Hoyer Releases Digital Form for Services

Form Expected to Decrease Bottleneck in Offices

A new digital form for privacy has been released by Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) on his website, an idea that was borne out of the latest congressional Hackathon, co-hosted by the congressman. The form allows constituents to start cases with the congressman’s district staff caseworkers electronically, so they do not need a printer and scanner or a fax machine to communicate with his office. This is the first form of its kind within Congress.

Congressman Hoyer said using the digital forms will eliminate a significant bottleneck in his office, which has frustrated both constituents and district staff for years.

“Helping my constituents address issues they have with the federal government is a responsibility that I take very seriously,” Congressman Hoyer said. “Casework, like all government functions, should take advantage of the latest digital tools to make government more open and transparent, allowing our constituents to more easily interact with their representatives and see their issues addressed. I hope other members of Congress will adopt this process and join me in modernizing congressional casework.”

The idea for a digital privacy release form for congressional casework was recommended during the 2015 congressional Hackathon, co-hosted by Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Another congressional Hackathon was announced for this year, and has just begun. This relatively simple idea is common in the private sector, yet e-signature digital forms have remained rare in government, which creates massive bottlenecks for the public to get government services or help.

The law requires that every congressional office receives signed privacy release forms from constituents before helping them with any federal government agencies. Across the country, this step requires that people either physically visit a congressional district office or print a PDF, sign it, and then either fax or scan the form to return it to the congressional office. The new digital form will allow residents of Maryland’s 5th District to sign and submit the privacy release form within minutes through any Web browser.

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For more information about House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer, visit his Leader member page.