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Are House Waivers a Problem?

November 8, 2016  ·  LegBranch Team
Mark Strand and Tim Lang write in a new Congressional Institute short report: Although the House of Representatives adopts rules on the first day of each new Congress, the… Read More

Next Meeting Date: Monday, November 14, 12pm

October 27, 2016  ·  LegBranch Team
Source: Comic by Berryman via National Archives and Records Administration The next meeting of the Legislative Branch Capacity Working Group will be on Monday, November 14 at 12pm. We will… Read More

How Congress Has Advanced Civil Liberties

October 26, 2016  ·  Kevin Kosar, Adam Chan
Which branch of government comes to mind when you think of your rights? Many, if not most, Americans will think first of the judiciary. They might reference the Obergefell… Read More

Experts Call Upon Senate to Stabilize Committee Staff

October 19, 2016  ·  LegBranch Team
The Honorable Mitch McConnell, United States Senate The Honorable Harry Reid, United States Senate The Honorable John Cornyn, United States Senate The Honorable Dick Durbin, United States Senate October 18, 2016… Read More

Video: Meeting to Discuss Whether the Office of Technology Assessment Should Be Revived

October 18, 2016  ·  LegBranch Team
The speakers at this October 19, 2016 meeting of the Legislative Branch Capacity Working Group were: Kevin R. Kosar, R Street Institute John Costello, TechCongress Adam Keiper,… Read More

Office of Technology Assessment: Additional Background Material

October 13, 2016  ·  LegBranch Team
The House Committee on Science held a hearing on Congress and scientific knowledge on July 25, 2006. The Office of Technology Assessment, which had been defunded and shuttered 11… Read More

What Did the Office of Technology Assessment Do and Why Was It Defunded?

October 12, 2016  ·  LegBranch Team
Adam Keiper, editor of the New Atlantis, authored this fine essay on the Office of Technology Assessment. He interviewed former OTA staff in the course of researching the piece,… Read More

RSVP for the Wednesday, October 19, 2016 at 12pm in the Capitol Visitors Center

October 11, 2016  ·  LegBranch Team
The topic of the day is, “Should We Revive the Office of Technology?” Congress established the Office of Technology Assessment in 1972, during the same era when it strengthened… Read More

Is Congress Getting a Bum Rap?

October 10, 2016  ·  LegBranch Team
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

Can Caucuses Help Make Congress Great Again?

October 7, 2016  ·  LegBranch Team
President Obama meets with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in 2009. Source: Wikipedia. Well, maybe—or maybe not in their current form. Prof. Jennifer Victor of George Mason University writes: “The current… Read More