Kilmer to Continue Work to “Fix Congress” Through Appointment to New Modernization Subcommittee
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) announced that he was appointed to the Committee on House Administration by Ranking Member Joe Morelle (NY-25) to serve as the senior Democrat on the new Subcommittee on Modernization during the 118th Congress. The Subcommittee is expected to focus broadly on House modernization efforts and oversee the ongoing implementation of bipartisan recommendations made by the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress (SCMC) in the 116th Congress and 117th Congress. U.S. Representative Stephanie Bice (OK-05) will serve as the Subcommittee’s Chair.
“More than four years ago, the ‘Fix Congress Committee’ came together with the sole mission of making Congress work better for the American people,” said Rep. Kilmer. “I look forward to working with Chair Stephanie Bice and members of the Committee to figure out how we can continue to build a Congress that is more efficient, effective, and responsive.”
In 2019, Rep. Kilmer was appointed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve as the Chairman of the newly formed SCMC. Over four years, Rep. Kilmer led the bipartisan work to identify opportunities for congressional reform to help make Congress work better for the American people. During this time, the Committee passed 202 bipartisan recommendations that aim to improve and strengthen the House.
Unlike many other reform efforts, SCMC chose to not only focus on making recommendations but also assisted with implementation efforts. This has allowed the committee to make progress on 132 of the 202 recommendations passed in the 116th and 117th Congress. At the end of the 117th Congress, this included 45 recommendations of which have been fully implemented and 87 recommendations that have been partially implemented. The Modernization Subcommittee is expected to continue implementation efforts in the 118th Congress.
In a change from most congressional committees and subcommittees, seats on the Subcommittee on Modernization in the 118th Congress will be evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, continuing a precedent set by the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress.
On December 20, 2022, the SCMC released its final report, which details the sum of the Committee’s findings and recommendations in the 117th Congress.