At a briefing in the U.S. Capitol on May 8, the Open House Project, a collaborative effort by government information experts, congressional staff, nonprofit organizers and bloggers to develop attainable reforms to promote transparency in the House of Representatives, publicly launched its new report and recommendations. The project was initiated and is managed by the Sunlight Foundation, a nonprofit that strives to use the Internet and technology to ensure greater government transparency and accountability.

The Open House Project recommended a series of technological reforms that would increase transparency and public access to the work of the House, as well as the elected leaders themselves. The project's report, Congressional Information and the Internet, included chapters explaining each major area for reform, including legislative data, member websites, congressional research materials and more. More than 30 groups from across the political spectrum participated and supported the project, including the Center for Responsive Politics, DailyKos, the Heritage Foundation, and OMB Watch.

Strikingly, regardless of ideological leanings, the groups all found common ground in the principle that government, and Congress specifically, should be more open to the public. "The Open House Project convened a diverse, bipartisan group of experts to help open the proceedings of the House of Representatives so it can be the transparent, open-source kind of legislature appropriate for the 21st century" said Ellen Miller, executive director of the Sunlight Foundation.

The May 8 briefing included statements of support from House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC), the chair of an influential subcommittee of the Science and Technology Committee, further underscoring the bipartisan nature of government transparency as an issue. "Good government isn't a liberal idea. It isn't a conservative idea," said Boehner. Miller followed by pointing out the practical dynamics of how transparency creates a more accountable and responsible government when he said, "Never underestimate the deterrent effect of being embarrassed."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), also sent the group a letter welcoming the Open House Project report and expressing interest in using technology to improve communication and transparency of the House.

The Open House Project's suggested reforms include:

• Legislation Database — publish legislative data in structured formats
• Preserving Congressional Information — protect congressional information through archiving and distribution
• Congressional Committees — recognize committees as a public resource by making committee information available online
• Congressional Research Service — share nonpartisan research beyond Congress
• Member Web-Use Restrictions — permit members to take full advantage of Internet resources
• Citizen Journalism Access — grant House access to non-traditional journalists, including bloggers
• The Office of the Clerk of the House — serve as a source for digital disclosure information
• The Congressional Record — maintain the veracity of a historical document
• Congressional Video — create open video access to House proceedings
• Coordinating Web Standards — commit to technology reform as an administrative priority

The group practiced what it was preaching to Congress by using technology to develop its recommendations online in a collaborative and fully transparent way. Tools used by the group included an online list-serve, a blog, a project wiki and a YouTube video promoting the project.

As next steps for the Open House Project, those involved in the project will promote the recommendations more broadly to the House — and eventually the Senate — and explore the possibility of getting the legislators to champion these ideas for actual implementation.