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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) will release a new report on August 8 on congressional staff views on the Congress' ability and capacity to meet the needs of constituents and challenges facing the nation. The report, "State of the Congress: Staff Perspectives on Institutional Capacity in the House and Senate," offers new insight into the roots of current congressional dysfunction and paths toward pragmatic reforms to strengthen Congress and democracy.

"State of the Congress" focuses primarily on the resource and operational challenges congressional staff have been feeling over the past few decades. The survey will reveal staff views on:

• The role staff knowledge, skills and abilities play in supporting legislators' official duties;
• The need for Senators and Representatives to have adequate time and resources to understand, consider and deliberate public policy;
• The importance of Member and staff access to high quality, nonpartisan policy expertise within the Legislative Branch; and
• The challenges to improving the technological infrastructure in the House and Senate.

The research is part of CMF's Resilient Democracy Coalition, a program funded by a grant from Democracy Fund and performed in collaboration with Voice of the People (VOP), the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate (EMKI), and Lorelei Kelly of the Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation at Georgetown University. Many smart, dedicated people inside and outside of Congress are thinking of ways to support Congress in being as informed, responsive and effective as the nation needs it to be. This program explored possibilities for bringing some of these people together to facilitate information-sharing and collaboration for positive institutional change in Congress.

The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan nonprofit whose mission is to build trust and effectiveness in Congress. Since 1977 CMF has worked internally with Member, committee, leadership, and institutional offices in the House and Senate to identify and disseminate best practices for management, workplace environment, communications, and constituent services. CMF also is the leading researcher and trainer on citizen engagement, educating thousands of individuals and facilitating better relationships with Congress.

REPORT RELEASE DETAILS

WHAT: "State of the Congress: Staff Perspectives on Institutional Capacity in the House and Senate"
WHO: Congressional Management Foundation
WHEN: August 8, 2017, 12:01 a.m. (EST)
WHERE: Report will be released online at www.CongressFoundation.org