Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Witnesses push wide-ranging modernization for Congress: data officers, report access and oversight tools
Summary
Multiple witnesses told the subcommittee that Congress should invest in institutional data capacity, better public access to agency and CRS reports, a chief data officer, stronger reporting for House modernization funds, and other transparency measures to improve oversight and efficiency.
A series of witnesses at the House Appropriations Subcommittee's fiscal year 2026 public witness hearing urged investments to improve congressional capacity for oversight, information access and modernization.
Speakers representing think tanks, nonprofit organizations and advocacy projects outlined a package of proposals that included creating a legislative-branch chief data officer (CDO), expanding public access to agency and Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports, restoring House modernization account funding, and improving the public-facing information produced by House offices.
Nick Hart, president and CEO of the Data Foundation, told the subcommittee Congress should "establish a chief data officer function within the legislative branch as part of the current appropriations process" to coordinate data catalogs, enable privacy‑preserving technologies, and reduce duplication across offices. "A congressional CDO can help coordinate this existing data function without replacing a lot of the great…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
