Here’s an update on the likely chapters of our final report:

CRS: Congressional Research Service reports are created through public funding, and should be publicly available. While keeping the needs of legislators and CRS researchers in mind, Congress should recognize CRS reports as a public resource, and standardize and centralize a process for making them available online. They have the potential to elevate the public debate.

Journalism Access: Access to House video feeds is granted to accredited journalists, and accreditation is given by press galleries, which operate under the approval of the Speaker, according to House Rules. Gallery level access should be considered for non-institution journalists, given the rapid growth of internet based reporting. The public also has an interest in opening the House video feeds to non-commercial distribution, since granting access only to commercial enterprises virtually guarantees that legislative videos are distributed under copyright restrictions, and in proprietary formats.

Committee Websites: Committee information should also be recognized as a public resource. The Speaker, caucus, or conference should set guidelines for committee sites, encouraging standardized format. The following should be included: testimony, links to legislation, votes, schedules, earmark lists, reports, and transcripts/video/audio. Transcripts are a particularly valuable tool for those following issues or legislation, as the Senate realized in passing the Salazar/Obama amendment to S.1 in January 2007. The House should follow the Senate’s lead.

THOMAS: Public access to legislation and Congressional information should be as advanced as the interior Legislative Information System. XML publishing allows legislation and other congressional data to be put to new uses and would give them new life on the internet. Structured information can change the way the public interacts with legislation.

Franking Rules: Committees and Representatives’ internet use is governed by the Franking Commission, treating web pages like direct mail. While still prohibiting campaigning, the Franking Commission should recognize the internet’s potential uses for organizing and engaging in public debate, and loosen antiquated restrictions. Websites can help committees and Representatives do their jobs better, if restrictions are clear and appropriate.

Clerk: Some public information can be made meaningfully available from the office of the clerk if published online: Travel Gift Reports, Lobbyist Disclosure Reports, Personal Financial Disclosure Forms, and Roll Call Votes.

Historical Preservation: House web content should be recognized as historical, and archiving strategies should be adopted that take these concerns into account.

If you have any suggestions or feedback, we’d love to hear what you have to say.