BY Miranda Neubauer | Tuesday, January 8 2013

House floor summaries are now available for bulk download in XML format, the office of Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) announced today.

The project is the first of several set to roll out for the 113th Congress that were coordinated or initiated by the Legislative Branch Bulk Data Task Force, Don Seymour, Digital Communications Director for Speaker Boehner, wrote in a blog post.

Every House session, corresponding to roughly a calendar year, is available in one bulk file going back to the 109th Congress from 2005.

"The task force was created to expedite the process of providing bulk access to legislative information and to increase transparency for the American people," Seymour writes. "It includes the House Clerk, legislative branch agencies such as the Government Printing Office and Library of Congress, representatives from House leadership and key committees, and the House Chief Administrative Officer."

Seymour notes that the innovation follows other previous improvements, with real-time updates on House floor proceedings available in XML since 2011, video streaming platform HouseLive.gov, the use of low-cost video conferencing tools, the online streaming of committee hearings and other work with developers and transparency advocates.

Seymour promises that other efforts to make the legislative process more open are to come.