Social Media Workshop

Co-sponsored by the Administrative Conference of the United States and the GW Regulatory Studies Center, the Social Media Workshop will bring together experts in rulemaking and experts in social media and facilitate a conversation about how social media could be used to improve the rulemaking process, including by addressing current deficiencies or challenges agencies face in rulemaking.  People are often experts in rulemaking or social media, but not both.  The goal of this workshop is to cross-pollinate as necessary to address the hybrid rulemaking-technology questions that are at the core of the Conference's ongoing project on Social Media in Rulemaking.  The discussion will inform Professor Michael Herz's research report, as well as the Committee on Rulemaking's work formulating a draft recommendation.

Agenda:

1:00                      Introductory Remarks

1:10                      Panel I: The Status of Social Media in Government.  This panel will discuss how agencies have used or are currently using technological tools, including social media, to support rulemaking and other agency activities.

• Moderator: Professor Steven J. Balla, the George Washington University (Research Consultant on Administrative Conference Recommendation 2011-2, Rulemaking Comments)

• Panelists:
• Bryant Crowe, Program Analyst, eRulemaking Program, Environmental Protection Agency
• Justin Herman, Federal Social Media, Center for Excellence in Digital Government, General Services Administration
• Joel Kaufman, Associate General Counsel, Federal Communications Commission
• Ben Balter, GitHub

2:25                      Panel 2: Charting a Path Forward for the Use of Social Media in Rulemaking.  This panel will focus on how agencies can use social media in new and innovative ways to improve rulemaking.

• Moderator: Marcus Peacock, former Deputy Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency

• Panelists:
• Rick Otis, Principal, MeadowNeck Consulting
• Whitney Patross, Attorney, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
• Professor Cynthia R. Farina, Cornell University Law School; principal researcher in the Cornell e-Rulemaking Initiative (CeRI), which operates Regulation Room

3:25                      Break

3:40                      Q&A Session: This session's goal is to have a free-flowing and interactive discussion of the issues, with an emphasis on generating ideas of how agencies can effectively use social media to support rulemaking activities.

4:25                      Concluding Remarks

4:30                      End

Video of the event is available here: