The 610 congressional websites have gone from pretty crappy to pretty good in just one year, according to the Congress Online Project:
- More specifically, the study determined that 50% of congressional office Web sites received a grade of A or B, compared to only 10% of the sites in 2002 - a five-fold increase in A and B sites. However, the percentage of very poor Web sites, receiving grades of D or F, declined only marginally from 32% in 2002 to 25% in 2003.
"These new and improved sites are already yielding far-ranging benefits for millions of citizens. Access to legislative information is no longer the exclusive domain of lobbyists and activists who are physically present on Capitol Hill or can afford to pay for services that monitor the legislative process," the report stated.
The study, written by the Congressional Management Foundation as part of the Congress Online Project, evaluated 610 Web sites in Congress — all Member office, committee and leadership sites — to determine which sites were the best and to assess how well Congress was using the Internet to communicate with the public. This research is the second annual report to combine a comprehensive analysis and grading of all congressional Web sites.
....The 2003 report, Congress Online 2003: Turning the Corner of the Information Age, also highlighted some new research and findings not previously reported. In the House, for example, there is a clear decline in the quality of Web sites as tenure and age of the Member increase. Freshman Members in the 107th Congress received an average GPA of 2.49, compared to 1.94 for Members who have served six terms or more. Similarly Members under age 45 had Web sites that received a GPA of 2.47, compared to 1.95 for Members over age 60.
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