Congressional Modernization Tracker

Throughout its four years of operation the Modernization Committee passed 202 recommendations aimed at improving the functioning of Congress. These recommendations were all passed on a bipartisan basis, most were passed unanimously, and over two-thirds of the recommendations were fully or partially implemented by the time the Committee ceased operations at the end of 2022. As noted in its Final Report,

“The Modernization Committee is one of the only congressional reform entities that has worked to hold itself accountable and work to monitor and implement its recommendations during the Committee’s tenure. According to a longtime Congressional Research Service expert, the Committee is also the premier example of a reform committee when it comes to implementation of its recommendations while the Committee is still standing.” 

Appendix I and II from the Committee’s final report assigned status categories to each of the recommendations to reflect their varying degrees of progress toward implementation:

• Closed-Implemented: An entity has taken action pursuant to a recommendation that addresses the problem that prompted the recommendation.
• Closed-Resolved: An entity has taken action or provided additional information independently of the literal recommendation but that still addresses the problem that prompted the recommendation.
• Open-Partially Implemented: Elements of the recommendation have been fully implemented, or administrative or legislative actions to implement the recommendation are at an advanced stage of progress.
• Open-In Progress: Administrative or legislative actions to implement the recommendation have begun.
• Open-Needs Attention: No meaningful progress towards implementation of the recommendation has taken place.
• Closed-Unimplemented: The Committee determined that further action to implement the recommendation is either impossible or highly unlikely due to technical or logistical barriers.

In the 118th Congress, the House of Representatives created the Subcommittee on Modernization within the Committee on House Administration to continue implementation efforts of the Select Committee’s recommendations and to explore additional areas where modernization is needed. Since forming, the Modernization Subcommittee has worked with institutional partners to fully implement eleven recommendations (below).

Recommendations Implemented in the 118th Congress