TechCongress to place 120 more technologists with lawmakers

FedScoop reports on TechCongress’ new grant from the Knight Foundation and the work our fellows have done:

TechCongress plans to place about 120 early and mid-career technologists in key congressional offices to advise lawmakers on technology decisions critical to the success of cities.

The Knight Foundation invested $2.5 million in TechCongress’ Congressional Innovation Fellowship to embed data science, computer engineering and web design experts with the goal of having about 40 become full-time positions.

TechCongress began the effort in 2015 and has seen the Knight Foundation provide $3.9 million total in grants that sent 65 fellows to Congress, about 20 of whom were retained.

The fellowship launched, in part, because only seven out of about 3,500 congressional staffers had formal tech training in 2015.

TechCongress hopes about 40 of the 120 new fellows become full-time, bringing the number up to 60 in key offices it’s identified dealing with cybersecurity, IT modernization, tech antitrust, health care, and website issues.

Because TechCongress wants consensus around the technology solutions lawmakers support, it places diverse fellows in Republican and Democratic offices equally.

TechCongress also created a Congressional Digital Service Fellowship to help Congress transition to remote work during the height of the pandemic, and the body opted to make a House Digital Service permanent in January.

The hope is with 60 full-time technologists in key congressional advisory positions, that will become the standard, and TechCongress might move on to expanding the tech capacity of other government institutions like the judiciary.

Reforming Congress - Travis Moore, Founder and Executive Director of TechCongress

TechCongress’ founder, Travis Moore, recently interviewed with the Sunwater Institute about TechCongress and modernization in Congress and Washington:

TechCongress to place more technologists in Congress with a $2.5M investment from Knight Foundation

The Knight Foundation generously granted TechCongress with a $2.5 million investment:

TechCongress, a nonpartisan initiative that places early and mid-career technologists as advisers to members of Congress, will expand tech expertise on Capitol Hill thanks to a $2.5 million investment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. 

HOW IT WORKS

Through its Congressional Innovation Fellowship, TechCongress pairs early and mid-career technologists with members of Congress. The fellows include data scientists, computer scientists and computer engineers, who serve as advisors on technology policy and congressional modernization efforts. The program places an equal number of fellows in Republican and Democratic offices, and has also placed fellows who identify as Independents.

Knight Foundation’s latest investment in TechCongress will allow the organization to:

• Upskill the tech capacity of Congress by bringing 60 technologists to Capitol Hill by 2026, expanding the Congressional Innovation Fellowship cohorts from 16 to 24 fellows annually, and converting one-third of the fellows into full-time Congressional staff

• Increase representation of underrepresented groups in tech

• Boost recruitment efforts to ensure political diversity on an issue critical to the future of U.S. democracy

WHY IT MATTERS

When TechCongress launched In 2015, only seven out of the 3,500 legislative staff in Capitol Hill had any formal technology training. Pew Research from 2021, however, found that 95% of American adults were online. 

“Understanding the mechanics of current, new and emerging tech is critical for governing in the 21st century,” said Lilian Coral, Knight’s director for national strategy and technology innovation. “By increasing technical expertise in Congress, TechCongress fellows help our elected officials  better assess how technology impacts Americans’ lives. ” 

IMPACT

Since 2016, TechCongress has sent 65 fellows to Congress. They’ve worked with members such as  Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA.) The fellows have also served in Congressional Committees, including the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and the Senate Banking Committee. 

The impact of TechCongress was evident during the pandemic lock down in 2020. Fellows supported the House Modernization Committee to facilitate the work-from-home transition for Congress. A pilot Congressional Digital Service effort was put in place quickly and made permanent by the House in January 2022. The House Digital Service aims to adopt digital technology and platforms to improve the ability of members of Congress to deliver for constituents. 

Other examples of TechCongress’s impact include:

• Changing defense procurement rules to allow startups to better compete for contracts

• Helping draft the House Judiciary Committee’s Antitrust Subcommittee report on tech monopolies

• Advising the House Modernization Committee’s recommendations to make Congress more responsive and effective

• Helping pass the OPEN Government Data Act into law

• Raising the level of tech policy discussion in Congress, including around artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and tech procurement

WHAT’S NEXT FOR TECHCONGRESS?

“Our fellows are forward-thinkers that not only bring critical knowledge to urgent tech policy challenges, but also bring new and creative methods to problem solving by centering users at the heart of the policymaking process,” said Travis Moore, founder and executive director of TechCongress. “Fellows are ensuring that lawmakers are at the forefront of cybersecurity and privacy challenges, while also supporting Congress to leverage new and emerging tech to make government officials more responsive to the needs of their constituents.’

Will Senate move on guns? Most Dems don't think so.

Politico recently announced the funding that the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation granted TechCongress:

BIG $$ FOR TECH CONGRESS— No, not big tech $$ for Congress. That’s different. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is investing $2.25 million in the nonpartisan TechCongress initiative that launched in 2015 to build and expand tech expertise on Capitol Hill. Through its Congressional Innovation Fellowship, TechCongress places early and mid-career data scientists, computer scientists, and engineers with members of Congress in both parties. They advise on tech policy and congressional modernization. The funding influx will expand the fellowship cohorts from 16 to 24 fellows each year and convert one-third of the fellows into full-time Congressional staff.

“Fellows are ensuring that lawmakers are at the forefront of cybersecurity and privacy challenges, while also supporting Congress to leverage new and emerging tech to make government officials more responsive to the needs of their constituents,” Travis Moore, founder and executive director of TechCongress in a statement.

How Funders Can Help Fill Critical Gaps in Technology for Social Good

Katy Knight and Laura Maher mentioned TechCongress in a recent article for the Stanford Social Innovation Review on how philanthropy can help fuel an equitable innovation ecosystem.

The authors write: ”TechCongress, which pairs talented technologists with members of Congress and congressional committees, is an excellent example of this matchmaking between diverse tech talent and specialized policymaking.”

Government and Philanthropy Should Invest in Diverse Public Interest Technologists

TechCongress is mentioned by the Stanford Social Innovation Review:

More recently, seed investments in the highly effective TechCongress, a nonprofit that places technologists to serve as technology policy advisors to members of Congress through fellowships, served as a precursor to the launch of a new digital service team in congress.

Online Life Is Stressful. Reclaim Your Sanity With These 10 Tips

TechCongress’ founder, Travis Moore, recently spoke with the Washingtonian about ways to mitigate the effects of social media:

If hiding apps in folders doesn’t curb your usage as much as you’d like, try doing what Travis Moore, founder and executive director of the fellowship program TechCongress, does: delete the apps altogether and use the mobile web version. “It’s really clunky,” says Moore. For instance, videos on Instagram don’t autoplay in a web browser—unlike on the app, which doesn’t provide an option to turn off auto­play. “So all of the behavioral-targeting tricks just don’t work the same way. Like, they don’t work well at all, which makes it much better for me to be conscious and limit my time.” 

House Digital Services team expected to launch this summer

FedScoop announces the creation and impending launch of the new House Digital Services (HDS):

HDS is tasked with building intuitive solutions that improve on member offices’ most significant challenges. It comes after nonprofit groups, like TechCongress and others, have for years looked to inject tech talent into Congress through digital service fellowships.

Tech Transparency Project: Apple’s Trademark ‘Bullying’ Targets Small Businesses, Nonprofits

Alumni Celeste Chamberlain interviewed in an article about Apple’s small business targeting.

Take 3.14 Academy, a Maryland-based nonprofit that provides children with autism, their families, and communities with educational initiatives and training. In July 2019, founder Celeste Chamberlain, an autism specialist and the mother of two autistic children herself, filed what she thought would be a routine trademark application for her academy’s logo, featuring the Greek letter pi inside an apple.

But Apple’s lawyers intervened. In a 257-page filing opposing Chamberlain’s application, Apple argued that it is deeply involved in education due to the fact that, among other things, it has donated iPads and Mac computers to schools, offers educational apps in its App Store, and makes GarageBand available to music teachers. Therefore, the filing argued, 3.14 Academy’s logo was “likely to cause confusion, mistake, or deception in the minds of consumers.”

In an interview with TTP, Chamberlain said that she and her lawyer were initially baffled by Apple’s opposition to her trademark and thought the company and its legal team would quickly realize it was all a big mistake.

The Federalist: Section 230 Needs To Be Fixed So Internet Companies Can’t Feature Child Pornography

Alumni Mike Wacker authored an article for the Federalist about CSAM Laws.

In the leadup to the Communication Decency Act of 1996, America was concerned about the Internet exposing children to pornography. The July 1995 cover of Time magazine, titled “Cyberporn,” depicted a child staring at a computer with this caption: “Exclusive: A new study shows how pervasive and wild it really is. Can we protect our kids — and free speech?”

Today, our biggest problem is not children who are exposed to pornography. It’s children who are involved in pornography or child sexual abuse material — CSAM, as it’s known. When victims of CSAM seek justice in the courts, however, section 230 of the Communication Decency Act — a law that protects digital platforms from liability for third-party content— often blocks their lawsuits.