Meet Rep Derek Kilmer, Pelosi's Modernization Point Person

Many have tried and few have succeeded when it comes to dragging Congress into the modern age, said Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA). Indeed, Hill staffers have bemoaned being unable to use cutting-edge software or even Apple computers since the early aughts. But as chairman of the new Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, Rep. Kilmer says this effort has the buy-in of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other House leaders: "They want to see this place function better, too — more collaborative, more transparent, more open, more productive." Chairman Kilmer recalls that when he joined the House in 2013, he was "particularly struck that people still used beepers. 'This is a message from the Democratic cloakroom...' It was, wow, this is amazing." The dozen-member modernization committee, with six Democrats and six Republicans, is still in the process of filling out its roster, he said.