Reforming Congress – Hugh Halpern, Director of the U.S. Government Publishing Office

May 17, 2022  

  • Video
  • 00:15 – Background
  • 04:56 – “What was the same and what was different about your different roles?”
  • 10:24 – On serving as a floor director in the House of Representatives
  • 16:29 – On the Government Publishing Office (GPO) and how it serves Congress specifically
  • 25:41 – What deliverables does GPO produce?
  • 30:07 – Considering all the information that Congress generates, how is it determined what will be preserved by GPO and what will not be preserved?
  • 33:48 – Is there information that should be preserved by GPO that is not currently preserved?
  • 37:04 – Does GPO participate in creating data standards for congressional entities and legislative activities?
  • 39:27 – How GPO is modernizing its processes
  • 50:22 – Who are the audiences for these publications you maintain, and how do you distribute it? Is it just the government or the public at large
  • 54:47 – How has it been running GPO two years in?
    [Lightning Round]
  • 59:56 – What do you think congressional representation should mean?
  • 1:03:08 – How would your ideal Congress allocate its time?
  • 1:06:21 – How should debate, deliberation, or dialogue occur or be structured in Congress?
  • 1:09:16 – What fundamental institutional improvement should Congress make in the next 50 years?
  • 1:11:07 – What book or article most-shaped your thinking with respect to congressional reform?
  • 1:21:41 – Long term plans
Hugh-Halpern-Transcription-Draft