Fortenberry Website Earns Distinction as One of Congress’s Best

Congressman Introduces Updates for Site in 2008

Washington, DC - The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) today honored Congressman Jeff Fortenberry for having one of the best websites among lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

“People are communicating more easily and more quickly than ever thanks to remarkable advancements in technology,” Fortenberry said. “Effective communications are a priority for my office. We hope our website is an easy-to-use resource for Nebraskans to find all types of information about the workings of Congress.”

CMF, a non-partisan and non-profit management consulting research organization, released its ratings of congressional sites in the 2007 Gold Mouse Report: Lessons from the Best Web Sites on Capitol Hill.

In conjunction with the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, University of California-Riverside, and Ohio State University, CMF graded congressional websites on how well they “incorporated five basic building blocks which extensive research identified as critical for effectiveness: audience, content, usability, interactivity, and innovation.” They rewarded Fortenberry and other offices who “successfully utilized the Internet to better serve their constituencies and the goals of their offices.” CMF determined the Fortenberry site was one of the top 104 sites in the House and Senate, honoring him with the 2007 Bronze Mouse Award.

Fortenberry also announced that his website has been updated for 2008, featuring the Congressman’s priorities; a comprehensive review of his 2007 work; a press folder of news releases, statements, and video speeches, and an option for constituents to receive his email newsletter the “Fort Report.” The site also features easy-to-use search engines for legislative bills, congressional votes, and links for Capitol tours and other information.

Members of the media may be particularly interested in the updated “Press” folder. The website can be found at http://fortenberry.house.gov/.

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