Welcome to Modern Parliament — a newsletter, from POPVOX Foundation, providing insights into the evolution of legislative institutions worldwide. “ModParl” is a forum to foster a dialogue among legislative professionals, current and former staffers, academics, journalists, and modernization enthusiasts alike.

This month, the newsletter highlights experiences in Kenya and Chile with public participation initiatives and provides an update on modernization efforts in the US Congress.

Please forward this to any colleagues you believe would benefit, and feel free to reach out at any time. We look forward to connecting with fellow enthusiasts of legislative institutions around the world.

Beatriz Rey, Ph.D.
Fellow

About POPVOX Foundation

POPVOX Foundation is a US-based nonprofit with a mission “to inform and empower people and make government work better for everyone. Its dedicated team of former legislative staffers are united by an enduring commitment to democracy and the legislative process. Through initiatives like the Comparative Legislative Strengthening Project, POPVOX Foundation connects legislative modernizers around the world through a shared passion for public service that knows no borders.

Dispatch from Kenya and Chile

In Kenya, the civil society organization Mzalendo Trust hosts the “Dokeza,” (in Swahili, “share your idea”) platform, which allows members of the public to give their opinion on legislative proposals that are opened for public comment by the Parliament of Kenya or the National Assembly and the Senate. The site lists proposals that are open for public input and provides instructions on how to format an effective comment or memorandum. All comments submitted through Dokeza are forwarded to the relevant chamber for consideration. The site also offers a “tracker” to help the public understand where each proposal is in the legislative process.

While hosted by a civil society organization, the Dokeza platform is similar to Chile’s Congreso Virtual, hosted by the Chilean Congress, allowing constituents to offer input on bills pending in the country’s Chamber of Deputies and Senate. The system was featured in a recent meeting of the POPVOX Foundation’s International Legislative Modernization Working Group.

Modernization Updates: United States

Between 2019 and 2022, the bipartisan Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress studied and developed 202 recommendations to make the US House of Representatives more effective, efficient, and transparent. Forty-two recommendations have been fully implemented and eighty-two partially implemented. In January 2023, the work of the Select Committee transitioned to a permanent Modernization Subcommittee, “ModSub,” within the Committee on House Administration. The new subcommittee maintains the equal partisan balance (two Republicans, two Democrats) of the select committee and is moving forward with further implementation of recommendations and examining emerging issues such as the use of artificial intelligence in the legislative branch.

ModSub is currently focused on implementing the previous recommendations and monitoring developments with emerging technologies — including releasing regular “flash reports” on AI implementation in the US House. Its ongoing work may include drawing lessons from other legislatures (whether international or subnational). For example, in September 2022, a congressional delegation traveled to Europe to learn from the European Parliament and the UK House of Commons; observations from that trip informed several ModCom recommendations.

Worth Reading

Guide About Digital Transformation

Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)’s Guide to Digital Transformation in Parliaments offers examples and best practices, including Indicators for Democratic Parliaments — “a tool for institutional development that offers a new approach to measuring parliamentary capacity and performance.”

Italy & AI

Civic Tech Field Guide Founder Matt Stempeck takes a look at how Italy’s Senate is experimenting with AI.

Breaking Barriers

University of Leeds’ Professor of Politics Cristina Leston-Bandeira examined how parliaments can better engage the public through more citizen-focused communications, considering the citizen’s perspective, and more proactive petition dissemination.

Casework Basics

POPVOX Foundation released an adaptation of its Casework Basics materials on best practices for constituent services into the context of Portuguese-speaking countries. Also, materials about its International Legislative Modernization Group, which met twice in 2023.

Tell us your stories!

POPVOX Foundation wants to learn about your experiences in parliaments across the globe. What are examples of progress in your legislative institutions that are happening quietly and would serve as positive examples to staffers from other countries? Don’t hesitate to reach out with your stories: beatriz@popvox.org.