The House Administration Subcommittee on Modernization and Innovation (ModSub) is a subcommittee of the Committee on House Administration in the US House of Representatives.
Matters relating to modernization of the House of Representatives and the Legislative Branch, oversight of implementation of modernization initiatives, evaluation and advancement of new and emerging innovations to ensure that congressional modernization efforts are ongoing, and such other matters as may be referred to the subcommittee.
The subcommittee is the successor to the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, a select committee that was established by H.Res. 6 on January 4, 2019, and was tasked to investigate, study, make findings, hold public hearings, and develop recommendations to make Congress more effective, efficient, and transparent. The Select Committee was a bipartisan committee, with an equal number of Republican and Democratic members. The Committee on House Administration, which had been charged with implementing most recommendations from the Select Committee, established the Subcommittee on Modernization in the 118th Congress to continue the Select CommitteeâÂÂs work and to implement recommendations. While the subcommittee continues to follow most of the practices of its predecessor, including even, bipartisan membership, the subcommittee was granted legislative jurisdiction by the Rules of the Committee on House Administration.
H.Res. 6, which was introduced by Rep. Steny Hoyer, was approved by an overwhelming majority of 418âÂÂ12. Following the installation of the inaugural 12 members, interest was expressed from the left-leaning Demand Progress, the Republican-aligned Congressional Institute and the nonaligned Bipartisan Policy Center. For its part, Roll Call commented that:
The Select Committee, was originally set to expire in February 2020; however, the House voted on November 14, 2019, to extend the committee's work to the end of the 116th Congress. On January 4, 2021, the House once again officially reauthorized the Select Committee for the 117th Congress.
Although the Select Committee did not have legislative jurisdiction, it has regularly released recommendations to the House. On December 10, 2019, the Select Committee members introduced H.Res.756 which incorporates 29 of the recommendations passed by the Select Committee to improve transparency, accessibility and communication throughout the House. The resolution was passed with a 395âÂÂ13 vote.