TechCongress is a technology policy fellowship associated with the
US Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
created by Travis Moore.
Tech experts and professionals spend one year with relevant Members or Committees in the House and Senate. The fellowship's goal is helping Congress aim for more informed decisions regarding technology and policy by allowing Congress to gain technical insight. At present, only 6 out of 15,000 staffers have a technical background.
Background
Travis Moore founded the fellowship as a solution to some of the issues he witnessed in his six years of experience in the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
,
working for former Rep.
Henry Waxman
Henry Arnold Waxman (born September 12, 1939) is an American politician and lobbyist who was a U.S. representative from California from 1975 to 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
His district included much of the western part of the ...
(D-Calif.)
TechCongress used an
Indiegogo
Indiegogo is an American crowdfunding website founded in 2008 by Danae Ringelmann, Slava Rubin, and Eric Schell. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, California. The site is one of the first sites to offer crowd funding. Indiegogo allows peo ...
campaign to get seed funding for the fellowship.
A total sum of $8,000 was raised in the first year.
In 2022, the program was expanded due to a $2.5 million investment from the
Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, also known as the Knight Foundation, is an American non-profit foundation that provides grants for journalism, communities, and the arts.
The organization was founded as the Knight Memorial Education ...
.
It invites a wide variety of individuals with different backgrounds to be part of the fellowship. Fellows mainly come from technical backgrounds, involving work in the private sector.
Fellows are placed into different governmental bodies. They have a chance to work in the office of a member, committee, or a congressional support agency. Participants receive an $82,400 stipend for service as well as reimbursements for relocation, travel and health insurance.
The fellowship lasts one year.
Impact
The program has supported over 100 fellows in various Congressional offices who have worked on legislation related to artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, technology procurement, modernization efforts, open government.
References
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Fellowships