The Problem

Congress has a 14% approval rating ... which is less than the estimated 15% to 20% approval rating of the British Empire during the Revolutionary War in 1776.



The American people are unhappy with the representatives that they have elected, yet they often cannot explain exactly what their representatives have done to earn their disapproval. In order to promote effective change in our government, The Fourth Branch will create a platform that will allow users to be able to pinpoint exactly what issues they disagree on with their representatives.

Why do Americans not know the details of every bill that is being debated in Congress on a daily basis? No one has the time to read the bills! Even our very own representatives in Washington Havee admitted that they often do not have time to read the bills that they are voting on. Does anybody else see something wrong with this?

Legislation, besides constantly being amended and debated, tends to be hundreds of pages long. We believe that the average individual does not have time to read hundreds of pages of bills per day and they therefore choose to simply opt out of participating in government.

Our Solution

We follow all of the bills being debated in Congress on a daily basis. We then take the governmental summaries of those bills and put them up for vote on The Fourth Branch website. The first time a user comes onto our website, they sign up for our free service by giving us their address. We then use that address to tell the individual exactly who their Senators and House of Representatives members are, along with the contact information for those representatives.

We then let users vote on the bill summaries that are being debated in Congress. Once a user votes on a bill summary, and their elected representative's vote on that same bill in Congress, we send the user an email telling them who their elected representatives are, how they voted on the issues presented, and the contact information of their representatives. If there is any discrepancy, users will be able to instantly contact their elected officials from our website and pinpoint exactly what topic they disagree on with their representatives.

We are creating a system of transparency and accountability for our government. By using our platform, individuals will no longer have to worry about spending hours upon hours researching political topics and what their representatives think about the issues presented. Users will be able to come onto our website, read governmental summaries of bills, and vote for them in three minutes or less. After users vote, we welcome them to engage in thoughtful discussion with other members of The Fourth Branch community about various legislative initiatives.

We are creating a time efficient way for every American with an internet connection to participate in their government.

Preview of the home page

The Fourth Branch will be the center for everything Congress. Read the bill of the day and share it with friends you think it will impact. Leave a comment, and then check out what other members of The Fourth Branch community are talking about in the trending comments section. Have some extra time? Support the cause and participate in providing everyone with the information they need by submitting your own summaries of the bill of the day.



Our Mission

To get everyone in the United States of America to voice their opinions about the laws that are impacting their lives on a daily basis.

Who Are We?

The Fourth Branch is a team of concerned citizens who believe that Congress should be held accountable for representing its constituents. With the help of the public, we believe that we can restore faith in the American government. Let us be Your Link To Congress!

Media Coverage

As featured on The Gavel



http://bcgavel.com/2013/11/04/the-fourth-branch-your-link-to-congress/







As featured on The Ticker



http://ticker.baruchconnect.com/article/fourth-branch-aims-to-create-political-discourse/







As featured on The Vito & Vito Show



Blog post: http://vitoandvito.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-forth-branchco.html



Podcast episode: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/vitoandvitoshow/2014/05/02/congressman-grimm-indicted-donald-sterlings-bigotry







If you're interested in this project, submit your email to receive updates once The Fourth Branch goes live.