Legislative Modernization �and the Legislative Strengthening “Stack”

A strategic approach to strengthening democratic legislatures worldwide

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Presented by:

Marci Harris, JD, LL.M.�Executive Director

Legislative Strengthening Conference

December 4-6, 2024 - Washington, DC

• Legislatures are the backbone of democracy.�
• The world is changing rapidly—�legislatures must keep up.�
• Modernization builds trust, enhances transparency, and supports democratic resilience.

Why Legislative Modernization Matters

• POWER: To maintain and protect co-equal status in relation to other branches�
• LEGITIMACY: To address institutional abuses and answer public demands for openness and accountability�
• SAFETY: To respond to security issues or emergencies (9/11, Covid, January 6)�
• EFFICIENCY: To operate more effectively and efficiently�
• RELEVANCE: To increase capacity to address increasingly complex issues �(i.e. the Pacing Problem)

Why Legislatures Modernize

DIGITALIZATION as the foundation.

Digitalization is key to modernization.

• Transparency: �Digital records for oversight and public trust.
• Efficiency: �Streamlined processes and real-time updates.
• Adaptability: �A platform for future modernization layers.

The Pacing Problem

THREE PACING PROBLEMS:

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THE EXTERNAL

Legislatures fail to keep pace with emerging innovations that are changing industries and society

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THE INTER-BRANCH

Legislatures lag executive branches, compromising ability to act as a co-equal branch of government

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THE INTERNAL

Legislatures don’t employ modern practices and technology for its own operations.

Addressing the Pacing Problem:�

• Technology evolves faster than legislatures adapt.�
• Creates a gap: Public demand for modern governance vs. legislative capacity.�
• Solution: Modernization stack with a focus on digitization as the accelerator.

The Legislative Modernization Stack

A strategic framework

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

Each layer builds on the foundation to enable a strong, resilient legislature.

OECD �Digital Transformation Framework:

Digital Transformation�isn’t optional.

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It’s the first step in legislative modernization and essential to 21st Century Legislative Strengthening.*

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*Most Modernization efforts follow a previous stage of digitization and open data

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Parliaments cannot afford to fall behind as society embraces new technology… The future quality of democracy and its institutions are at stake.”

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— IPU Secretary General, Martin Chungong

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If democratic countries do not support digital transformation, authoritarians will.

Modernization Models

COMMITTEE + �RECOMMENDATIONS

INSTITUTIONAL�INITIATIVES

ESTONIA

USA

UK

NORWAY

CHILE

INCORPORATING CIVIL SOCIETY INNOVATIONS

TAIWAN

Modernization & Civic Technology�Across Contexts

Tech Adoption Rates

Source: “Innovative technology in legislatures in selected countries,” Report from the Global Legal Research Center of the Law Library of Congress (September 2024)

Tech Adoption Rates

Transparency

Open Gov/�Gov 2.0

Social Media

Techlash

Pandemic

GenAI

The Tech Modernization Continuum

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT / INFORMATION

COMMITTEE WORK / OVERSIGHT / LEGISLATIVE SCRUTINY

POLICYMAKING / DRAFTING

OPERATIONS / INSTITUTIONAL

• Advocacy input
• Consultations
• Casework

• Public information
• Open Data
• Media engagement

• Civil society engagement
• Transparency initiatives
• Summarization

• Hearings / Questions
• Scheduling
• Witnesses

• Transcripts
• Translation
• Streaming Proceedings

• Amending
• Voting
• Enrolling

• Policy options analysis
• Drafting tools/technology

• Legislative support
• Amendment modeling
• Bill summaries

• Staff & Member Training
• Security/Cybersecurity
• Technology

• Libraries
• Research Agencies
• Budget Offices

• Data�Tools

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• Subject & keyword tagging

Case Studies: Digital Foundations in Action

ESTONIA (2006–present)

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT (October 2024)

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NORWAY (launching October 2025)

e-Parliament System

Paperless parliament operations for nearly 20 years

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• API-driven agenda system that propagates to multiple platforms
• Custom LLM trained on Estonian legislative documents
• Transformed transcriber role to editor role
• Building new system over next three years (will run parallel system during transition)

“ArchiBot” Archives project

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• Built using Claude via Amazon Bedrock
• Access to 2.1 million official documents
• Multilingual capabilities
• Includes search, summarization, and report building

StorSak Project

Shifting from document-centric to data-centric approach

• Using OpenAI / RAG for classifying
• Improve quality, limit errors and data loss
• Goal of 100% digital process from government to legislature through legislative process and back to government & outside open data org

The Role of Development Partners

• Technical Support�Infrastructure assessment, security protocols, standards development
• Capacity Building�Staff training, institutional knowledge transfer, mentorship
• Resources Focused on Sustainability�Encouraging data standardization, open source tools, shared services
• Facilitating Regional Cooperation�Knowledge sharing, best practices, shared resources

EMPOWERING DEMOCRACIES IN AN AGE OF RAPID TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE

CARIBBEAN

DIGITAL PARLIAMENTS PROJECT

Example

On September 7 - 8, 2024:

Caribbean Members of Parliament met in Miami to discuss “The Role of Parliaments in Transforming Digital Economies in the Caribbean” with tech experts, civil society, and representatives from:

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• House Democracy Partnership
• USAID
• International Republican Institute
• National Democratic Institute
• Caribbean Community Secretariat (CARICOM)
• ParlAmericas
• UN Women
• International Telecommunications Union (ITU)

A CONVENING OF NEIGHBORS

Multiple participants emphasized the importance of the gathering�and a desire that tangible points of ongoing collaboration would emerge from it.

including:

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Chair Mario Diaz-Balart [R, FL] and

RM Barbara Lee [D, CA] of the

House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Ops

�Derek Luyton, House Democracy Partnership,

Alisha Todd, ParlAmericas,

Jennifer Britton, CARICOM,

and representatives from USAID

In a facilitated “World Cafe Style” brainstorm session, �participants selected “Standardization for Parliaments” as a priority project

Agreement on “STANDARDIZATION FOR PARLIAMENTS”
�as a project that USAID could support to benefit region as a whole

Elements proposed by the group:

• Centralize data, sets standards (ideally under CARICOM)
• Standardized data would allow for building BOTH tools for Members of Parliament *and* public-facing tools for citizens, to include:
• Legislation summaries
• Key takeaways
• Compare approaches in different parliaments
• AI transcription / minute, voice recognition
• Data could be used to train LLM models to ensure representation of Caribbean country issues and culture

(prompt was: “What can AI be used for?” and what is one project “that USAID could support 
to benefit the region as a whole?”)

Legislative Innovator Marco Rubio nominated for Secretary of State:

• Winner of 2024 Democracy Award for Innovation
• Pioneered paperless office operations in Senate
• Implemented data-driven constituent feedback system
• Modernized case management processes and handled 12,000+ constituent cases (2021-2023)
• Revitalized internship program and created a comprehensive staff orientation system
• Created rapid emergency response system with: mobile constituent services, real-time data tracking, streamlined emergency procedures
• A track record of legislative modernization and digital transformation

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We are highlighting innovations in the monthly “ModParl” Newsletter

https://popvox.org/modparl