United States House Administration Subcommittee on Modernization

Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress

Select committee
Defunct United States House of Representatives 117th Congress
History
Formed	January 4, 2019
Disbanded	January 3, 2023
Leadership
Chair	Derek Kilmer (D)
Vice chair	William Timmons (R)
Structure
Seats	12
Political parties	Majority (6)   Democratic (6) Minority (6)   Republican (6)
Jurisdiction
Purpose	Investigate, study, make findings, hold public hearings, and develop recommendations to make Congress more effective, efficient, and transparent on behalf of the American people.
Senate counterpart	None

The House Administration Subcommittee on Modernization, is the successor to the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, a select committee that was established by H.Res. 6 on January 4, 2019, and was tasked to investigate, study, make findings, hold public hearings, and develop recommendations to make Congress more effective, efficient, and transparent.^[1][2] The Select Committee was a bipartisan committee, with an equal number of Republican and Democratic members.^[3] The Committee on House Administration, which had been charged with implementing most recommendations from the Select Committee, established the Subcommittee on Modernization in the 118th Congress to continue the Select Committee’s work and to implement recommendations. While the subcommittee continues to follow most of the practices of its predecessor, including even, bipartisan membership, the subcommittee was granted legislative jurisdiction by the Rules of the Committee on House Administration.

H.Res. 6, which was introduced by Rep. Steny Hoyer, was approved by an overwhelming majority of 418–12.^[4] Following the installation of the inaugural 12 members, interest was expressed from the left-leaning Demand Progress, the Republican-aligned Congressional Institute and the nonaligned Bipartisan Policy Center.^[5] For its part, Roll Call commented that:

The committee offers evidence of lawmakers’ own angst with the legislative body’s waning power and dwindling resources. It also highlights concerns on and off Capitol Hill about the revolving door between Congress and K Street, where, because of high turnover, lobbyists often wield more institutional knowledge and policy gravitas than congressional aides.

— Kate Ackley, Roll Call^[5]

The Select Committee, was originally set to expire in February 2020; however, the House voted on November 14, 2019, to extend the committee's work to the end of the 116th Congress. On January 4, 2021, the House once again officially reauthorized the Select Committee for the 117th Congress.^[2]

Although the Select Committee did not have legislative jurisdiction, it has regularly released recommendations to the House.^[2] On December 10, 2019, the Select Committee members introduced H.Res.756 which incorporates 29 of the recommendations passed by the Select Committee to improve transparency, accessibility and communication throughout the House. The resolution was passed with a 395–13 vote.^[6]

• Archived version of the now-defunct official website
• Committee activity on Congress.gov
• Committee hearings on C-SPAN:
  • 116th Congress
  • 117th Congress
• Committee page on USGPO