The Year of "and Innovation": What the House Modernization Report Reveals About Congress' Next Phase

BY CAITLIN MCNALLY

At the end of 2025, the House Subcommittee on Modernization and Innovation released its year-end report. With 22 more recommendations closed, the total closed rises to 132 of the original 202 passed by the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. Beyond just tallying completions, the report reflects a broader shift in how the Subcommittee defines progress. This shift is also captured in its name change, when in January 2025 it became the Subcommittee on Modernization and Innovation. In practice, that evolution means continuing inherited work where it still delivers value, discerning what is no longer fit for purpose, and launching new initiatives the Select Committee never imagined.

The report shows that the Subcommittee understands that it must evolve its goals as technology evolves. Constituents won’t measure progress by how many recommendations are implemented but by how well the Subcommittee on Modernization and Innovation is able to support Congress in keeping pace with the modern world.

The First Year of "and Innovation" in the 119th

The latest report demonstrates significant progress in both the implementation of old recommendations and the creation of new initiatives in 2025. For example, Member offices can now share Community Resources Lists with constituents; the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) established Tech Partner Plus and District Office Connect Programs; and the Architect of the Capitol revamped construction communication after learning from the extensive Cannon renovation project.

Importantly, in the 118th Congress, the Subcommittee established new closure categories for outstanding recommendations including "Not Implemented." Rather than letting impractical recommendations languish as perpetually “in progress,” this allows the Subcommittee to say clearly: “we tried this, here's why it didn't work, we're moving on.”

Consider Recommendation 94, which proposed having GSA negotiate House district office leases. After thorough exploration, the CAO found that GSA's 7% fee would cost more than current practice, and commercial brokers would require substantial blanket fees for the high volume of small spaces. Both approaches were cost-prohibitive. The recommendation was closed as Not Implemented, with clear explanation. This transparency about what doesn't work is as valuable as celebrating what does.

The Subcommittee also advanced new initiatives in 2025: the Copilot rollout, providing 6,000 licenses for staff to use the Microsoft tool. Additionally, over 60% of House committees installed closed captioning technology, food service providers are installing self-order kiosks with assistive technology, and the MyServiceRequests system that processes maintenance issues now has single-click reporting.

The Challenge for the Second Year of the 119th

The Subcommittee has shown it can execute on legacy modernization while piloting new tools. The real test comes in year two and beyond: moving fast enough to ensure that Congress is not left behind.

While the Copilot rollout demonstrates willingness to act on emerging technology, AI adoption isn't just about buying licenses – it's about the infrastructure that enables rapid technology adoption. Congress is not keeping pace with the private sector or its constituents. In 2024, 78% of businesses and organizations reported using AI, but it took until the end of 2025 for Congressional staff to access their first chatbot.

The good news is that the Subcommittee’s previous work shows that it can and already has adopted the forward-thinking approaches that will let it lead the House into this next phase.

First, the eDiscovery platform procurement shows what's possible when Congress gets procurement right. Its customer-focused approach to matching requirements with workflows resulted in eleven committees adopting it for nearly 50 oversight matters within one year. Congress needs more procurement innovations like this – streamlined security reviews, pre-approved vendor frameworks, and pilot program authorities – to adopt technology at the speed it evolves.

Second, the Subcommittee has also demonstrated it can gather the right data to guide improvements. Its constituent engagement survey with the Institute for Democracy and Accountability at Ohio State University asks the right questions about serving constituents better.

Year two requires doing more of both: reforming procurement and conducting research that guides action, even when findings require statutory changes or uncomfortable conversations. POPVOX Foundation recommended a similar approach in our piece on the path forward for the new CAO – and it will only work if the new CAO and the Subcommittee coordinate early and often. The Subcommittee took an important step in 2025. In 2026, it has to prove that “and Innovation” doesn’t just mean new initiatives – it means making changes fast enough to keep pace.