Future-Proofing Congress: Next Steps on New AI Rules
House Rules for the 119th call for expanded AI efforts; bipartisan call for new parents’ proxy voting denied
In August 2024, we at POPVOX Foundation published our “Future-Proofing Congress” report to chronicle the many accomplishments of Congressional modernization efforts over recent years and the work to keep that momentum going. This newsletter (now a Substack!) provides regular updates and deep dives on those efforts.
With the recent swearing in of 70+ new Members in the House and Senate to start the 119th Congress, we note that one of the most important modernizing influences on the first branch of government is the “fresh eyes” and fresh perspectives of the people who work there. We’re digging that “new Congress” feeling of furniture rearranging, freshly painted walls, new committee assignments, and a return to double- and triple-digit bill numbers on Congress.gov. It’s a reminder to appreciate the important traditions of the institution and to help it continue evolving to meet the needs and priorities of the American people.
To all the new folks making their way to DC or setting up state and district offices, we extend a wholehearted “welcome to Congress!” And to the Members, staffers, interns, Capitol Police, journalists, advocates, think tankers, and all who make up our Legislative branch, thank you for your service and Happy 119th!
Up this month:
Big steps with AI guidance in the House Rules package
Proxy voting push for new parents denied as legal challenge looms
Members get a raise (not in Congress, silly)
Learning from AI-in-legislatures adoption around the world
Warmly,
Marci Harris
Cofounder and Executive Director
POPVOX Foundation
Programming Note: We bid farewell and big thanks to our colleague Taylor J. Swift, who recently joined the Rebuild Congress Initiative to bolster cross-partisan relations. Our Director of Government Innovation, Aubrey Wilson, will return as editor next month as she wraps up maternity leave and welcoming two new additions to the fam. (We understand they have fully embraced the C-SPAN lullaby).
New House Rules Call for Continued AI Efforts
One of the first actions taken by the House in the 119th Congress (after electing a Speaker and taking the oath of office) was to pass a Rules package (H. Res. 8) that included language directing the Committee on House Administration and House officers to “continue efforts to integrate artificial intelligence technologies into the operations and functions of the House:”
(j) ADDRESSING THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.—The Committee on House Administration, the Clerk, the Chief Administrative Officer, and other officers and officials of the House shall continue efforts to integrate artificial intelligence technologies into the operations and functions of the House in the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress, in furtherance of the institutional priorities outlined in the House Information Technology Policy Artificial Intelligence (AI), which shall include—
(1) incorporating appropriate guardrails and specific AI principles from HITPOL 8 that will guide both Members and institutional offices if they choose to incorporate this technology into their operations;
(2) exploring the use of AI applications to streamline administrative processes and enhance decision-making capabilities for House staff; and
(3) continuing to advance AI-driven tools to support effective oversight through efficient legislative drafting, analysis, and comparative assessments of legislative texts.
This language reflects the growing recognition of AI's transformative potential in governance and the proactive approach embraced by the House of Representatives since 2023. And we at POPVOX Foundation have some suggestions for keeping this momentum going, including:
Revising the current AI HITPOL 8.0 policy to encourage responsible innovation and prioritize Members’ representational duties
Forming an AI Working Group to coordinate House efforts with technical, policy, and oversight experts, supported by an external advisory panel
Expanding AI training for staff and funding AI-driven initiatives at CRS, GAO, and CBO as well as pilot projects led by House Digital Services
Related:
The Committee on House Administration released its final 2024 flash report on AI strategy and implementation in the 118th Congress.
DropSite news appears to have busted the first all-robot think tank (seriously!).
Refresh your AI skills with sample prompts to integrate GenAI in your workflow and share this cheat-sheet with new interns.
Proxy Voting Push for New Parents Blocked
In response to a bipartisan push for a twelve-week proxy voting rule for new parents, Speaker Johnson [R, LA] restated his belief that the practice is unconstitutional. In October 2024, Johnson joined nine House colleagues in an amicus brief coordinated by the Mountain States Legal Foundation in Texas v. DOJ, challenging the legality of proxy voting, which is before the Fifth Circuit. In 2022, the Supreme Court declined to consider a challenge to the DC Circuit’s finding in a similar case that the Speech or Debate Clause in Article I insulates the resolution from judicial review. The case is tentatively set for oral argument the week of February 24.
On January 9, 2025, Reps. Brittany Pettersen [D, CO] and Anna Paulina Luna [R, FL], joined by Reps. Sara Jacobs [D, CA] and Mike Lawler [R, NY], introduced a House resolution to allow for proxy voting for new parents for up to twelve weeks or if a pregnancy-related condition prevents travel, ensuring that Members who cannot be physically present for votes could still represent their constituents. In a new Newsweek op-ed, former Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler [R, WA] and Stephanie Murphy [D, FL] argued for bringing back proxy voting to better support new parents (and attract younger people to run for Congress).
Lawmakers Get a Raise (Not in Congress, Though)
With a letter from the governor, 200 lawmakers in the Massachusetts legislature got an 11% raise, corresponding to the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey finding that the median household income for the Commonwealth rose 11.39% in the previous two-year period. (Bay State lawmakers can opt out of the increase.)
A final continuing resolution approved in December removed a proposed increase to the Members Representational Allowance (MRA) to give Members of Congress a 3.8% cost-of-living increase.
The 27th Amendment prohibits Congress from raising its own pay in the same session, meaning any pay increase they approve would not take effect until the next Congress. This provision ensures that Members cannot grant themselves immediate financial benefits, maintaining a level of accountability to the electorate. However, the lack of cost-of-living adjustments over the past fifteen years has led to growing concerns about the impact on Congressional staff retention, recruitment, and overall institutional effectiveness.
***And if you don’t know the absolutely gob-smacking totally true story about how a bad grade on a college essay led to the ratification of the 27th Amendment, you should stop what you are doing and go watch this Daily Show video right now.***
Welcome to Washington, Kiddos of the 119th!
On January 3, POPVOX Foundation Advisor for Congressional Initiatives Danielle Stewart (who has staffed several new Members of Congress during the frenetic Freshman days) made the rounds on Capitol Hill distributing copies of “Welcome to Washington,” an illustrated children’s book that gives Congressional kids an opportunity to learn and explore what makes our nation’s capital — and their parents’ new job — so special. Browse the book. If your office would like a copy, please contact danielle@popvox.org.
Security Tip of the Month
Every day, Congressional offices handle thousands of pieces of sensitive information from constituents nationwide. Passport requests, immigration cases, and medical information are routinely shared with staff and stored in the office. While it can feel routine for staff to manage this data, it is important to remember that the loss or misuse of this information can leave constituents vulnerable to identity theft and other crimes. While the Legislative branch exempts itself from many laws around privacy and government information, Members of Congress and casework teams have an important ethical obligation to handle constituent data responsibly, keeping it safe from exposure, loss, or theft.
With more than 60 new Member offices getting set up in-district, POPVOX Foundation’s Deputy Director Anne Meeker has an important piece written here from our Casework Navigator about safeguarding constituent information, including developing document-handling protocols for district offices.
If you’re a caseworker or interested in staying updated on casework, subscribe to the Casework Navigator for more timely updates.
The Comparative View - Inspiration from Parliaments Around the World
A new paper from experts at the University of Bologna explores the growing role of artificial intelligence in legislative processes worldwide. “AI in Parliamentary Contexts” highlights examples, such as Finland's experiment with AI “personalities” that “answered” questions on business innovation and environmental sustainability at a hearing. And Chile's CAMINAR platform, which uses large language models and AI tools to analyze amendments, assess regulatory impacts, and track legislative progress.
The paper also discusses Italy's adoption of automatic transcription technology to convert debates into real-time text, and Brazil’s "Ulysses," which analyzes public feedback on bills using natural language processing.
For more news from international legislatures, subscribe to our Modern Parliament (“ModParl”) newsletter.
Stay in the Game
Congress is a demanding environment that requires you to be intentional about your work-life balance. You could take a cue from former Rep. Brian Baird [D, WA], whose team called his non-negotiable calendar blocks the “Members’ Health Committee” so the Congressman could squeeze a gym visit into his packed day.
Need some inspiration for your (or your boss’) self-care routine? Get advice directly from current and former Members on how to set boundaries, build long-lasting relationships on the Hill, and more in Gavel In’s episode on “I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now” featuring Reps. Bryan Steil [R, WI], Stephanie Bice [R, OK], Kat Cammack [R, FL], Maxwell Frost [D, FL], and former Reps. Ed Perlmutter [D, CO], Rodney Davis [R, IL], and Brian Baird [D, WA].
Have a favorite self-care tip you’d like to share? Email us!
Shout Outs & Events
Learn how the Library of Congress is using AI to analyze legislative data and more at Rebooting Democracy’s talk with Library of Congress Director of Digital Strategy on January 23 at 5 PM ET.
Join a virtual discussion on January 22 at 9 AM ET, hosted by the International Parliamentary Engagement Network and the Inter-Parliamentary Union on “What AI may mean for public engagement with parliaments.”
Stop by the Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds’ first pop-up tabling event on January 22 from 12-1:30 PM in the Longworth Cafeteria where experts will be onsite to answer questions.
The Federal Register Modernization Act of 2024, requiring GPO to electronically publish the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations online, is now law.
New Senate Budget Committee report and dataset provides county-level data on dropped homeowner insurance non-renewals across all 50 states and DC since 2018.
A paid Leg. branch fellowship is available for PhD students in economics and economics-adjacent fields (public policy, health policy) to spend a year in a dissertation fellows program at the Congressional Budget Office, Congressional Research Service, or the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.
Now you can easily view the House and Senate calendars in Google Calendar or iCal/Outlook, courtesy of the American Governance Institute.
Is GenAI increasing public engagement in rulemakings? Public comments to the Federal Trade Commission grew from 13,000 five years ago to more than 100,000 in 2024.
X announced mandatory labeling requirements for parody accounts.
The Future is Now
The Congressional Budget Office projects that the US population will increase from 350 million people in 2025 to 372 million in 2055, significantly affecting the economy and the federal budget.
The Government Accountability Office reported on the lack of privacy protections and user control of brain signal data for people using brain-computer interfaces that allow people with disabilities to control devices using brain signals.
The European Union mandated USB-C as the official common standard for charging electronic devices. This will allow people to charge their devices with any USB-C charger, regardless of the device brand.
Thompson-Reuters launched “AI Sandbox” for courts.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says “swarms of AI agents” will function as digital workers to improve operational efficiency.
Leaders of frontier AI labs are all predicting a fast approaching “flood of intelligence.”
In what could be a judicial first, a Florida county judge used a virtual reality headset to perceive the perspective of the defendant at a stand-your-ground hearing in December.
We apologize in advance for linking to this New York Times piece on “AI boyfriends.”
About POPVOX Foundation
POPVOX Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission to inform and empower people and make government work better for everyone. POPVOX Foundation is focused on ensuring that democratic institutions are equipped to address the “pacing problem” — the gap between emerging technologies and governance.