The turnout for and participation in the third Congressional Hackathon reveals a growing community and culture committed to improving the legislative process through technology, according to event attendees and organizers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEach hackathon we\u2019ve had has grown in attendance and it\u2019s [including] a lot of the same people,\u201d said Steve Dwyer, senior adviser to Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and one of the organizers of the hackathon, held November 30. \u201cIt\u2019s really about the community that the hackathon has helped foster, the community of technologists that care about Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first hackathon was held in 2011 and focused on releasing big data from the legislative branch to the public, such as through the website Congress.gov, which launched in beta in 2012 and provides machine-readable and downloadable data on the legislative process to the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to attendee Daniel Schuman, chairman of the Congressional Data Coalition steering committee, the hackathons have also helped to improve relationships between members of Congress and the civilian technology committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe had a cycle where those of us in civil society would tell Congress that we really desperately want something, and Congress wouldn\u2019t listen. So, we would yell at them, and then Congress would get angry at us for yelling at them. And you had this vicious cycle,\u201d said Schuman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe wanted something, we wanted access to legislative data. But what we ended up doing is we ended up changing the culture in Congress, where there are people all throughout the institution now who are talking to each other and talking to those of us in civil society about how to make the institution better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s created these companies, these apps, these tools,\u201d said Dwyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Congressional hosts Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., both spoke about the positive impact that inspired, everyday Americans can have on the functioning of their government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis I think is one of the most exciting and important events that we host. What transpires here has the potential to transform Congress \u2014 and therefore the country and, to some degree, our democracy \u2014 for years to come,\u201d said Hoyer. \u201cGreat ideas will come together and inspire new and innovative projects both inside and outside of Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter where you come from in life, there\u2019s an opportunity for you to help your government,\u201d said McCarthy. \u201cEverybody can be a part of making this government better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to attendees, the bipartisan nature of the event presented a strong draw to attend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not often you see a bipartisan event put on, and I\u2019m the mid-Atlantic region director for the Young Democrats of America, so I definitely wanted to get some ideas and perspectives from across the aisle and see everyone work together to make a better government,\u201d said Latia Hopkins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important that we take a step away from the partisan back and forth and find ways like this hackathon to come together and engage the public in a positive way and make Congress more open and more transparent,\u201d said Hoyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAll of these efforts, both bipartisan and within our respective parties have the same goal: helping restore faith in government by making it more transparent, more accessible to those we serve and more effective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Dwyer, who has coordinated all three Congressional Hackathons with the help of Republican counterparts, the experience is entirely rewarding and constructive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no partisan issues here,\u201d said Dwyer. \u201cThere are Democrats and Republicans here. We\u2019re just worried about technology and making Congress better and not through any partisan lens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After opening remarks, attendees had the option to participate in five different breakout groups: Public Engagement and Social Media, Legislative Data and Process, Moonshot Ideas, Hearings and Press Briefings, and Constituent Services. The groups brainstormed ideas for improving the legislative branch, then presented the ideas onstage at the end of the hackathon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n