Today, the Advisory Committee on Transparency will host a panel discussion entitled Reforming Congress: The good, the bad, and the ugly. Our panel of experts will examine the history of efforts to reform Congress; evaluate which aspects of the institution function effectively – and not so effectively – and why; and explain what can be done to help Congress fulfill its constitutional responsibilities. This is particularly timely as Congress considers its funding priorities for the legislative branch, with discussion swirling around the desirability of cutting funding for congressional staff and legislative support agencies.

The panel will take place  in the Rayburn House Office Building, room 2203, from 2:30-4.Panelists include:

• Rep. Mickey Edwards, former Oklahoma congressman (1977-1992); chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee; founding trustee of the Heritage Foundation; teacher for 16 years at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government; and Vice President of the Aspen Institute.
• Dr. James Thurber, Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University; former legislative assistant to Senators Humphrey, Brock, and Stevenson, and Representative Obey; and has worked on four congressional reorganization efforts since 1976.
• Moderator Daniel Schuman, Director of the Advisory Committee on Transparency and Policy Counsel for the Sunlight Foundation

All are welcome. Email ACT@Sunlightfoundation.com if you’d like to join our mailing list.