Promoting Transparency and Accountability in Washington
When I was elected to Congress, I made a commitment to my constituents that my office would set the standard to be open and transparent. Throughout my first term in office, we have taken many steps to keep my commitment to make my work in Congress as transparent and accessible as possible.
Posting votes on Facebook
With over a billion daily active users, Facebook is one of the most visited websites on the Internet and one of the most popular social media platforms. Social media is a powerful tool to connect constituents with the policy making process. I use Facebook on a daily basis to share information about my work in Congress and across our great district. I put information about constituent meetings, video of various Congressional hearings, and share local news stories from around our region.
Importantly, I also use Facebook to post my legislative votes. Keeping my commitment to my constituents, I post a vote explanation on every bill that comes before Congress — from re-designating postal offices to a long-term highway bill.
While constituents may not agree with every vote I take, I strongly believe members of the public should have easily accessible and transparent access to my voting record. I also hope to serve as an example for other Members of Congress; in fact, over the course of my first term in office, other Members have approached me on the floor of the House to discuss my use of Facebook and express to me that they too will be posting their votes on their own pages.
Sponsored Bills on my Website
When in Washington, I am working hard to draft, debate and vote on legislation. In addition to posting votes on Facebook, I also devote an entire section of my website to my votes and my work on legislative initiatives. Our district deserves to have an easy and accessible way to find information on all of the bills I introduced or cosponsored. This page makes it simple and easy for users to research the bills I introduce or support as they move through the legislative process.
Weekly Schedule on My Website
In addition to posting daily activities to Facebook, on my website, you’ll find every week’s official schedule since the day I was sworn in. This provides constituents with the ability to see who I meet on their behalf, where I travel to in the district, and what hearings in Congress I attend, among other events.
I am always exploring ways to increase transparency and accountability in government, and I hope to lead by example. We live in a time where information is never further than your finger-tips, yet more and more Americans feel increasingly disconnected from their government. The process by which legislation is proposed, drafted and amended is complex, and I often hear that it is tough for constituents to follow bills as they move through this policy making process.
That is why, recently, I introduced the Establishing Digital Interactive Transparency (EDIT) Act to require the Library of Congress to implement a “track changes” system on Congress.gov , the official website for federal legislative information.
Similar to the popular Microsoft Word feature that allows users to see edits that are made to a particular document, this system will allow Americans to easily follow a bill from introduction to the President’s desk, while also seeing who is changing bill text, when and where these changes are taking place and what these changes will do to the original legislation.
I made a promise to my constituents to promote government accountability and transparency and I remain committed to using 21st century technology to achieve this goal.
Ensuring that information about votes that I take, the bills that I support, and that my day-to-day schedule is open and easily accessible to constituents is an important priority to ensure the American people become involved in the policy making process.
I will continue to encourage my colleagues in Congress to follow suit and be more transparent to their constituents — citizens deserve openness, honesty and accessibility from their elected officials.
