

TOP LINE On the calendar. The Senate and House are in today. The week before recess is often a whirlwind of activity and this week is no exception. In the committees, we have four — four! — House Leg branch appropriations hearings, a ModCom hearing on Continuity of Congress, a House Admin STOCK Act hearing, and … the Congressional Hackathon […]

Tags: Staff Clearances, Office of Legal Counsel, PLUM Act, Freedom of Information Act, Government Accountability Office, Congressional Unionization, US Capitol Police, Earmarks, Legislation, Office of Congressional Workplace Rights

Accountability and Oversight, Appropriations, Congressional Security, Continuity and Resiliency, Ethics and Influence, Modernization, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

First Branch Forecast for March 21, 2022: Not the Supremes

By DanielSchuman March 21, 2022 18 min read

Welcome‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌First‌ ‌Branch‌ ‌Forecast,‌ ‌your‌ ‌regular‌ ‌look‌ ‌into‌ ‌the‌ ‌Legislative‌ ‌branch‌ ‌and‌ government ‌transparency.‌ ‌Tell ‌your‌ ‌friends‌ ‌to‌ subscribe. TOP LINE This week. The Senate is in; the House is out. This week, much attention will focus on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on SCOTUS nominee Hon. Ketanji Brown Jackson. Last week was packed with Sunshine […]

Tags: Office of Legal Counsel, Freedom of Information Act, Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act, Staff Pay, Congressional Unionization, US Capitol Police, January 6, Congressional Transparency Caucus, Whistleblower Protections, Political Violence, Advisory Committee on Transparency

Congressional Security, Congressional Workplace Fairness and Inclusion, Modernization, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

First Branch Forecast for February 28, 2022

By DanielSchuman February 28, 2022 6 min read

TOP LINE Calendar. The Senate is back today; the House is back tonight. We’re watching Wednesday’s House Admin hearing on unionization, the State of the Union is on Tuesday, and Demand Progress is co-hosting a panel discussion on presidential emergency powers on Wednesday (RSVP here) — ICYMI, lawmakers wrote this letter calling for an AUMF […]

Tags: Freedom of Information Act, House Digital Service, Congressional Unionization

1.20.22

Coalition Letter to AG Garland on Freedom of Information Act Compliance

Accountability and Oversight, Congressional Security, Ethics and Influence, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

First Branch Forecast: ModCom, PODA, PACER, + USCP 12/13/2021

By DanielSchuman December 13, 2021 19 min read

Welcome‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌First‌ ‌Branch‌ ‌Forecast,‌ ‌your‌ ‌regular‌ ‌look‌ ‌into‌ ‌the‌ ‌Legislative‌ ‌branch‌ ‌and‌ government ‌transparency.‌ ‌Tell ‌your‌ ‌friends‌ ‌to‌ subscribe. THE TOP LINE Bonus week. The Senate is in today; the House is in tomorrow, with the ominous last vote predicted at “???” We’ll see both chambers vote to raise the vestigial debt ceiling […]

Tags: Congressional Research Service, Freedom of Information Act, Staff Clearances, Foreign Lobbying, US Capitol Police, NDAA

12.3.21

Model Public Records Request Regulations For the US Capitol Police

Accountability and Oversight, Congressional Security, Ethics and Influence, Modernization, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for October 12, 2021

By DanielSchuman October 12, 2021 19 min read

Welcome to the First Branch Forecast, your regular look into the Legislative branch and government transparency. Subscribe here. THE TOP LINE The House will be back briefly on Tuesday to vote to raise the debt ceiling. With the quick turn-around during a committee work week, how many members will vote by proxy? Honestly, voting remotely seems appropriate […]

Tags: Inspector General, Freedom of Information Act, US Capitol Police, January 6, SCOTUS, debt limit

Appropriations, Congressional Security, Modernization, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for September 27, 2021

By DanielSchuman September 27, 2021 7 min read

Hey everyone, welcome to the First Branch Forecast, your regular look into the Legislative branch and government transparency. Subscribe here. We had written a lot more but pared it down because that seemed the humane thing to do. Here’s the top things you need to know. Spending and budget. You already know that we’re in for […]

Tags: PLUM Act, Freedom of Information Act, Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act, US Capitol Police, NDAA

Accountability and Oversight, Congressional Security, Continuity and Resiliency, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for August 23, 2021

By DanielSchuman August 23, 2021 14 min read

Welcome to the First Branch Forecast, your regular look into the Legislative branch and government transparency. Subscribe here. THE TOP LINE They’re back? The House of Representatives returns for two days to pass a Budget resolution, a voting rights bill, and 12 suspension bills (including, we hope, the Congressional Budget Justification Transparency Act.) The Senate does not return until […]

Tags: War Powers, Political Violence, Proxy Voting, Freedom of Information Act, US Capitol Police, January 6

Tag: Freedom of Information Act

First Branch Forecast for October 17, 2022: Looking Ahead

First Branch Forecast for September 19, 2022: Fixing Congress

First Branch Forecast for May 23, 2022: Member Days

First Branch Forecast for April 4, 2022: 4/04 Resolution Not Found

First Branch Forecast for March 21, 2022: Not the Supremes

First Branch Forecast for February 28, 2022

Coalition Letter to AG Garland on Freedom of Information Act Compliance

First Branch Forecast: ModCom, PODA, PACER, + USCP 12/13/2021

Model Public Records Request Regulations For the US Capitol Police

Forecast for October 12, 2021

Forecast for September 27, 2021

Forecast for August 23, 2021

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