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Bradford Fitch

Bradford Fitch is president and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation. Fitch has spent 25 years in Washington as a journalist, congressional aide, consultant, college instructor, Internet entrepreneur, and writer/researcher. Fitch began his career as a radio and television reporter in the 1980s. He began working on Capitol Hill in 1988 where he served for 13 years. He worked in a variety of positions for four Members of Congress, including: press secretary, campaign manager, legislative director, and chief of staff.
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    Congress

    Reform in 2023: Congress actually had a pretty good 2022, and next year may be even better

    Bradford Fitch
    December 20, 2022
    US Capitol
    Free Agents Limited/Getty Images

    As 2022 draws to a close, The Fulcrum has invited leaders of democracy reform organizations to share their hopes and plans for the coming year. This is the second in the series.

    Fitch is the president and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation and a former congressional staffer.

    It’s that time of year when one reflects on the joys and disappointments of the past year and looks to the hopes and plans for 2023. The Congressional Management Foundation is the only nonpartisan, nonprofit in the United States with 100 percent of its staff and resources dedicated to improving Congress and its interactions with constituents, so naturally our end-of-year analyses and wishes are focused on the legislative branch.

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    reform in 2023

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    Congress

    Five things the congressional class of 2022 should do differently

    Bradford Fitch
    November 15, 2022
    New members of Congress

    Newly elected members of Congress, including Delia Ramirez of Illinois, attended their Capitol Hill orientation Monday. The Congressional Management Foundation has some suggestion for these new lawmakers.

    Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    Fitch is the president and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation and a former congressional staffer.

    A few years ago, I was interviewing a young legislative correspondent for a second-term House member. She told me this: “My boss’s predecessor got elected 40 years ago and before he left office, he advised my boss to individually answer every single letter he got from a constituent.” And I thought about replying: “So you’re basing your constituent engagement strategy on a system designed for the 1980s?”

    One of the most common flaws the Congressional Management Foundation has observed in the past decade is that new members of Congress simply inherit the bad habits of their predecessors. The operational demands of remote work, the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, and the outstanding progress initiated by the House Chief Administrative Officer in recent years have certainly infused more creativity in congressional operations. Yet the first-term members of the 118th Congress have an opportunity to make additional innovations.

    Here are five ideas that new lawmakers in both chambers should consider before finalizing their office plans.

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    constituent service
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