POPVOX Foundation Team Submits Public Witness Testimony for FY 2027 Legislative Branch Appropriations
POPVOX Foundation lays out practical FY2027 funding ideas to help Congress work smarter — boosting AI capacity, strengthening casework support, improving Member security, and modernizing operations. The proposals focus on faster tech adoption, better coordination with agencies, and stronger internal support systems so offices can serve constituents more effectively in a rapidly changing landscape.
Updated: Where the House and Senate Are on Internal Use of AI
A detailed overview of how the US House of Representatives and Senate are governing internal use of artificial intelligence, including a summary of current AI policies, approved tools, and key limitations on staff use.
What Is RAG And Why It Matters for Legislative AI Use Cases
Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) is a powerful approach that improves AI accuracy by grounding answers in trusted documents. For legislatures and government offices, RAG helps reduce hallucinations, surface relevant policies, and power reliable tools, making AI more transparent, accountable, and useful for Congressional and parliamentary workflows.
View From the West Balkans: North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Albania
An on-the-ground look at parliamentary modernization in North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Albania, highlighting how legislatures in Skopje, Pristina, and Tirana are approaching AI adoption with urgency and care. Conversations with MPs, parliamentary leaders, and the National Democratic Institute underscore a regional focus on legislative technology, institutional capacity, and cross-border collaboration to strengthen oversight and governance in the digital age.
The Call to Create the Congressional Capacity and Technology Office
As AI rapidly reshapes governance, Congress risks falling behind the institutions it oversees. POPVOX Foundation proposes creating the Congressional Capacity and Technology Office (C-TECH) to provide dedicated training, change management, and strategic tech support — strengthening Congress’s ability to oversee emerging technology effectively.
AI Resources for MPs and Parliament Staff
AI is already changing how parliaments operate, and MPs and staff need practical, responsible guidance. Drawing on global legislative use cases, this post introduces AI resources designed for parliamentary offices, including policy templates, research workflows, and custom AI tools. Built for busy legislatures, these guides help boost capacity, support smart adoption, and keep human accountability at the center of parliamentary work.
Year One of the Digital Parliaments Project: What We Accomplished in 2025 and What's Ahead for 2026
One year after Caribbean parliamentarians identified a shared need to modernize legislative operations, the Digital Parliaments Project marks a key milestone. The first year saw the launch of ParlLink, an open-source, AI-enabled platform supporting legislative digitization and data standardization across partner parliaments. In 2026, the project will expand to new countries, introduce additional AI-powered tools, and strengthen a global community focused on practical parliamentary modernization.
The Year of "and Innovation": What the House Modernization Report Reveals About Congress' Next Phase
An analysis of the House Subcommittee on Modernization and Innovation’s 2025 year-end report and what it signals about Congress’s next phase. The report highlights a shift toward transparency, realistic goal-setting, and new initiatives — from AI adoption to procurement reform — that will shape whether Congress can keep pace with technology and public expectations.
The Path Forward: Continuing the CAO's Legacy of Leadership
As Catherine Szpindor retires after reshaping the House’s modern infrastructure, Congress enters a high-stakes era where AI, post-Chevron demands, and decades of capacity loss make the next CAO appointment a generational decision for how effectively the institution can serve the American people.
Innovation in Action: Highlights from the 2025 Congressional Hackathon
The 2025 Congressional Hackathon brought Members of Congress, staff, technologists, and students together at the US Capitol for a day of collaboration, big announcements, and inspiring solutions from the next generation of innovators working to modernize Congress.
POPVOX Foundation Launches “AI Summer Camp” for Congressional Staff
POPVOX Foundation’s AI Summer Camp aims to encourage Members of Congress and their staff to dedicate meaningful time to explore use cases of institutionally approved LLMs. The project addresses the gap between Congressional offices' curiosity about the benefits and risks of using AI capabilities and the practical challenge of finding time to explore this emerging technology while having fun along the way.
New On-Demand Training, "GenAI in a Parliamentary Setting: Enhancing Productivity for Elected Officials"
"GenAI in a Parliamentary Setting: Enhancing Productivity for Elected Officials" is an introductory training video designed specifically for Members of Parliament who want to understand how commercially available Large Language Models (LLMs) can enhance their work serving constituents.
Introducing "Claude for Legislatures," A New Training Resource for Legislative Staff
"Claude for Legislatures" is a 101-style, on-demand training video designed specifically for legislative and parliamentary staff who want to explore how Anthropic's commercially available large language model (LLM) Claude can enhance their work.
Beta Takeaways: Key Lessons on StaffLinkBot.org
First-week observations and next steps for StaffLink, our publicly available, AI-powered chatbot designed with newly hired Hill staff and interns in mind.
Tech That Works: Exploring Product Model Funding for Government Technology
On May 12, the Niskanen Center and POPVOX Foundation hosted "Tech That Works: Unlocking Better Models for Digital Government," a briefing for Congressional staff focused on innovative approaches to funding the development of government technology.
Learning Together: A Morning Focused On Tech Innovations Solving Policy Challenges
On April 28, POPVOX Foundation partnered with the Bertelsmann Foundation to host “Learning Together: Technology Solutions for Policy Challenges,” a first-of-its-kind democratic technology showcase that brought together Congressional staffers, international peers, civil society, technology fellows, civic tech builders, and members of the public for networking and inspiration.
How the Congressional App Competition Can Build the Tech Pipeline to Congress
#HouseOfCode marks the culmination of the Congressional App Competition, where students from across the nation and territories develop apps for recognition by their representatives in Congress.
Bridging the Implementation Gap: Key Insights for Congressional Staff
On March 24, POPVOX Foundation and the Niskanen Center hosted "The Implementation Gap: Turning Legislative Intent into Executive-Led Outcomes," a panel discussion offering insights and solutions for Congressional staff taking on the challenge of translating legislative intent into effective policy implementation.
Congressional Hackathon 5.0 Recap
A recap of Congressional Hackathon 5.0, co-hosted by the Speaker of the House, Minority Leader of the House, and the CAO.
Artificial Intelligence and Large Language Models
This written submission is offered jointly by Westminster Foundation for Democracy and POPVOX Foundation to the UK House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee with regards to its post-legislative scrutiny inquiry of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 (“the Lobbying Act”).