United States Committee on House Administration

Subcommittee on Modernization and Innovation Hearing: “Modernizing Public Access to Legislative Data and Information"

Wed, 182 Jul 2026 12:00:01 EST

On Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at 2:00pm ET, the Subcommittee on Modernization and Innovation of the Committee on House Administration will hold a hearing titled, “Modernizing Public Access to Legislative Data and Information.” The hearing will be held in room 1310 of the Longworth House Office Building.

If you have any questions, please contact the Clerk of the Committee, Kristen Monterroso, at Kristen.Monterroso@mail.house.gov or (202) 225-8281. For media inquiries, please contact the Communications Director, Michael Donatello, at Michael.Donatello@mail.house.gov or (202) 225-8281.

Watch live here

Full Committee Hearing: “The Congressional Research Service and the Future of AI-Enabled Policy Analysis”

Thu, 176 Jun 2026 12:00:01 EST

On Thursday, June 25, at 10:15am ET, the Committee on House Administration will hold a hearing titled, “The Congressional Research Service and the Future of AI-Enabled Policy Analysis.” The hearing will be held in room 1310 of the Longworth House Office Building.

If you have any questions, please contact the Clerk of the Committee, Kristen Monterroso, at Kristen.Monterroso@mail.house.gov or (202) 225-8281. For media inquiries, please contact the Communications Director, Walter Smoloski, at Walter.Smoloski@mail.house.gov or (202) 225-8281.

Watch live here

Full Committee Markup of Various Measures

Wed, 175 Jun 2026 12:00:01 EST

On Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at 10:15 a.m. ET, the Committee on House Administration will hold a Full Committee markup of the following measures in room 1310 of the Longworth House Office building:

H.R. 9368 – The Voter ID Act (Rep. Steil)
H.R. 9367 – Stop Lawmakers for Predicting Act (Rep. Steil)
H.R. 9342 – GPO Modernization Act (Rep. Bice)
H.R. 9360 – ACRC Sunset Act (Rep. Miller)
H.R. 8810 – No Wasted Space Act (Rep. Carey)
H.R. 3334 – USCP Empowerment Act (Rep. Crane)

Any proposed amendments should be emailed to Kristen Monterroso at Kristen.Monterroso@mail.house.gov no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Note that all amendments filed by this time will be given priority recognition at the meeting. For any amendment filed after the deadline, please deliver twenty-five (25) hard copies to 1309 Longworth House Office Building, in addition to submitting electronically.

If you need further assistance, please contact Kristen Monterroso, Clerk of the Committee, at Kristen.Monterroso@mail.house,gov or 202-225-8281. For media inquiries, please contact Michael Donatello, Communications Director, at Michael.Donatello@mail.house.gov or 202-225-8281.

Watch live here

Chairman Steil Introduces the Stop Lawmakers from Predicting Act

Thu, 169 Jun 2026 12:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON - Today, Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01) introduced the Stop Lawmakers from Predicting Act. This legislation prohibits Members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from wagering on public policy issues and political outcomes.

"The American people deserve to know their Member of Congress is not profiting off insider information. The Stop Lawmakers from Predicting Act ensures that cannot happen," said Chairman Steil. "This legislation is critical to restoring the public's trust in their elected officials. Lawmakers should be writing policy, not wagering on its outcome."

The Stop Lawmakers from Predicting Act:

Bans Members, their spouses, and their dependent children from utilizing prediction markets to wager on a specific government policy, government action, or political outcome.
Violators must pay a fee equal to $2,000 or ten percent of the value of the prohibited transaction (whichever is greater), and the net gain realized from the transaction.
Members cannot use their Members’ Representational Allowance, Senate personnel and office expense account, or political contributions or donations to pay the fine.
Members who resign or retire without paying the fine can be referred to DOJ for civil enforcement.

Read the full bill here.

Background:

Recently, news outlets have highlighted concerns about the use of nonpublic information in prediction markets, including candidates wagering on their own elections.

Under current law, lawmakers are not explicitly prohibited from using prediction markets to wager on public policy issues or election outcomes.

Many Americans believe that stronger measures are necessary to ensure lawmakers are not profiting off insider information.

This legislation builds on the Stop Insider Trading Act, which was advanced by the Committee on House Administration on January 14, 2026.

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Chairman Steil Introduces the Voter ID Act

Thu, 169 Jun 2026 12:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON - Today, Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01) introduced the Voter ID Act. This commonsense legislation requires voters to show a photo ID when casting a ballot in an election for federal office. The bill also creates a new fund administered by the Election Assistance Commission to reimburse states who provide free IDs to voters who cannot afford one.

“Americans should be confident their elections are run with integrity - voter ID is a commonsense measure to restore trust in our elections,” said Chairman Steil. “This legislation will help improve voter confidence and strengthen election integrity nationwide.”

The Voter ID Act:

Requires voters to show a photo ID when they cast a ballot for an election for federal office. Absentee and mail-in voters can attach a copy of their ID to their mail-in ballot. Eligible IDs include Driver’s Licenses, Passports, and Military IDs.

Creates a new grant program administered by the Election Assistance Commission to reimburse state and tribal governments that provide IDs at no cost to those unable to afford one.

Allows otherwise eligible voters to cast a provisional ballot if they forget to bring their ID on Election Day.

Read the full bill here.

Background:

The Committee on House Administration has jurisdiction over federal election policy.

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ICYMI: ActBlue CEO Refuses to Answer Lawmakers’ Questions Under Oath

Thu, 162 Jun 2026 12:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON - Yesterday, the Committee on House Administration held a Full Committee Hearing titled, “Preventing Fraudulent Donations: Transparency, Verification, and Accountability.”

Witness:

Regina Wallace-Jones, ActBlue CEO

In case you missed it, Ms. Wallace-Jones repeatedly invoked her Fifth Amendment right and refused to answer any lawmakers’ questions:

Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01) on ActBlue’s Initial 2023 Response to the Committee

Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01): Foreign funds have no place in American political campaigns. American elections are for American citizens only. Ms. Wallace-Jones, in 2023, I sent you this letter with five straightforward questions, with a goal of confirming that foreign funds are not in our elections and that ActBlue had adequate fraud-prevention measures in place. You replied a month later with a four-page letter describing your fraud-prevention policies and procedures that you had in place at ActBlue. But according to the New York Times, your response to this committee may have been false and misleading. Ms. Wallace Jones, when you signed this letter to me, did you believe that this letter was false and misleading?

Regina Wallace-Jones: On the advice of my counsel, I respectfully decline to answer this question pursuant to my Fifth Amendment rights under the Constitution.

Click the image or here to view Chairman Steil's Q&A.

Chairman Jim Jordan (OH-04) on Foreign Contributions Accepted by ActBlue

Chairman Jim Jordan (OH-04): Your board chairman said ActBlue accepted up to $38 million in contributions in 2024 that had the signs of foreign origin. How much fraud is too much fraud?

Regina Wallace-Jones: On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer the question pursuant to my Fifth Amendment rights under the Constitution.

Click the image or here to view Chairman Jordan's Q&A.

Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) on ActBlue not Requiring CVV Number for Donations

Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11): This committee just passed bipartisan legislation that requires donors to include their CVV or CVC when donating to a political campaign online. The committee originally passed the same legislation last Congress and pointed out that ActBlue did not require the CVV for online donations. Soon after that, ActBlue changed its policies to require the CVV. Was that decision connected to what this committee was doing?

Regina Wallace-Jones: On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer the question pursuant to my Fifth Amendment rights under the Constitution.

Click the image or here to view Rep. Loudermilk's Q&A.

Full Committee Hearing: “Preventing Fraudulent Donations: Transparency, Verification, and Accountability”

Wed, 161 Jun 2026 12:00:01 EST

On Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 10:00am ET, the Committee on House Administration will hold a hearing titled, “Preventing Fraudulent Donations: Transparency, Verification, and Accountability.” The hearing will be held in room 1310 of the Longworth House Office Building.

If you have any questions, please contact the Clerk of the Committee, Kristen Monterroso, at Kristen.Monterroso@mail.house.gov or (202) 225-8281. For media inquiries, please contact the Communications Director, Walter Smoloski, at Walter.Smoloski@mail.house.gov or (202) 225-8281.

Watch live here

Chairman Steil Delivers Opening Remarks at Full Committee Hearing with ActBlue CEO

Wed, 161 Jun 2026 12:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON - Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01) opened today's Full Committee Hearing titled, “Preventing Fraudulent Donations: Transparency, Verification, and Accountability.”

Click here to watch the Chairman's full opening remarks

Chairman Steil's full opening statement as prepared for delivery:

Thank you, Ranking Member Morelle, members of the committee, and our witness, for participating in today’s hearing.

Let me also thank Chairman Jordan and Chairman Comer for joining us today and for their partnership in this investigation.

We believe in a principle that only Americans should decide American elections.

ActBlue has violated that principle.

Ms. Wallace-Jones is here today because there is significant concern that ActBlue may have allowed foreign donations on their platform, lied to Congress, and withheld responsive documents from a Congressional subpoena.

All three of those actions are illegal.

In 2023, I opened an investigation into ActBlue following reports that foreign actors were exploiting the platform to funnel money to American political campaigns.

As a part of that investigation, I sent this letter to ActBlue asking basic questions about its fraud prevention practices.

In response, ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones wrote to me in this letter, claiming that ActBlue had a "robust" approach to rooting out potential foreign contributions.

However, according to the New York Times, ActBlue’s outside counsel reviewed Ms. Wallace-Jones’s response and found that it posed “a substantial risk for ActBlue.”

Specifically, the concern was that Ms. Wallace-Jones’s letter may have been “false or misleading.”

In her letter, Ms. Wallace-Jones identified three steps ActBlue takes to prevent foreign donations:

One: Donors using a foreign address must provide U.S. passport information.

Two: “If a contribution appears to be from a foreign address, ActBlue contacts the donor to request U.S. passport information.”

And three: “The contribution is refunded if [ActBlue is] unable to contact the donor.”

The New York Times reported that ActBlue’s outside counsel determined those three steps are not always followed.

In fact, outside counsel warned that passport information was never requested for transactions made through third-party apps like PayPal and Venmo.

Outside counsel also warned ActBlue that “some of the funds received were impermissible contributions from foreign nationals.”

This Committee issued subpoenas for documents related to fraudulent and foreign donations and alleged misconduct by ActBlue staff.

The documents provided by ActBlue revealed alarming directives from its leadership to lower fraud prevention standards.

In ActBlue meeting notes turned over to this Committee, staff were instructed: “Remember that we want to look for reasons to accept contributions...Do not reject contributions for a single suspicious characteristic. Look for the forest and not the trees.”

According to those same notes, ActBlue staff was told that this guidance was “a bit antithetical” to prior feedback about contributions deemed “highly suspicious.”

Further, an ActBlue memo titled Fraud Prevention 101 for New Associates in the Workflow advises that “if an otherwise legitimate donor uses a fake name, we would want to accept their donation.”

We have additional evidence of ActBlue detecting “at least 22 significant fraud campaigns.”

9 of those fraud campaigns “had a foreign nexus.”

After receiving this information, we deposed and interviewed five former ActBlue employees.

When deposed, ActBlue employees refused to answer a single question.

Instead, they invoked the Fifth Amendment 146 times.

We gave ActBlue employees an opportunity to answer our questions, but they refused.

But now, Ms. Wallace-Jones, you have a real opportunity to explain how this occurred.

Ms. Wallace-Jones originally agreed to appear voluntarily before us this morning.

But late Monday afternoon, her lawyers requested a subpoena in order for her to appear.

A subpoena was provided.

Ms. Wallace-Jones is now before us.

I look forward to your answers to our questions.

Congress – and the American people – deserve the truth.

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Top Takeaways from Full Committee Hearing with The Architect of the Capitol

Thu, 155 Jun 2026 12:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON - Yesterday, the Committee on House Administration held a Full Committee Hearing titled, “Oversight of the Architect of the Capitol: Addressing Past Lessons, Present Projects, and Future Challenges."

Witness:

The Honorable Thomas Austin, Architect of the Capitol

In case you missed it, here are the top takeaways:

1. Addressing the Costs to Renovate the Rayburn Building

Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01): So if I can, let's look forward. Obviously, large cost numbers in these buildings. What's the driver in this significance of the cost that we're seeing? Obviously, we're not going to use lead and asbestos and other things in modern construction. But what's the driver and the large kind of eye-popping number to redo Rayburn?

The Honorable Thomas Austin: Thank you sir. So part of this is put it in context. The Rayburn House Office Building is the largest office building on campus by large stretches, over 2.3 million square feet of facilities all by itself. So it is the largest building on campus just in terms of gross square feet. So it's the size issue as part of that. But it also has what we just spoke about. You said lead and asbestos. Those all have to be remediated and removed and encapsulated depending on where we're talking about it. But some of the other cost drivers are just the operations of Congress. We need to maintain at least some portion of the facility because of lack of swing space. So we need to be able to maintain security and environmental controls and all these things in the building while some of it's being renovated and some of it's being used by Congress for committee hearings and regular operations of Congress. And then we have just challenges we have here on campus, security challenges, historic preservation challenges, all of these things and visitor access, these all add multiples to what would normally be considered your price per square foot. But all these things add up to the cost of this project. So some of it is the scale, some of it's the historic preservation, security, member access. And just in order to keep this building operational while it's being renovated.

Click the image or here to view Chairman Steil's Q&A.

2. Closing Out the Cannon Renewal Project

Rep. Greg Murphy (NC-03): I want to go back on the Cannon issue. So, how much was that over budget?

The Honorable Thomas Austin: So the original midpoint of the budget estimate was about $750 million. We're coming in at $971 overall.

Rep. Greg Murphy (NC-03): Okay. So almost a quarter million dollars over. How about timing? How long overrun was it?

The Honorable Thomas Austin: The short answer to the question, it was not, because the office spaces were tied to the Congressional move cycle. In all four phases, we were able to turn over every suite on time so it could be a part of the move cycle. We did, to your point, though, we did move some of the ancillary features and portions of the project to the tail end of the program overall, so that we could make those accelerated turnover with the suites. So there are certain things that went to the end of the project, but the primary features of the project were turned over on time.

Rep. Greg Murphy (NC-03): So, if you had to pick out one thing or top two things, the primary cost overruns, what was the issue?

The Honorable Thomas Austin: I would say there's several things. I'd say it's part of the enduring lessons we learned from the project. I would say one of the things was change management issues when we first started the project. We allowed kind of a low threshold for changes, and we got a lot of changes that came in from Congress, some of the changes that came just because part of the design. And so we want to have a higher bar for future projects with change management, a higher threshold to make those changes.

Click the image or here to view Rep. Murphy's Q&A.

3. Creating Adult Changing Stations on Campus

Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA-09): Ranking Member Morelle and I have this bill in. I thought originally it was going to be our jurisdiction. Turns out it's T&I, and it's to create an adult changing station in the Library of Congress and in the Visitor Center, because I had constituents who came to me and they brought their severely handicapped child up here who needs to be changed. But she's an adult, and there were no facilities when they were visiting the Capitol where they could find adequate space to change their daughter. And so I was just wondering, I mean, we've got the bill. It's always nice to get a bill passed, but do we need a bill passed? Can you take care of that?

The Honorable Thomas Austin: So thank you for the question. This is something that we've been addressing. We have identified two locations inside the CVC, one on the Senate side of CVC, one on the House. We have program money in this year's bill. We're awaiting authorization from both the House and Senate, because in the CVC it's joint space in order to proceed with the design of it. Those upgrades, it's as you know, Congressman, those are more significant than just, say, a baby changing station. It requires electrical, plumbing, there's some structural concerns, and just the size of it.

Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA-09): Right. I mean, for the viewers back home, when you're talking about an adult child, you can't just put them on one of the changing stations that you find in your basic highway rest area, you've got to have a whole room and it's got to be dedicated and you've got lots of different types of disabilities you have to take into account. So, I'm not thinking it would be something easy, but you're right. It takes a lot. But do you think we can get it done?

The Honorable Thomas Austin: I think we can get it done. Again, we have the program in order to do the design this year, just waiting on approval. But I don't expect that to be an issue.

Click the image or here to view Rep. Griffith's Q&A.

4. Looking Towards the Future of the Capitol Campus

Rep. Mary Miller (IL-15): What's your most complicated issue, your biggest challenge and how can we help you?

The Honorable Thomas Austin: I would say the facilities condition in general, the committee has been very helpful as we've been designing the Rayburn project. I'd say my Rayburn program overall, how we go about it, the means, the methods, the swing space, the phasing and all that is something that's been my biggest challenge is to get a firm course of action so that we can start moving forward on that project. As I spoke about earlier, time is of the essence when it comes to that. And it's because as these system failures keep increasing in frequency and severity, that's going to start impacting Members of Congress more and more. And I am keen to avoid that, and I'm keen to get ahead of it as much as possible.

Rep. Mary Miller (IL-15): And how do you facilitate proactive maintenance in order to prevent reactive maintenance on the Capitol grounds?

The Honorable Thomas Austin: So I will say a shout out to my staff as they do a great job keeping abreast of facility issues as much as they possibly can. Some things that are hidden behind our walls, like our HVAC issues or plumbing, electrical, some of those things don't show up until they show up and we have an issue. But some things, we talk about preventive maintenance with our HVAC systems, preventive maintenance when it comes to our some of our plumbing components, they do a great job of doing that. We do over half a million work orders a year throughout the Capitol campus. The Ranking Member spoke about just the plumbing and some of the hydraulic issues we have inside campus. It's a constant challenge. We do a great job of tracking it. Our on-time work order is over 95% these days. And we want to make sure that we're staying abreast of those and doing great data tracking, great predictive maintenance by utilizing the feedback systems we have with our maintenance systems.

Click the image or here to view Rep. Miller's Q&A.

Full Committee Hearing: “Oversight of the Architect of the Capitol: Addressing Past Lessons, Present Projects, and Future Challenges”

Wed, 154 Jun 2026 12:00:01 EST

On Wednesday, June 3, 2026 at 10:15am ET, the Committee on House Administration will hold a hearing titled, “Oversight of the Architect of the Capitol: Addressing Past Lessons, Present Projects, and Future Challenges.” The hearing will be held in room 1310 of the Longworth House Office Building.

If you have any questions, please contact the Clerk of the Committee, Kristen Monterroso, at Kristen.Monterroso@mail.house.gov or (202) 225-8281. For media inquiries, please contact the Communications Director, Walter Smoloski, at Walter.Smoloski@mail.house.gov or (202) 225-8281.

Watch live here

Chairman Steil Delivers Opening Remarks at Full Committee Hearing with The Architect of the Capitol

Wed, 154 Jun 2026 12:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON - Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01) opened today's Full Committee Hearing titled, “Oversight of the Architect of the Capitol: Addressing Past Lessons, Present Projects, and Future Challenges.”

Click here to watch the Chairman's full opening remarks

Chairman Steil's full opening statement as prepared for delivery:

Mr. Austin, welcome back to the Committee on House Administration.

Under your two years of leadership, we’ve seen a lot of positive changes on the Capitol campus, both in management and to the infrastructure.

The Architect of the Capitol has broad responsibilities, as we all know, and deals with unique challenges every day.

I’m eager to hear your recommendations on how we can continue to improve the AOC’s operations and learn lessons from the past.

I’ll start with the recently completed Cannon Building renewal project.

While I know I speak for pretty much everyone on campus in saying we're pleased we are to see this project finally coming to a close – there’s definitely some tough lessons that we can learn from.

As Congress debates future large-scale projects like this, my primary goal is to ensure that we are good stewards of taxpayer resources.

Mr. Austin, that’s exactly why your perspective today is so critical.

Look at the final Cannon renewal project cost – it was $971 million dollars.

That’s a $200 million increase from the original 2009 estimate.

These lessons are critical as we turn our attention to the rebuild of the Rayburn building.

That renovation must prioritize financial discipline and completing the project on time.

The Rayburn building plays a significant role for this institution.

It houses nearly 200 member offices, committee hearing rooms, suites, SCIFs, three levels of parking, and even a Capitol Police firing range.

Unfortunately, despite being a newer building, it’s in far greater need of renovation than the Longworth building, according to our experts.

Cost estimates, including swing space construction, in some ways are mind-boggling.

And, as we develop plans for such a massive project, it’s also essential that we minimize disruption to Capitol operations.

That’s why in 2024, the AOC initiated a swing space study to address this question.

Results of the study were presented to Members in December 2025.

I’ve appreciated your focus on this growing issue and the regular updates you have provided this Committee during that review process.

I look forward to discussing that in detail today.

We’ll also discuss the ongoing work by the AOC to draft a new Capitol Complex Master Plan, or CCMP.

In theory, this must be done every five years.

But as we know, it has been fifteen years since this has been completed..

I both appreciate and applaud your efforts to prioritize drafting this update and look forward to reviewing the published document.

I’ll also underscore the need for stakeholder engagement on this plan, especially given the efforts by the Trump Administration to clean up and beautify the nation’s capital for everyone to enjoy.

Before I conclude, let me thank you, Mr. Austin, for your work.

In particular your staff across this campus who work dutifully every day to keep Congress open and accessible to the public.

It’s no easy task.

As we celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday, I look forward to discussing how we can work together to prepare Congress to serve the American people for the next 250 years.

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Chairmen Steil, Jordan, and Comer Request Documents and Transcribed Interviews with Five ActBlue Board Members

Tue, 153 Jun 2026 12:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON – Today, Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01), Committee on the Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (OH-04), and Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (KY-01) requested documents and transcribed interviews with five members of ActBlue’s Board of Directors.

Today’s letters come in advance of the Committee on House Administration’s June 10th public hearing with ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones.

Read the five letters here.

The below excerpts are pulled from the Chairmen’s letter to ActBlue’s Board Chairwoman Kimberly Peeler-Allen:

“According to the New York Times, in February 2025, ActBlue staff notified the company’s Board of Directors about vulnerabilities stemming from apparently ‘knowing and willful’ acceptance of foreign donations and CEO Regina Wallace-Jones’s past misrepresentations to Congress about these donations.

“You reportedly stated that ActBlue, apparently in consultation with the Board of Directors, decided not to ‘correct’ Ms. Wallace-Jones’s false statements to Congress.

“Internal emails produced to the Committees indicate that ActBlue’s union also raised concerns to the Board of Directors during the same period about mass resignations, firings, and alleged internal retaliation related to ActBlue’s failure to adequately address fraud and apparent attempts to mislead Congress.”

Fox News Digital first covered the story. Read more here.

A full timeline of the Committees’ ActBlue investigation can be found here.

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Subcommittee on Modernization and Innovation Receives Funding for Service Academy Nomination Portal and Dashboard

Tue, 146 May 2026 12:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON: Today, Subcommittee on Modernization and Innovation Chairwoman Stephanie Bice (OK-05) announced the Subcommittee has received Modernization Initiatives Account (MIA) funding to support the development and implementation of a Service Academy Nomination Portal and Dashboard.

Members of Congress annually nominate constituents in their districts to Service Academy positions at the Air Force Academy (USAFA), Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Naval Academy (USNA) and West Point (USMA). The new Nomination Portal and Dashboard replaces the spreadsheet and email-based system that most offices currently use to manage applications with a digitized and streamlined system that makes it easier and more efficient for staff to track each applicant’s documents and correspondence with the office. This is accomplished through two distinct platforms:

The Applicant Portal is a public-facing web application for submitting Service Academy applications, uploading support documents, and tracking application progress.
The Staff Dashboard is an internal-facing application that allows staff to track and manage applications as well as print application packets for review and interviews.

“One of the most important responsibilities Members have is nominating constituents to our nation’s Service Academies,” said Chairwoman Bice. “This new Nomination Portal and Dashboard will standardize and streamline the application process in a secure, web-based environment while ensuring that Members can still personalize how they manage nominations.”

Background:

The Service Academy Nomination Portal and Dashboard directly addresses a recommendation (#156) made by the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, directing the CAO to “develop or provide optional in-house technology solutions to district offices to improve casework and other services,” including an automated process for managing service academy applications.

The MIA was established in the FY 2021 Appropriations Act to fund initiatives to modernize House operations.

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Chairman Steil Leads Letter to Maryland Election Administrator Over Serious Mail-In Ballot Issue

Tue, 146 May 2026 12:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON – Today, Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01) sent a letter to Jared DeMarinis, Maryland’s State Administrator of Elections, after recent reports of serious errors with mail-in ballots in advance of Maryland’s June 23 primary election.

Representatives Laurel Lee (FL-15), Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Greg Murphy, M.D. (NC-03), Stephanie Bice (OK-05), Mike Carey (OH-15), and Mary Miller (IL-15) all signed on to the letter.

The Members wrote in part:

“The Committee on House Administration (Committee) has broad oversight of federal elections. Oversight of federal elections is critical to safeguard the integrity of America’s electoral system. Your office, the Maryland State Board of Elections (SBOE), recently reported a vendor error that resulted in many voters receiving the wrong party ballot. This issue merits careful attention and assurance that it will not recur.

“While the SBOE is taking precautions to void the initial batch of ballots, distributing over half a million additional replacement ballots risks creating immense logistical strain and potentially undermines public confidence in the nation’s elections. These systemic errors raise concerns over pre-distribution auditing and state oversight of critical third-party contractors.

“Based on this information, the Committee is concerned about the administration, tracking, and security of Maryland’s mail-in voting processes, and whether adequate safeguards are in place for the upcoming general election.”

The Committee has asked the State to respond by June 9.

Background:

On May 15, Maryland officials confirmed that an unknown number of voters received incorrect mail-in ballots for the June 23 primary election. Over 500,000 ballots were already requested when the issue was discovered, and in response, the State is issuing new ballots to every voter who had requested a mail-in ballot.

Fox News Digital first covered the story. Read more here.

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Subcommittee Chair Lee Delivers Opening Remarks at Hearing on Strengthening Election Security

Thu, 141 May 2026 12:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON - Chair Laurel Lee (FL-15) opened yesterday's Subcommittee on Elections Hearing titled, “Examining Best Practices for Strengthening Election Security.”

Chair Lee's full opening statement as prepared for delivery:

Today, the Subcommittee on Elections will discuss the different ways that states can strengthen election security.

The best practices we’ll cover today include enhancements to physical security and cybersecurity.

Addressing potential vulnerabilities improves voter experience and voter confidence.

Preparation and resilience strengthens the integrity of our elections systems, because it prevents an issue before it arises.

I look forward to discussing best practices for securing elections, and how Congress can be supporting those efforts.

I’d first like to highlight the different resources the federal government makes available to election administrators for election security.

The resources include federal grants, testing programs, and guidance from the Election Assistance Commission.

One great example is the EAC’s Election Supporting Technology Evaluation Program – or E-STEP.

This program offers voluntary security standards and evaluations for nonvoting systems like pollbooks, election day reporting systems, or other election supporting systems not covered by the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines.

The EAC’s Voluntary Voting System Guidelines serve as a baseline certification for new voting systems to evaluate functionality, accessibility, and security.

There’s also great work that many states and localities are doing on their own to enhance security and protect against threats to their elections.

For example, in 2024 the University of South Florida hosted a cyber tabletop exercise with county supervisors of elections, the FBI, and local law enforcement to strategize responses to potential threats to election cybersecurity.

To quickly disseminate information about cyber threats, North Dakota uses a whole-of-government approach, which allows agencies, cities, counties, and localities to have access to the same statewide system.

In North Carolina, the National Guard and state Emergency Management agency work collaboratively to monitor and respond to cyber threats.

To respond to physical threats, several states have implemented commonsense integrity measures like tamper seals for ballots, monitoring systems, and backup power sources at polling locations.

What’s great about these physical security upgrades is that HAVA grants can be used for this exact purpose.

I am very interested in hearing more about how these grants are administered and what the results have been in states across America.

Another important measure that increases voter experience and voter confidence is access for election observers.

The Committee on House Administration deploys Congressional staff to serve as election observers for U.S. House races and ensure elections are run in a secure manner.

State parties and individual candidates also deploy observers, because their presence at polling places builds trust with voters and allows for the rapid flow of information to necessary parties.

While no two states administer their elections the exact same way, one thing should be universal: election officials must take a comprehensive approach to administering secure elections.

They should consider every factor to minimize security risks.

By implementing strong risk management approaches, they not only strengthen their election systems – they also build trust and transparency.

When voters feel confident their elections are secure, turnout increases.

That’s a good thing for our democracy.

The best practices we’ll discuss today can help every state improve their election security efforts.

I want to thank our witnesses for being here today and look forward to our conversation.

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Subcommittee on Modernization and Innovation Receives Funding for House Digital Signage and Wayfinding Initiative

Thu, 141 May 2026 12:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON — ?Today, Subcommittee on Modernization and Innovation Chairwoman Stephanie Bice (OK-05) and?Ranking Member Norma J. Torres (CA-35)?announced that Modernization Initiatives Account (MIA) funding for a House Digital Signage and Wayfinding Initiative has been approved.

The Initiative is a first-of-its-kind effort to improve and modernize the visitor experience by making it significantly easier for constituents to navigate the House office buildings and view Congress in-action. New Digital displays listing Member and public office locations, as well as real-time information about House hearings, floor activity, and other public events will be located at the nine public entrances of the Cannon, Longworth, and Rayburn buildings. Also included in the project is a new, state-of-the-art House Visitors App that provides a 3D digital map, Member and public office lookup features, and turn-by-turn directions.

“Visiting the people’s House should be simple. My goal with this funding is to make it as easy as possible for constituents to find their Representatives’ offices, attend a committee hearing, watch House floor activity, or get something to eat,” said Chairwoman Bice. “This initiative is a major milestone in the Subcommittee’s ongoing efforts to improve accessibility and transparency throughout the Capitol Complex.

“Every visitor who comes to the People’s House should feel welcomed, informed, and empowered to engage with their government. This modernized effort will improve the House experience by making it easier for constituents and visitors from around the world to navigate Capitol Hill, and fully experience Congress in action,” said Ranking Member Torres.

Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01) and Ranking Member Joe Morelle (NY-25) also celebrated funding approval for the Initiative.

“Our government was built on the founding principle that Americans should be able to petition their representatives," said Chairman Steil. "That’s impossible to do if they can’t navigate the Halls of Congress. This modernization project will significantly improve how constituents locate their lawmakers and interact with Congress as a whole. I thank Chair Bice and Ranking Member Torres for their important work on this initiative.”

"Today marks a meaningful step toward ensuring the People’s House is open, accessible, and transparent for every American. It's incredibly important that all of our constituents can easily engage with the work and services carried out in these historic halls, and visitors from around the world can witness our democracy at work,” said Ranking Member Morelle.

Background:

The MIA was established in the FY 2021 Appropriations Act to fund initiatives to modernize House operations. The Subcommittee requested MIA funding for this project on November 20, 2025. Once implemented, the Initiative will fulfill two recommendations (157 and 159) made by the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress to improve navigation on the Capitol campus and provide digital displays for hearings and events.

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Subcommittee on Elections Hearing: “Examining Best Practices for Strengthening Election Security”

Wed, 140 May 2026 12:00:01 EST

On Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at 2:00 pm ET, the Subcommittee on Elections of the Committee on House Administration will hold a hearing titled, “Examining Best Practices for Strengthening Election Security.” The hearing will be held in room 1310 of the Longworth House Office Building.

If you have any questions, please contact the Clerk of the Committee, Kristen Monterroso, at Kristen.Monterroso@mail.house.gov or (202) 225-8281. For media inquiries, please contact the Communications Director, Walter Smoloski, at Walter.Smoloski@mail.house.gov or (202) 225-8281.

Watch live here

Full Committee Markup of Various Measures

Thu, 134 May 2026 12:00:01 EST

On Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 9:45 a.m. ET, the Committee on House Administration will hold a Full Committee markup of the following measures in room 1310 of the Longworth House Office building:

H.R. 8720, the Campaign Finance Transparency Act (CFTA) (Rep. Steil)
H.R. 8721, the Preventing Foreign Interference in American Elections Act (Rep. Steil)
H.R. 7418, the Securing Tech and Election Administration Defenses for All States and Territories (STEADFAST) Act (Rep. Bice)
H.R. 3535, the Stop Foreign Funds in Elections Act (Rep. Fitzpatrick)
H.R. 6028, the Legislative Branch Agencies Clarification Act (Rep. Griffith)
H.R. 8738, the FEC Administrative Improvements Act (Rep. Morelle)
H.R. 7182, the Voter Outreach for Transparent Elections (VOTE) Act (Rep. Johnson)

Any proposed amendments should be emailed to Kristen Monterroso at Kristen.Monterroso@mail.house.gov no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. Note that all amendments filed by this time will be given priority recognition at the meeting. For any amendment filed after the deadline, please deliver twenty-five (25) hard copies to 1309 Longworth House Office Building, in addition to submitting electronically.

If you need further assistance, please contact Kristen Monterroso, Clerk of the Committee, at Kristen.Monterroso@mail.house,gov or 202-225-8281. For media inquiries, please contact Walter Smoloski, Communications Director, at Walter.Smoloski@mail.house.gov or 202-225-8281.

Watch live here

Chairman Steil Delivers Opening Remarks at Full Committee Markup

Thu, 134 May 2026 12:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON - Chairman Steil (WI-01) delivered remarks at today's Full Committee Markup.

Chairman Steil's full opening remarks as prepared for delivery:

Today, the Committee on House Administration will consider 7 pieces of legislation.

I want to begin with the Campaign Finance Transparency Act.

Three years ago, this Committee initiated an investigation into allegations of fraud involving the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue.

That investigation exposed gaps in existing law that Congress has an opportunity to address today.

Our current campaign finance laws were not written for the digital age.

Today, political donations are often made online.

Through our investigation, we’ve learned that fraudsters and foreign nationals could exploit the current system to make illegal campaign finance contributions.

That’s an unacceptable vulnerability and we have an opportunity to fix it.

The Campaign Finance Transparency Act is the solution.

Here’s the topline:

All political donations must be reported, regardless of the amount;

The name of a political donor must match the name on the donor’s credit card;

No contributions can be made utilizing gift cards;

And Americans who are donating from abroad must provide identity verification.

We will also consider two bills to stop foreign money from influencing our elections.

Widespread reporting found that foreign billionaires used a nonprofit, the Sixteen Thirty Fund, to spend millions on ballot initiatives in states including Arizona, Nevada, and Ohio.

Foreign nationals cannot be allowed to influence American elections.

That’s why I introduced the Preventing Foreign Interference in American Elections Act, which bans foreign nationals from donating to electioneering activities.

This includes voter registration, get out the vote efforts, and ballot harvesting.

Representative Brian Fitzpatrick’s bill, the Stop Foreign Funds in Elections Act, will prohibit foreign funding of state and local ballot initiatives, referenda, or recall elections.

Both bills are commonsense reforms.

American elections are for American citizens only, and I urge my colleagues to support these bills today.

We will also consider Representative Bice’s Securing Tech and Election Administration Defenses for All States and Territories, or the STEADFAST Act.

Currently, when filing your tax return, there is an option to donate to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund.

These funds are available to candidates running for the Presidency, but no major party’s nominee has tapped into this money since 2008, when John McCain used the funds.

The STEADFAST Act will convert the Presidential Election Campaign Fund to a new Election Security Fund that states can apply for.

States can use these funds to strengthen election security, such as updating cybersecurity for voting systems or acquiring secure paper ballots.

Next, we will consider the FEC Administrative Improvements Act, which is led by my friend, Ranking Member Morelle, and Chair of the Subcommittee on Elections, Representative Lee.

This bill would implement recommendations from the Federal Elections Commission to modernize administrative operations.

We’ll also consider Representative Johnson’s VOTE Act, which requires election officials to notify voters when a polling location is closed during early voting.

Finally, we’ll consider Mr. Griffith’s Legislative Branch Agencies Clarification Act.

I am grateful to Ranking Member Morelle for helping to get this to a good place and to Rep. Griffith for taking the lead on this important Article 1 bill.

We know how important Article 1 is to all of us here, but in particular, the lead Mr. Griffith has taken in being a steadfast supporter of Article 1.

After bipartisan discussions with the Ranking Member we made some tweaks to the bill, including clarifying that the Register of the Copyright Office must consult with the Librarian of Congress on regulations related to “any material deposited in the Copyright Office.”

I thank my colleagues for being here and I look forward to a good conversation and a productive discussion.

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Chairman Steil Introduces Sweeping Campaign Finance Reforms

Mon, 131 May 2026 12:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON – Today, Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01) introduced the Campaign Finance Transparency Act and the Preventing Foreign Interference in American Elections Act. Together, these comprehensive campaign finance reforms will increase transparency and ensure fraudulent and foreign donations cannot influence political campaigns, individual candidates, or electoral outcomes.

Both bills will be marked up by the Committee on House Administration later this week.

“My investigation into ActBlue has demonstrated that the current campaign finance laws weren’t drafted for the modern era we live in. The major gaps we’ve uncovered are being exploited by fraudsters and foreign nationals to make illegal political donations. For example, right now an individual could make a fraudulent donation online in someone else’s name and avoid getting caught. That’s an unacceptable vulnerability that bad actors are taking advantage of,” said Chairman Steil. “We must increase transparency and update the rules to reflect the technological advances of the 21st century.”

The Campaign Finance Transparency Act will:

Require the name on a credit or debit card to match the name of the donor
Remove the de minimis reporting threshold for donors
Require political contributions via credit or debit card to include CVV/CVC number and billing ZIP code
Require document verification for donors without U.S. mailing addresses
Prohibit contributions via gift cards
Prohibit knowingly directing, helping, or assisting any person in making a contribution in the name of another person
Require suspected straw donations schemes to be reported to the Federal Election Commission

The Preventing Foreign Interference in American Elections Act will:

Prohibit foreign nationals from donating for specified election-related activities, including:
- Voter registration drives;
- Ballot harvesting;
- Voter research and polling;
- Get Out the Vote initiatives;
- Administration of elections by state or local officials (i.e. Zuckerbucks);
- Prohibit aiding or facilitating assistance to foreign nationals in making campaign contributions;
- Prevent federal agencies from collecting or disclosing tax-exempt donor information, subject to specified exceptions (e.g. IRS, House/Senate lobbying disclosures, in certain situations).

Background:

The Committee on House Administration is charged with conducting oversight of federal election laws, including prohibitions on fraudulent or foreign campaign donations.

Chairman Steil’s multi-year investigation into ActBlue has identified several gaps in current law that allow individuals to make illegal campaign donations. That investigation is ongoing.

During the 118th Congress, the House passed H.R. 9488, the Secure Handling of Internet Electronic Donations (SHIELD) Act. Many of the provisions in the Campaign Finance Transparency Act originated from the SHIELD Act.

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