“In this new Congress, what excites me most is how we can use technology to make government leaner, more transparent, and more accountable to Americans.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) today delivered remarks at the Personal Democracy Forum (PDF) conference. She called for interacting with Congress to be more like using Uber than visiting the DMV.

“Innovations in technology have the potential to revolutionize the way citizens interact,” McMorris Rodgers said, in a speech titled Imagining the Congress of the Future. “Technology can solve problems and improve lives by changing government’s approach to public policy.”

Personal Democracy Forum, an annual gathering of civic technology enthusiasts and thought leaders in New York City, is organized by Personal Democracy Media. This year’s conference focused on “The Future of Civic Tech.”

Highlights from McMorris Rodgers’s Remarks:

“What we’re seeing is a 19th Century institution often using 20th Century technology to respond to 21st Century problems. We need to change that.”

“People expect high-quality, on-demand deliverables in a world that is now digital, mobile, personal, digital, and virtual. This means tax reform shouldn’t take 20 years and answering a constituent letter shouldn’t take three weeks.”

“I want to be a positive disruptor on Capitol Hill. I want to bring the innovative mentality of the Pacific Northwest and Silicon Valley to Washington and use it to change how government views outreach and problem solving.”

“The same creative thinking that launched Uber and Lyft should be used to spur tax reform. The same innovation that leads to new diabetes and cancer drugs should be adopted when Congress envisions a 21st Century health care system.”

 Click here for full remarks and video of speech.