Good Governance Update: Innovating and Holding Lawmakers Accountable

Posted by on August 02, 2019 at 11:44 AM

Featured Blog Post: Blocking Critics on Twitter: What Congress Should Know

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It’s time for another Democracy Field Overview update! For those who are relatively new to the Weekly Update...approximately once a month we give a quick overview of the latest happenings in one sector of the democracy movement. There are three sectors in all -- Civic Engagement, Electoral Systems & Campaigns, and Governance & Policymaking -- and we rotate through them every three months. This month, we are once again focusing on Governance & Policymaking; a.k.a. Promoting good governance.

Bridge Alliance members continue to encourage policymakers to be forward-thinking in both the how and the what of policymaking. First, in terms of how…

  • TechCongress is still accepting applicants for its Congressional Innovation Fellowship program, as it seeks to bring Congress into the 21st century.
  • Issue One, the Congressional Management Foundation, and the R Street Institute each took time to praise the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress’ second set of reform recommendations. The package includes:
    • Offering new-Member orientation in a nonpartisan way
    • Making cybersecurity training mandatory for Members
    • Allowing Member offices to test new technologies
    • Requiring House broadcasts to offer closed caption service

Second, in terms of what… 

  • This month, the Millennial Action Project hosted a Red and Blue Dialogue titled “The Future of Work” in Sheboygan, Wisconsin to discuss bi-partisan solutions to the problems facing the local community. Among the attendees were Wisconsin Future Caucus members Tyler Vorpagel (R-27) and Daniel Riemer (D-7).
  • Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) joined FMC’s Congressional Study Group on Germany as its Republican Senate co-chair. The purpose of the group is to bring together bipartisan groups from Congress and the German Bundestag to discuss various issues affecting the two nations. It is one of four legislative exchanges housed by FMC – the others focus on Japan, Korea, and Europe.
  • In late June, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget announced US Budget Watch 2020, which will educate the public on the budget and hold presidential candidates accountable for the fiscal impact of their proposals.

Good governance requires sound process and a sober look at results. Bridge Alliance members continue to promote both and we look forward to bringing you up to speed on their successes in the months and years to come.

As always, thank you for your support,

Sincerely,

Bridge Alliance Education Fund

Think we missed a big news story involving a Bridge Alliance member? Email us at [email protected] and we'll make sure to get the story out on social media.

 

Bridge Alliance Members in the News:

Bridge the Divide - Yahoo News - First-ever Mayors National Youth Summit unites young leaders and mayors across US

American Promise - The Fulcrum - Five reasons unlimited spending undermines American democracy

Independent Voter Project - CALmatters - Lawsuit: California should open its presidential primary to independents