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WASHINGTON, D.C., August 16, 2021 - The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) today announced that Rep. Anthony Brown is a winner of a Democracy Award, CMF’s honor recognizing non-legislative achievement and performance in congressional offices. Rep. Brown was selected for outstanding achievement for the category of Transparency and Accountability. The Transparency and Accountability category recognizes offices that provide clear and relevant information on their work and publicly acknowledge metrics for that performance.

“As a Democracy Award winner, Rep. Brown’s office is clearly one of the best in Congress,” said Bradford Fitch, President and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation. “This designation demonstrates that Rep. Brown has made a significant commitment to being the best public servant for his constituents in Maryland. Rep. Brown and his staff are to be congratulated for not only being a model for his colleagues in Congress, but for helping to restore trust and faith that our democratic institutions can work,” he said.

Eight House and Senate offices were honored as winners in four categories: Constituent Service; Innovation and Modernization; Transparency and Accountability; and "Life in Congress"-Workplace Environment. Representative and Senate personal offices nominated themselves using an online questionnaire for the four office categories. CMF followed up with offices as necessary to gather documentation and assess the office's adherence to the established criteria. The winners were selected by a selection committee primarily comprised of former Members of Congress and congressional staff. The winners will be honored at a ceremony to be held in Washington, D.C. in the fall.

Details on the process and the history of the Democracy Awards can be found here: https://www.congressfoundation.org/projects/democracy-awards

CMF included the following reasons for selecting Rep. Brown for an award:

“Since Rep. Anthony Brown (D-MD) took office in 2017, his office has hosted almost 100 town hall meetings, and averages two a month, all around the district. Pre-pandemic, the Congressman would make it a practice to stay and talk to constituents until the last person leaves, even if the town hall ended up being two to three hours long as a result. Rep. Brown’s office has a “no wrong door” policy in their office, meaning that constituents can reach out to them about issues they may not directly be able to assist with, but will work to identify and connect them to an appropriate resource. This allows them to build and maintain relationships with other core constituency groups so they can work in true partnership to serve residents in their district.”

In addition to the eight offices selected for the 2021 awards, CMF this year is giving out a Special Democracy Award to the non-partisan floor staff of the US House and Senate for their courage and service to the Congress and the nation on January 6^th. “These men and women were the stewards of democracy when we needed them most,” Fitch said. “Most Americans never even notice their work. And yet, on January 6, 2021 they played crucial roles well beyond what was expected of them, displaying professionalism, resolution, and patriotism to help maintain our system of government,” he said.

Founded in 1977, the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan nonprofit whose mission is to build trust and effectiveness in Congress. It advances its mission by enhancing the performance of the institution, legislators and their staffs through research-based education and training, and by strengthening the bridge and understanding between Congress and the People it serves.

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