WASHINGTON DC – The U.S House representative from this area will head a new committee to try to fix a broken Congress.

Sixth District Representative Derek Kilmer now chairs the “Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress”.

The bipartisan select committee will to study ways to improve and modernize the operation of Congress.

The committee was created in a package of House rules changes that was spearheaded by  Kilmer and members of the New Democrat Coalition. Among other parts of the package requirements bills that go through the Rules Committee to have a hearing and a markup before they go to the floor.  The House will require bill text to be available for 72 hours before the bill can proceed to the House Floor for a vote.

Kilmer also outlined some of his process-reform ideas in an op-ed for “Time” magazine early last year.