Senator Amy Klobuchar

Working for the People of Minnesota

Press Contact

Linden Zakula
Press Secretary
(202) 224-2159

News Releases

Klobuchar's Web site Named One of the Best in Congress

Klobuchar one of two freshman to win coveted honor

January 14, 2008

Washington, D.C. – Today U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar was recognized for having one of the best web sites on Capitol Hill.  Klobuchar’s Web site earned the “Bronze Mouse Award” presented by the Congressional Management Foundation, a non-partisan management consulting and research organization that reviews the 618 congressional sites each year – including those of all Senate and House Members, committees, and official leadership sites.  This year only 16 percent of Congressional sites won an award and Klobuchar was one of only two freshman Senators to earn the achievement.

“It is such an honor to receive this award,” said Klobuchar.  “In this digital age, my website is an essential link between our office and Minnesotans from all corners of our state.  We will continue to build upon this success, ensuring Minnesotans can continue to use our site as a resource to learn about current issues before the U.S. Senate, to seek assistance in solving problems and cutting red tape, or learn about ‘Minnesota’s Senator’s Through History’ – our newest project that allows visitors to learn interesting facts about the personalities who compose Minnesota’s rich political history.”

The 2007 Gold Mouse Report and Awards are part of the “Connecting to Congress” research project, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.  For this project CMF partnered with researchers from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, University of California-Riverside and Ohio State University to study how Members of Congress can use the Internet to improve communications with their constituents and to promote greater participation in the legislative process.

“It is remarkable for a freshman office to recognize the importance of online communication and build such a comprehensive Web site in such a short period of time,” said Beverly Bell, CMF’s Executive Director.  “Senator Klobuchar’s Web site shows that she understands the value of creating a virtual office to reach specific audiences who have come to expect having their needs met online.  We congratulate Senator Klobuchar on creating a Web site that is among the best-of-the-best on Capitol Hill, and we are pleased to present her with the 2007 Bronze Mouse Award.”

Web sites were graded on how well they incorporate five basic building blocks which extensive research identified as critical for effectiveness:   audience, content, usability, interactivity, and innovation. Using these building blocks, an evaluation framework was developed by CMF and their research partners at Harvard, Ohio State, and the University of California-Riverside which would be fair and objective while still taking into account important qualitative factors that affect a visitor's experience on a Web site.  

A full copy of the report, the 2007 Gold Mouse Report: Lessons from the Best Web Sites on Capitol Hill, is available on the Congressional Management Foundation’s Web site at www.cmfweb.org.

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Senator Klobuchar’s Offices

302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Main Line: 202-224-3244
Main Fax: 202-228-2186
Toll Free: 1-888-224-9043

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Fax: 507-288-2922

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Fax: 218-287-2930

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