E-Government: Constituent Mail in the Time of Anthrax: March 20, 2002
Overview | Video | Panelist Biographies
E-Government Panel Examines the Implications of the Bio-Terrorist Attacks to Congressional Communications
Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee Hosts Informative E-Government Panel for Members and Staff
Washington, D.C. March 20, 2002 - The Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee today examined the role of electronic communications in keeping members of Congress connected to their constituents in the wake of the recent congressional bio-terrorist attacks. The discussion opened with remarks from Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont. "Thank goodness for email! I am delighted that people send emails - I hope people that feel strongly for OR against an issue do send emails to congressmen," said Senator Leahy. "Last April the email I received from Vermonters surpassed the mail that I received from Vermonters. I highly encourage people to send emails."
Rebecca Fairley Rainey, journalist, began the panel discussion with an overview of the issue at hand, sighting some of the more interesting ways members of Congress have tried to use email and Web sites to communicate with constituents - even an unedited, uncensored message board. Reynold Schweickhardt, Committee on House Administration, followed Rainey by discussing the use of the Blackberry device on the House side. Schweickhardt stated, "12% of staff and all of the members are connected via Blackberry to the House email system."
Anne Reed, EDS State and Local Government Solutions Group, brought up many of the concerns about mail that have been stated not only within the District of Columbia but also outside and discussed how email could solve many of these problems. David Nassef, Pitney Bowes, introduced ways of securing mail by making it traceable, as well as some of the benefits of digitizing mail. The final panelist, Dennis Johnson, Graduate School of Political Management, George Washington University, addressed the education process necessary for both members and constituents to engage in digitized mail and the need to continue work to prefect this process.
The program was jointly planned by the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee E-Government task force, co-chaired by Ulrich Werner, Vice President of Government Relations at SAP America, Inc. and Ari Schwartz, Associate Director at Center for Democracy and Technology. Schwartz explained this event as, "a chance to reflect on how technology can help address the complex issues that face government agencies in the wake of the anthrax attacks on Congress."