The House Committee on Natural Resources’ majority website today was recognized, for a third consecutive Congress, one of the best websites in Congress by the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF). The Committee received a Gold Mouse award, one of only three House Committees to receive this honor for the 113th Congress.

“For three consecutive sessions of Congress, the Natural Resources Committee’s website has continued to serve as an invaluable tool for communicating our efforts, solutions, and message to the public on natural resources issues,” said Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04). “From the outset, this Committee has made a strong commitment to providing timely and reliable information online and continues to find innovative ways to incorporate social media sites to expand our audience. Today, connecting with the Committee online couldn’t be easier and serves as an example of the Republican majority’s commitment to making Congress more open and accountable. It’s an honor to receive the Gold Mouse award for a third time and we are proud of the achievements we’ve made to engage and better communicate with the American people.”

In addition to an award-winning website, the House Natural Resources Committee encourages the public to connect and interact with them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, on mobile devices, and more.

CMF is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to improve communications between citizens and Congress and enhance operations in Capitol Hill offices. A total of 70 personal office and committee websites received a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Mouse Award. The criteria for website assessments have been developed and refined by CMF over the past decade based on survey research, focus groups with constituents, and interviews with key stakeholders to congressional offices. Reviewers assessed six categories of criteria for committee websites: demonstrates accountability through legislative and hearing information, communicates what the committee does and how it works, provides content targeted to the committee’s audience, follows best practices for usability, facilitates basic interaction, and maintains diverse communications channels.

The 113th Congress Gold Mouse Project report, a full listing of winners, and other comparative data is available on the Congressional Management Foundation website.

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