Representative Chris Cannon (R-UT) Recognizes WashingtonWatch.com for Bringing Transparency to Congress

WASHINGTON, May 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Speaking at a hearing on the regulatory process this week, Representative Chris Cannon (R-UT) cited the work of WashingtonWatch.com to make congressional lawmaking more transparent.

"Left or right is not very important. Actually knowing what government does is," Congressman Cannon said, noting the work of WashingtonWatch.com. Cannon is a leading advocate of using technology to improve the workings of government and to improve communications between elected leaders and their constituents.

"We're very pleased to have the recognition of Congressman Cannon," said Jim Harper, Webmaster of WashingtonWatch.com. "He has long been known on Capitol Hill as a champion of using technology to promote transparency and open government. We share the goal of improving the legislative process."

WashingtonWatch.com uses government predictions about the costs or savings from proposed laws to calculate the significance to average Americans - in dollars and cents - of proposed changes to the nation's policies. A suite of tools allow the public to share information about the bills in Congress, and learn more information about them.

Every bill in Congress has a wiki-editable page on WashingtonWatch.com, and links to more information. Each page allows comments, and a voting function allows visitors to vote "yea" or "nay" on the bills before Congress. Webmasters can use a "widget" to place the vote results on their sites. The WashingtonWatch.com weekly newsletter and RSS feeds from the site offer visitors a variety of simple ways to stay current on the workings of their government.

"We want to make it easier for people to get informed and get involved," said Harper. "People who care about the environment, taxes, health care, or any other issue can learn more information and express their opinions. We're very grateful to have the recognition of a leader like Congressman Cannon."

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Source: WashingtonWatch.com

CONTACT: Jim Harper of WashingtonWatch.com, +1-202-486-0824

Web Site: http://www.washingtonwatch.com/

2008-05-07 17:53:04 0355861 PRNEWSWIRE