All right. Better late than never, the meeting will come to order. Sorry. The constitutional obligation of the job. I will now recognize myself for five minutes to give myself an opening statement. I will not take five minutes because we are doing Something Different today. Those of you whd past hearings no as committee sometimes likes to shake things up, and today, were looking at ways to develop the next generation of leaders in congress, which is part of our committees mandate. We figured what better way to showcase the next generation of leaders would be to future this committee of to feature this. Ommittees freshmen members we have benefited from their unique perspective as freshmen members. Resentative tendons representative tendons representative demings dutifully gets here early and waits and waits and waits to question witnesses. His patients has not gone unnoticed. I will yield to the representatives. They are running the meeting today. Vice chairman graves, i know you will agree we are in very capable hands. Before turning over the gavel to our freshmen collies, would you like to share any remarks . Thank you, mr. Chairman. I think you will recall, in the early days when we had our first member listening day, a lot of great ideas came from the incoming class and the incoming class certainly encouraged us to think big. I am delighted that we can yield the helm today to two of the brightest of the incoming class. I yield back. With that, i yield to representative scanlon. This is so exciting. I think we should all just adjourning go for ice cream. Ok. Thank you, chairman kilmer. I would like to begin by thanking our expert witnesses. Sorry we are late. We will discuss ways we can support incoming members and how the institution of congress can better support all members of congress in their current and future roles. We will be hearing testimony on simplifying the transition process, developing extended trainings beyond orientation, developing leaders, and assessing the experience of freshmen members to better help them succeed. As a new member myself but for i have a personal interest in the discussion, having observed how timeconsuming the Transition Program process can be. I was sworn in seven days after election day and i experienced the process on hyperspeed. I think we all can attest that the most accurate analogy for the process of setting up a Congressional Office is like drinking from a fire hydrant. Many of our freshman colleagues offered suggestions to streamline the orientation and transition process, increase opportunities for bipartisan contact and make it more responsive to the actual challenges facing new members. Privately, many have shared concerns about the on boarding process. The challenges in getting up and running quickly and effectively. Unlimited tasks involved in setting up multiple offices and hiring a staff, going through orientation, moving to a new city, and making the million small decisions in the span of a few weeks takes time away from learning the duties that are essential to our job, how to get through the tunnels, how to vote, all those things. I think we can do a better job supporting the freshman classes in making the transition to congress and that are able to tackle the issues facing our country on day one of their term in office. In addition to challenges faced when coming to congress, we will also hear testimony on how we can some work members once they are here. We do this with the goal of building a promising members who are interested in becoming leaders and helping them transition into their new roles. Successfully and seamlessly. Ensuring members see a path for themselves as they arrive in congress and building out systems to help them along the way are key to helping them become effective for their constituents. We spend a lot of time talking about professional development as it relates to staff, but it is also important that members have avenues to move into leadership roles. The experts on the panel have highlighted a range of ways we can lift up new leaders in the house. They have offered recommendations on everything from member training to those who want to be chairs to building out a robust Human Resources department. If we can do a better job providing support to our members throughout their time in congress in addition to easing , the transition process, we can be a better and more effective body, we hope. With that, i will yield to representative timmons for his opening remarks. Thank you, madame chairwoman. It really is an honor to be leading this committee with you and i want to thank chairman , kilmer and vice chair graves. For their leadership on this committee. I show up early and stay the whole time because it is my favorite committee that im on. It is my favorite committee because of the way the two of you have led this in a bipartisan manner. You take Committee Members input, and it has just been a really good experience. I want to give you a story from my time in state senate. I served two years there. I became friends with some of the members that had been there for a while. A particular member told me a story. He had been there for 38 years at this time. We were at dinner one night. And he said, when i got elected, we were not allowed to speak on the floor or in committee for four years. I kind of miss that. I might have talked a little bit more in committee and on the floor than he would have preferred, but he was very kind to lead me in the right direction and has been very influential in my time in Public Service. I really appreciate that. Thats a great segue. Times have changed. When he was elected 39 years ago he was not allowed to speak and now here we are. The chairman and vice chair have seen it fit to let us take a meaningful role in this, so i really do appreciate that. Just having gone through the member orientation, it was, like the chairwoman said, like drinking from a fire hose. I was also running to be the freshman member on the steering committee, so that was an even additional layer that was just very, very challenging and while i know a lot of thought was put into the process, we can always make things better. We can always tweak and overhaul things in ways that will be more efficient. I definitely look forward to that conversation today. This is a critical time that will potentially define your next two years. I also want to thank my mentor. The republican conference has assigned vice chair graves to be my mentor. Told, i believe. I dont think he was asked. I do appreciate his advice and kind encouragement over the last six months. I look forward to hearing how you think we can improve on boarding. And Leadership Development. With that, i will yield back to the chairwoman the remainder of my time. Thank you. I look forward to hearing the thoughts and recommendations the members of the committee and witnesses have for fostering the next generation of leaders in the house. We are going to welcome the testimony of three witnesses. First we have the chief Administrative Officer of the house. A position he has held since august 2016. He is responsible for financial, resources,uman information technology, and Procurement Services for members and their staff. He has had a particular focus on improving the efficiency and accuracy. He has a long record of house and government service. In the mid1980s and early 1990s, he worked at the executive branch of the department of education and the department of interior. He worked on three house committees. You are pretty much the mayor of the house. Directorwitness is the of leadership and International Programs at the International Conference for state legislators. She has been there since 2008, and her responsibilities include overseeing Program Content development for legislative leaders, creating and providing training for legislators, communicating with and providing services for legislative leaders, and overseeing International Partnerships and programs. She has developed numerous programs for legislators and legislative staff across the country. She has spoken on a variety of developmental issues specific to legislatures. Prior to joining, she worked in the wisconsin state senate. Richard spent 19 years at the congressional foundation and served as its executive director from 1990 until 2006. During that time he facilitated Strategic Planning retreats, conducted office assessments, and perform other management. Onsulting services he is the author of frontline management, a guidepost for state offices. He is the coauthor of working in congress the staff perspective. Before joining, he held senior staff positions in both the senate and house. Witnesses, you are reminded that your oral testimony will be limited to five minutes and without objection, your written statements will be made part of the record. You are now recognized for five minutes to present your testimony. Chairman kilmer, vice chairman graves, representative scanlan, representative timmons, numbers of the committee, thank you for discussing ways we can foster the leadership relationship here at the house and set members of for success. Speaker pelosi, in her testimony before the committee at the member day hearing, also recognized the importance of this topic, highlighting the improvement of Leadership Development initiatives for congress. There are many legislative and operating elements that are unique to this chamber. Environment that demands learning and developing opportunities that foster leadership and Career Advancement within the house. The cao must do everything within its means to meet the needs of members and their staff so they are equipped with the resources necessary to succeed. In response, the cao developed and is lamenting a Customer Service focused strategic plan, which sets out to improve our understanding of the House Community and improve the services we provide. During the earliest stages of implementation, we identified immediately and work to address several gaps, particularly a gap in professional Development Offerings for house staff. Success here at the house requires a highly specialized professional development and Career Advancement curriculum. Representative frost, in his testimony before the committee emphasized the importance of , professional development, stating that Congress Must identify leaders and staff and they must be given what they given the education and Career Growth needed to advance in their Public Service careers. I know several members who worst that staffers, who were staffers, and that is sort of a testament to what that statement is about. To fill the gap, academy will deliver professional training tailored specifically to the house. Prior to its launch, the academy conducted a Training Needs assessment and got direct feedback from nearly 600 employees in Congressional Offices. The cao now offers specialized training on requested topics like appropriations law, vetting clerk procedures, writing skills unique to a capitol hill office, and leadership. Our ninepart leadership Seminar Series developed in partnership with the Marine Corps University and the partnership of Public Service, has been of particular interest to chiefs of staff, staff directors, and district erectors. To date, 216 people have attended the five seminars offered. While developing the new academy, the cao want to share wanted to ensure District Offices had the same training opportunities as staff located here on capitol hill. No updated classrooms and broadcast technology, due to updated classrooms and broadcast technology, almost all academy trainings are available as live or ondemand webinars. To be effective on capitol hill, one needs to have a worklife balance, which is why we worked closely with members to launch the house wellness center. It offers in person and online courses for d. C. And district staff on a wide range of topics from mindfulness, nutrition,. Itness, General Health we recently had a wellness fair. It was attended by over 700 staff. As mentioned, we have instituted Workforce Management best practices to ensure cao of staff cao staff are sufficiently qualified and engaged in the skills we support. These practices are applicable and could be adopted by committee offices. Best practices include a new Performance Management system, leadership training for managers workforce planning, practices to manageit, hire, and talent. Finally in addition to enhancing cao members,s, the can improve and streamline the administrative experience of members, specifically the transition process for members. The Administrative Burden of setting up a congressional focus distracts from the on Big Decisions that members have. Based on feedback from members and staff, it is clear the time it takes to set up a District Office is too long and equip and outfitting an office is too complex. Over the years, working with the committee on House Administration we have attempted , to streamline and simplify some of the setup process. For example, we can do all of the websites, and i think we did for the freshman class. There are other processes we can automate, and im running out of time, so i will i welcome feedback from the members, which im sure i will receive. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Youre now recognized for five minutes for your testimony. Chairman kilmer, vice chairman graves, representative scanlan, representative timmons, members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify. The National Conference of state legislatures is the National BipartisanOrganization Serving statete all legislators and legislative staff. Our mission is to provide states and between serve as a voice of state legislatures and the federal government. My work includes researching programs that legislatures are implementing to cultivate skills and creating professional Development Courses we deliver in the state. I will discuss how states andncsl provide state Leadership Development. Americans expect their officials to solve problems and be stewards of democracy. It is an expectation that is about to enter its fifth century on american soil. This month, virginia will celebrate the 400th anniversary of Representative Democracy when it marks the first meeting of the Virginia House of burgesses in 1619. As the laboratories of democracy, state legislatures have been serving the American People ever since. State legislators study, negotiate, compromise, and collaborate to get things done, and the vast majority of legislation passed is done so with bipartisan support. Yet there is no formal training to be an effective legislator. Some states are beginning to expand on what has been a limited legislative training program. And other organizations are adding programs to help legislators develop the knowledge they need to thrive. What are the states doing . They are taking it on the road, at least misery is. All newly elected legislators embark on a six to 10 day tour of the state to better understand districts. Uncommon, the idea example of ice the creativity and dedication state legislatures success ofuring the state legislatures the idea exemplifies the creativity and dedication. Every chamber is providing baselevel orientation. Popular topics include the role of the clerk and secretary. Roland functions of other legislative staff, the budget enactment,ilt chamber rules and procedures, and the committee process. Some states go beyond the initial orientation and provide Ongoing Skill Development and training. Wisconsin, idaho, colorado, the hawaii house, the Pennsylvania Senate and the Washington House are examples of legislators that legislatures that provide Ongoing Professional Development in at least one topic. Colorado provides ongoing parliamentary procedure training for legislators. Idaho provides Civics Education each year. Several states have instituted a mentorship program, primarily in the caucuses, as you seem to have. Offer . S ncsl Services Include on boarding packets instate training, and Leadership Programs. State requests for training have skyrocketed recently. Leaders across the industry finds this appealing, primarily to help new legislators create a standard of what it means to be successful. Our most popular trainings include ethics, negotiation, media relations, and Strategic Planning for leadership teams. Often we conduct these trainings using former legislators, and emphasizing peertopeer learning. Ncsl programs are always customized for the legislative environment, a critical piece interactive and engaging. Consistently, feedback has been that peertopeer programs are most beneficial. Furthermore, there are workshops exclusively for leaders that focus on themes such as risk and decisionmaking, cultu