AI Tools for Casework: A Guide for Congressional Staff
AI Tools for Casework: A Guide for Congressional Staff, shares a few starting points for caseworkers to use tools like ChatGPT in casework, including sample prompts.
FY24 Eligible Accounts for Earmark Funding
Eligible account descriptions and sample projects for FY24 Member Directed Spending (“earmarks”).
Recommendations for a more constituent-friendly Congress
Earlier this month, I had the top-of-the-bucket-list chance to testify at a House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress on constituent services, and building a more customer-friendly Congress (video and transcript available here). As a former caseworker, it meant so much to be asked to come to DC to talk about casework, and share a starting-point vision for how Congress can capture the potential inherent in casework, and the expertise and talents of caseworkers across the country. The hearing covered so much ground, and it still only managed to scratch the surface of what’s possible and needed to push casework into the 21st century.
POPVOX FOUNDATION, FIRST BRANCH INTERN PROJECT HOST FIRST IN-PERSON “INTERNAPALOOZA”
The POPVOX Foundation and the organizations of the First Branch Intern Project hosted the first in-person “Internapalooza,” orientation and welcome event for the Summer class of Congressional interns, in collaboration with the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress (aka “ModCom”), June 16-17, 2022.
House vs. Senate Earmark Accounts FY23
Last year, the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations announced the return of Member-Directed Spending, also known as “earmarks.” In the FY22 appropriations cycle, differences between the House and Senate processes, including mismatched eligible spending accounts, were some of the biggest unanswered questions of the reinstated process. This year, while there are still some discrepancies, the lists of eligible accounts in the House and Senate are very similar. We have provided a list below.
Earmarks word for FY23: “executability”
On March 31, POPVOX Foundation joined Bipartisan Policy Center and the Black Women’s Congressional Alliance to host a staff information-sharing session in collaboration with the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress.
Eligible Accounts for Earmark Funding
Eligible account descriptions and sample projects for FY22 Member Directed Spending (“earmarks”).
POPVOX FOUNDATION, FIRST BRANCH INTERN PROJECT HOST SECOND “INTERNAPALOOZA”
The POPVOX Foundation and the organizations of the First Branch Intern Project hosted the second “Internapalooza,” in collaboration with the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress (aka “ModCom”) on January 13-21st.
Leaving the Hill Part II: Landing on Your Feet
You’ve decided—for whatever reasons, and in whatever circumstances — that it is time to move on from Congress.
This article addresses the nuts and bolts of how to leave smart, what to expect when you do, and four steps in your transition.
This National Intern Day: Announcing ‘Intern-a-Palooza!’
This National Intern Day, the POPVOX Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of the Fall 2021 Intern Orientation, also known as Intern-a-Palooza! This two-day free orientation and welcome event for Congressional interns is hosted by the POPVOX Foundation and organizations involved in the First Branch Intern Project, in collaboration with the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. The event is intended to provide a warm welcome and words of advice to all Congressional interns—remote, DC, District, and prospective interns considering a future application—as they kick off their internships.
Assessing Member Office Implementation and Uptake of Member Directed Spending Programs, AKA “Earmarks” (Thus Far)
Over the past several months, we took a look at how Members messaged reinstated Member-directed spending (aka ‘earmark’) programs to their constituents, how they publicly indicated an intention to participate, and what lessons can be learned about the new program thus far.
When it’s time to leave Congress: Part 1, planning your next steps
For Congressional staff thinking of leaving the Hill, the options can feel overwhelming. We talked to former staffers in a variety of industries and career paths about their best advice for leaving the Hill and landing on your feet.
House vs. Senate Member-Directed Spending
Both the House and Senate have reinstated Member-Directed Spending programs (formerly known as ‘earmarks’) this year, but there are some significant differences between the chambers. Below, we’ve provided some comparison, including differences between which eligible accounts are accepting Member-Directed Spending requests in both chambers. Resolving how to handle asymmetrical eligible accounts will happen in Conference after the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have both passed spending bills.
What Congress Can Learn from Social Workers About Workplace Safety
As Congressional offices prepare to open to the public for the first time since the pandemic and with the January 6th attack still very much top of mind for many staffers, we turned to the National Association of Social Workers to learn from the experience of social workers.