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Committee member raises safety concerns; witness says moderation and randomized sampling reduced abusive submissions
Summary
A committee member said lawmakers have faced death threats and increased security budgets; the witness said in an NSF-funded study of deliberative forums with more than 1,400 submitted questions, none had to be removed for abusive content and that moderation and randomized sampling help reduce hostility.
During the same House Administration Committee exchange, Speaker 1 raised member safety as a central concern, saying lawmakers have received death threats and that the committee has "worked very hard to increase the security budget of most of our members," including the use of security details in some cases.
Speaker 1 asked whether deliberative forums can "take down the temperature" at the outset to protect members while preserving access. Speaker 2 replied that randomized sampling and careful moderation make forums less likely to attract abusive behavior. Citing an NSF-funded project, Speaker 2 said, "Over 1,400 questions submitted in the first round that we did. 0, not once, did we have to pull it out," referring to abusive, inciting or vulgar submissions.
Speaker 2 pointed to multiple design features that helped: online delivery, active moderation, and visible civility from other participants and members. Speaker 2 also said moderation and the platform's design discourage disruptive conduct by making civil behavior the visible norm.
The transcript records no formal change in security policy or a vote; the exchange concluded with Speaker 1 thanking the witness.
