Washington, D.C. -  Representatives David Price (NC-04) and David Dreier (CA-26) today announced the selection of 20 Members of the House Democracy Assistance Commission (HDAC). Price was named the Commission’s Chairman and Dreier was chosen as the Ranking Republican Member. The Commission’s purpose is to strengthen democratic institutions by assisting legislatures in emerging democracies throughout the world.

The following 11 Democratic Members were selected by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve on the Commission: David Price (NC-4), Lois Capps (CA-23), Rush Holt (NJ-12), Adam Schiff (CA-29), Alyson Schwartz (PA-13), Don Payne (NJ-10), Earl Pomeroy (ND-AL), Sam Farr (CA-17), John Salazar (CO-3), Keith Ellison (MN-5) and Mazie Hirono (HI-2).

The following 9 Republican Members were selected by Minority Leader John Boehner to serve on the Commission: David Dreier (CA-26), John Boozman (AR-3), Jeff Fortenberry (NE-1), Joe Wilson (SC-2), Judy Biggert (IL-13), Jerry Weller (IL-11), Jeff Miller (FL-1), Wayne Gilchrest (MD-1), and Bill Shuster (PA-9).

“As the world’s oldest existing democratic assembly, the U.S. Congress has a unique contribution to make in promoting democracy around the world,” said Rep. Price. “The Members that have been named today make up an impressive and diverse group of skilled legislators, and I am confident they will greatly enhance our mission of strengthening representative government in emerging democracies.”

“I’m very proud of the work that this Commission began in the last Congress,” said Rep. Dreier. “We are already seeing the great benefits that these partnerships are producing. I look forward to continuing to work with my fellow HDAC colleagues, old and new, in our efforts to advance the spread of democracy around the globe.”

HDAC serves as a model of bipartisan cooperation to promote a common goal among Members of the House. Central to HDAC’s work is providing procedural, technical, and material assistance to legislatures and their members in developing democracies around the world, drawing on the experience of the U.S. Congress in legislative governance. Commission Members and their staff work in Washington and on site in partner countries to build the capacity of democratic institutions and work with elected officials to strengthen the building blocks of effective, independent national legislatures, such as budgetary analysis, legislative research, and oversight of the executive branch. The Commission is unique in its peer-to-peer, legislature-to-legislature method of democracy building.

Currently, the House Democracy Assistance Commission is implementing programs for legislatures in twelve nations: Afghanistan, Colombia, East Timor, Georgia, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Macedonia, Mongolia, and Ukraine. Examples of the Commission’s work include helping to set up a national archival library in East Timor, supporting the establishment of an independent office of fiscal analysis in Kenya, and assisting the Parliament of Afghanistan with oversight of its budget.