March 29, 2024

Hoyer Speaks at Hackathon

Hackathon

House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) spoke during the third annual congressional Hackathon, which he co-hosted with Leader Kevin McCarthy to create a collaborative effort between digital innovators with Members and staff to discuss using new ways to use technology to make Congress more open and transparent.

The Hackathon is one of the most unique events hosted by Congress, partly because it has the potential to transform Congress and make the government more transparent.

During his speech, Whip Hoyer thanked his co-host, Leader McCarthy, and his staff, as well as his partner for the original Hackathon in 2011, Eric Cantor.

“It is important that we take a step away from the partisan back-and-forth, and find ways, like this Hackathon, to come together to engage the public in a positive way to make Congress more open and transparent,” Whip Hoyer said.

As the day began, Whip Hoyer said that while it’s impossible to know ahead of time where the conversations between collaborators will lead, they do know that the event will inspire innovative new projects, both inside and outside of Congress.

Since the first Hackathon, Congress.gov has allowed the release of open-source legislative data in machine-readable formats for use by third-party sites, as well as the development of a bipartisan Modernization Task Force. There has also been major change in the world of technology outside Capitol Hill, as new technology connects citizens with government leaders in ways that were never before imaginable.

Whip Hoyer has been working with the Democratic caucus to bring it up to date with the latest technology, running the House Democratic Social Media Contest each summer and creating an intensive digital training program known as the Digital Academy. Fifty staffers have graduated from the program so far.

Whip Hoyer’s office manages the House Democrats’ official Resume Bank, a digital platform that allows anyone to enter their resume and for current staffers to submit their recommendations. Because of this new format, the House Democratic staff has become more diverse.

“Last spring, my office launched Whip Watch 2.0, a major update to our popular app, which has 5,000 active users, including members, staff, and people off-the-Hill, who can use the app to follow live votes and the release of House floor information,” Whip Hoyer said. “All of these efforts – both bipartisan and within our respective parties – have the same goal: helping restore faith in government by making it more transparent, more accessible to those served, and more effective.”

By renewing Americans’ faith in their government, the leaders hope to help solve problems and improve lives. By using these new technologies, Congress can achieve these goals in new ways, he said.

Still, there are more steps to be taken toward the goal of more trust in government.

“I marvel at the thought of how new digital innovations will transform Congress and the legislative process over the next several years. And I’m excited to be a part of that ongoing transformation, along with Leader McCarthy,” Whip Hoyer said.

Whip Hoyer and his colleagues on both sides of the party aisle recently signed a bill into law called the Modernizing Government Technology Act, to fund major upgrades to systems across the federal government. These upgrades will help federal agencies serve the American people more quickly and safely.

Whip Hoyer wrapped up his speech by thanking Hackathon participants for their work. “I thank all of you for being here, to be part of the solution, to work to improve our great institution that is the United States Congress,” he said.

Follow Congressman Hoyer on Facebook and Twitter.

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

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