Top 10 Steps to Make the U.S. House More Open

The Open House Project is working to open up the U.S. House to new technologies of Web-based access:

We’re trying to find the least intrusive ways to open up the House, the low-hanging fruit where the internet and Congressional procedures come together.

Their report to Representative Pelosi identifies 10 steps to take to make the House more open and accessible to citizens:

1. Legislation database.
   • Publish legislative data in structured formats.
2. Preserving congressional information.
   • Protect congressional information through archiving and distribution.
3. Congressional committees.
   • Recognize committees as a public resource by making committee information available online.
4. Congressional Research Service.
   • Share nonpartisan research beyond Congress.
5. Web access for members.
   • Permit members to take full advantage of Internet resources.
6. Citizen journalism access.
   • Grant House access to non-traditional journalists.
7. The Office of the Clerk of the House.
   • Serve as a source for digital disclosure information.
8. The Congressional Record.
   • Maintain the veracity of a historical document.
9. Congressional video.
   • Create open video access to House proceedings.
10. Coordinating Web standards.
    • Commit to technology reform as an administrative priority.

Republican David All and Democrat Philip de Vellis have collaborated on a video to promote the recommendations: