NYTimes reporter Catie Edmondson shared how arduous the process is to read congressional spending bills in this podcast episode. We figured we'd see how Storytell might be able to help:
We started by using the Storytell Chrome Extension on the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 -- a dense, 53-page PDF, which Storytell split into 153 Story Tiles™:
Storytell gave us a summary of the 53-page PDF with key concepts:
We were now also able to "chat" with the PDF right from the web page, like this:
But the Chrome extension is just the start -- by running it on content like this PDF, the content is also added to the user's SmartChat™ dashboard, enabling it to be tagged, like this:
How does the 2023 bill compare to the 2022 bill? Let's dive even deeper -- the 53 page PDF above was a summary of the US Congress bill. Let's look at the actual, raw 1,068 page PDF of the 2022 spending bill. This time Storytell split that into 1,717 Story Tiles™:
This lets you do a much deeper analysis of the full text of the documents, and by putting both documents into a SmartChat™ view like this, you can "chat" with and compare both documents:
The power of SmartChat™ -- comparing the 2022 vs. 2023 bills:
SmartChat™ allows you to define what you want to interact with -- in this case, we've created a SmartChat™ tag called "US Congressional Funding Bills" and put the 2022 and 2023 bills into it.
Now, we can ask questions like this:
Which results in output like this:
Congressional Funding: 2022 vs. 2023 Executive Summary:
The 2023 Congressional funding bill, titled the Consolidated Appropriations Act, shows significant changes compared to the 2022 bill. The 2023 bill provides increased funding in various areas, including agriculture, rural development, food and drug administration, justice, science, and homeland security. It also includes provisions for promoting diversity and inclusion, gender equality, and support for veterans. The bill addresses critical issues such as climate resilience, cybersecurity, and border security. Notably, it allocates significant funds for infrastructure projects and housing programs.
Most Interesting Points:
- Increased funding for economic development, law enforcement, and gun violence prevention efforts.
- Strong emphasis on climate resilience and research, with record-level funding for clean energy.
- Investments in border security and improvements to processing, sheltering, and medical care for migrants.
- Enhanced security measures for the Capitol Complex following the recommendations from January 6th.
- Expanded support for veterans, including increased funding for medical care, mental health services, and homelessness assistance.
- Promoting diversity and inclusion within the diplomatic and development workforce.
- New grant programs to incentivize affordable housing initiatives and inclusionary zoning practices.
Decisions and Action Items:
- Increased funding for Members Representational Allowance, paid interns, and childcare subsidy program.
- Establishment of a House Intern Resource Office to support internship opportunities.
- Funding allocation for residential security, district office security, and Dignitary Protection Division agents enforcement.
- Funding for resiliency and preservation of manufactured housing communities.
- Competitive grant program to reward communities improving inclusionary zoning practices and housing infrastructure.
- Expansion of housing units for intergenerational families and affordable housing for seniors and persons with disabilities.
- Continued support for housing counseling, legal aid assistance for eviction prevention, and lead hazard control.
Feelings, Needs, and Reactions:
- Positive feelings expressed about increased funding for veterans' medical care and mental health services.
- Need for affordable housing solutions and support for vulnerable populations, such as seniors and persons with disabilities.
- Meaningful reaction to the establishment of the House Intern Resource Office to enhance internship opportunities.
- Supportive reaction to the funding allocation for residential and district office security to ensure Member safety.
- Concerns expressed about the need for comprehensive immigration reform alongside border security efforts.
- Positive reaction to the emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion within the diplomatic and development workforce.
- Appreciation for the funding dedicated to climate resilience, clean energy, and climate change research.
Enjoy!