Montana delegation's Web schedules praised

Publication: Billings (Montana) Gazette

The Gazette State Bureau
December 12, 2007

HELENA - Montana's three members of Congress drew plaudits from a national nonprofit group for being among a tiny fraction of members of Congress who post their daily schedules on the Internet.

U.S. Sens. Jon Tester and Max Baucus, both Democrats, and Rep. Denny Rehberg, a Republican, are among only eight of the 535 members of Congress to put their daily schedules on the Internet.

"It's great," said Gabriela Schneider, communications director for the Sunlight Foundation. "It's a commitment to their constituents. We like to think it's a model for the rest of the country."

As part of its Punch Clock Campaign, the Washington, D.C., group has been pressing since 2006 to get congressional incumbents and challengers to pledge to put their daily schedules on the Internet.

Tester, without signing the group's pledge, agreed during his 2006 campaign to post his schedule if elected. He began doing so when he took office in January.

Rehberg started posting his in June, and Baucus followed suit in September.

Schneider said the group hears from members of Congress that they don't want to post their schedules because of security fears. She said the group encourages lawmakers to list their schedules one day late to allay these concerns. The three Montanans all post their schedules a day late.

"We've had some great traction in Montana," Schneider said. "It's your culture. The blogging community spoke up and loudly."

The Sunlight Foundation has created a Web site with maps to help people keep track of their members of Congress who post their schedules online. It is available at punchclockmap.sunlightprojects.org.

The maps, updated weekly, show meetings the congressional members have had since January 2007, or whenever they started posting their schedules. The maps mark the home location of the individual or group that met with the lawmaker, not where the meeting occurred.

Schneider said the group does include meetings with constituents but not committee hearings or meetings with other members of Congress.

Putting schedules online is one way members of Congress can help build public trust at a time when Congress as a body has a low job approval rating with Americans.