| March 3, 2003 |
Congresswoman Kay Granger today was identified in a non-partisan, independent study as having one of the best Web sites in Congress. For the second consecutive year, the site received a Congress Online Gold Mouse Award from the Congress Online Project, a joint research project of the Congressional Management Foundation and the George Washington University.
"It is an honor to once again receive recognition as having one of the best Web sites on Capitol Hill," said Representative Granger. "My Web site truly belongs to the people of the 12th District of Texas and is a major part of my continuing efforts to offer outstanding constituent service."
The study evaluated 610 Web sites in Congress - all Member office, committee, and leadership sites- to determine which sites are the best and to assess how well Congress is using the Internet to communicate with the public. The Web sites were graded on five criteria: audience, content, interactivity, usability, and innovations. Only 16 offices received a Gold Mouse Award. Granger's Web site was praised for reflecting the Congresswoman's "straight-forward, direct style" and for "her efforts to address constituent concerns and problems online rather than pushing them off to another Web site or directing them off line." The report specifically commended Granger for presenting constituent services information in language that users will understand, answering frequently asked questions on constituent casework, and offering a Spanish language version of the Web site.
The site includes several other innovative features to meet the online needs of Granger's constituents. Visitors to https://kaygranger.house.gov/ can check to see if they are owed an unclaimed refund from the IRS, vote in an online poll concerning important issues pending in Congress, sign up for email updates, as well as access the latest news and information from Representative Granger.
The complete list of Congress Online award winners is available in the report: www.congressonlineproject.org/webstudy2003.html.