In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of the Clerk introduced the eHopper to provide Members an alternative method for submitting legislative documents, which, until the eHopper, required physical submission of printed copies to the Hopper , a wooden box on the House Floor.
The box, which is still used today, was first referenced as the “Hopper” in the Congressional Record by Rep. Thomas Lindsay Blanton [D, TX] in 1924.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the House to change many procedures to minimize the need for its 441 Members and their staff to be physically present on the Capitol campus.
The first email version of the eHopper was developed over a single weekend in early April 2020 by more than 20 Clerk staff across four divisions: Legislative Computer Systems and the Offices of Legislative Operations, Communications, and Official Reporters. Clerk staff defined needs from Member and support offices, outlined optimal workflows, and designed procedures for electronic submissions, including the introduction of the Staff Authorization Form which Members use to authorize staff to submit documents electronically on their behalf.
[O]n April 6, [] Speaker Pelosi announced a new system for the digital submission of bills, co-sponsorships, and extension of remarks through an email system managed by the House Clerk, in partnership with the Parliamentarian. Within 48 hours, the system was operational, and by May 20, the digital submission of committee reports was also in place. – Congressional modernization jump-started by COVID-19
Over time, the Office of the Clerk upgraded the initial email-based system. Clerk staff met with staff from Member offices to understand specific needs, draft user stories, and design a new system tailored to unique legislative use cases. After several prototypes and extensive user testing with a pilot group, the Clerk’s Office launched a new and improved eHopper, available via a user-friendly website, to streamline the submission procedures both for staff submitting documents from Member offices and Clerk staff processing submissions.
The updated eHopper is an online portal for submitting legislative documents that guides staff through step-by-step prompts.
