House faces reform push as election nears

The House of Representatives has been going through a rough patch lately. In the past year‚ it saw one Speaker kicked out mid-term and another barely avoiding the same fate. Even simple votes have become major challenges and the number of laws passed has gone down a lot.

With elections coming up and Democrats close to getting the majority‚ some people think its time to fix whats not working. They want to continue the changes they started about 6 years ago when they last had control.

When power shifts in Congress its often the best time to make big changes‚ especially if theres a new leader. In 2018‚ some moderate Democrats set up a temporary committee to update how the House works. It lasted 4 years and made some small but good changes.

If Hakeem Jeffries becomes the new Speaker‚ it could mean big changes. Heʼs younger and hasnt been in office as long as Nancy Pelosi was when she became Speaker again 6 years ago. This means he might be more open to trying new things.

Even Democrats admit that when they were in charge before‚ things werent great. Regular members have lots of complaints about how things work‚ from scheduling problems to committee leaders ignoring newer members.

There is still much more work to be done

Some ideas from former staff members (who didnt want to be named) include:

• Giving members fewer committee assignments so they can focus better
• Limiting the number of special interest groups members can join
• Making it easier for bills with support from both parties to get voted on
• Having committee members take trips together to build better relationships
• Allowing some remote voting in special cases like after having a baby
• Having some debates without TV cameras to encourage real discussion
• Not serving food at most meetings to make them shorter

While big changes are needed‚ small steps could help too. As one group said‚ “Gradual progress is more likely than sudden and comprehensive approaches“