Government spending package includes money for House modernization efforts

"Tucked within one of the full-year appropriation bills attached to the recently passed continuing resolution that ended the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history is new modernization funding for Congress. The Modernization Initiatives Account - established in 2020 to improve the operations of the House of Representatives - received $4 million in appropriations. This money could be helpful in funding ongoing modernization projects in Congress and implementing"

""From providing closed captioning service in committees and the House gallery, to developing a first-of-its-kind legislative staff directory, to building a comprehensive constituent casework tracker, the MIA plays a critical role in bringing the best modernization ideas to life," Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., chair of the modernization subcommittee, said in a statement. The $4 million is less than the $10 million requested for the account, but still doubles what the modernization fund received in fiscal year 2025."

The Modernization Initiatives Account received $4 million in appropriations within a full-year appropriation bill tied to the recent continuing resolution. The account, established in 2020, supports House operational improvements and funds ongoing modernization projects. The funding can help implement recommendations from the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress and sustain work through the House Administration Committee's modernization subcommittee. House efforts include creating an anonymized constituent casework dashboard to reveal systemic agency issues. A Senate report asks the Senate Sergeant at Arms to recommend steps for supporting casework operations and to partner with the House on modernization tools.

Read at Nextgov.com