Article I Restoration Resolution Introduced

May 21, 2017
Rep. Warren Davidson, R-OH, introduced the Article One Restoration Resolution on May 17. The legislation, he stated in a “Dear colleague” letter,  “would require each relevant authorizing committee to… Read More

Is the Senate’s Russia Investigation Moving Too Fast?

May 19, 2017
The Washington Post‘s Paul Kane writes: “Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), the chairman and ranking minority party member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, are… Read More

Data Coalition Testifies on Forthcoming OPEN Government Data Act

March 29, 2017
Photo credit: Data Coalition. Hudson Hollister, Executive Director of the Data Coalition, testified before Congress this week regarding new legislation. “The DATA Act of 2014, which Ranking Member Cummings, then-Chairman… Read More

Promoting Transparency and Stakeholder Engagement in an Era of Complex Government

March 13, 2017
By Jarrett Dieterle It is a well-known tenet of democracy that citizens must have access to information about the government’s activities, as well as the means by which… Read More

Does Congress Need a Congressional Oversight Office?

January 31, 2017
Elaine Kamarck’s recent study, “A Congressional Oversight Office: A proposed early warning system for the United States Congress,” describes 1. Congress’ current abdication of its role as overseer… Read More

Open Data and Congressional Oversight

January 24, 2017
By Hudson Hollister In January 2012, I resigned from my Capitol Hill job to start an organization that I called the Data Transparency Coalition. Now called the… Read More

Overseeing the Executive: Does Congress Have Sufficient Staff?

December 16, 2016
Lee Drutman, co-director of the Legislative Branch Capacity Working Group, writes on Vox: So what accounts for the Senate’s almost 30-year drought of “notable investigations”? The most obvious explanation… Read More

Making Oversight Win-Win

December 8, 2016
Source: C-SPAN2 Mere mention of the word “oversight” can make a public administrator queasy. It’s not because bureaucracies inevitably have something tawdry or corrupt to hide. Indeed, government agencies often… Read More

Bridging the Separation of Powers

December 6, 2016
Source: Wikipedia The separation of powers is a hallmark of democratic systems. Power is divided among different branches or units of government. The legislature legislates, the executive executes and the… Read More

Is Congress Getting a Bum Rap?

October 10, 2016
Source: GPS.gov In short, yes, to a degree. Much of the work it does seldom appears in the news, so legislators get no credit.  So, thanks are owed to Michelle… Read More