Katherine Tully-McManus at Politico:
“I WILL PRAY FOR YOU” — If you’re looking for a breath of fresh air when the partisan rancor and personal acrimony grows stifling on Capitol Hill, it might be time to check out the Select Committee (no, not that select committee) on the Modernization of Congress. The panel is set to vote this morning on its latest slate of 20 recommendations for how to make this place work…better. (Can we agree that Congress has some areas for improvement?) Huddle talked to chairman and self-proclaimed “nerd” Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.) Wednesday night, when he said one key element of his panel rising above the fray is returning to core principles and questions.
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Kilmer expects the panel to advance 15 of the 20 recommendations en-bloc by unanimous consent this morning, but he knows that some members have concerns about the remaining five proposals which may get the first “nay” votes in the panel’s existence. But if there’s still a supermajority in support, they’ll advance. One of the recommendations that could draw scrutiny is expanding the Student Loan Repayment Program to include tuition assistance for staff going to night school while still working in the House. “You want people who are developing more capacity, becoming policy experts, engaging with constituents in solving hard problems… You want them to be able to develop their expertise, not go work for a lobbyist,” said Kilmer.
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“It’s funny, oftentimes when I’m meeting with constituents and I’m like, ‘I’m chairing this committee focused on fixing Congress,’ the most common response is: ‘I will pray for you,’” Kilmer told Huddle.