OMF SELECTS SENATOR LEAHY'S WEBSITE AS "GOLDEN MOUSE" WINNER.

Sen. Patrick Leahy's award-winning website (http://leahy.senate.gov/) comes up a winner again in a new independent analysis of all official websites on Capitol Hill, released by the non-profit, nonpartisan Congressional Management Foundation (CMF).

Funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, the study -- The 2006 Gold Mouse Report: Recognizing the Best Web Sites on Capitol Hill -- evaluated 615 congressional websites, including those of all Senate and House members and delegates, committees (both majority and minority sites) and official leadership sites. Research partners in the project were the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, the University of California-Riverside, and The Ohio State University.

Leahy is a three-time "Gold Mouse" winner and the only member of the Senate or House to earn a Gold Mouse Award every time they have been given. According to the report, of the 85 Mouse Awards given this time, there were 18 Gold (A plus), 27 Silver (A) and 40 Bronze (A minus). CMF has been studying congressional websites since 1998 and produced two previous reports in 2002 and 2003.

"Al Gore took home an Oscar, but I'll settle for a Gold Mouse," said Leahy. "I want our website to incorporate the work of our office as fully and as seamlessly as we can. The Internet increasingly is the primary way that Vermonters and Americans everywhere interact with friends, businesses and government. Keeping the content fresh, abundant and easy to use is the key to a website that works. It's a never ending process, but by now it's second nature to us."

Leahy was the second senator to start a website, in 1995, and also the first senator to start a blog. He was co-founder and remains Senate co-chair of the Congressional Internet Caucus. A lifelong technophile, Leahy on occasion has been dubbed "the cyber senator" for his enthusiasm for and leadership on Internet issues. A leading advocate of the public's right to know, Leahy also has championed key legislation to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act. He also posts on his website significant correspondence with Administration officials, timely reports from the Congressional Research Service, and a variety of other important public documents.

Leahy's website blog, "More From The Floor," chronicles debate and action on the Senate Floor. He also blogged during the confirmation hearings of Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito in his hearings blog, "Heard At The Hearings." Leahy's website now also features audio and video, and he has become one of the first senators to post a podcast through the widely used iTunes music store.

In its report, CMF notes Leahy's understanding of his "audience." "Senator Leahy's site is a resource for the residents of Vermont, with features and content crafted to meet their needs," the report concludes. "One of the key purposes of the awards is to highlight best practices so offices can improve their sites by learning from those doing a good job," said Beverly Bell, CMF's executive director.

According to CMF, websites were evaluated based on how well they incorporate five basic building blocks that extensive research has identified as critical for effectiveness: audience, content, usability, interactivity, and innovation. CMF officials say that using these building blocks, an evaluation framework was developed that would be fair and objective, while still taking into account important qualitative factors that affect a visitor's experience on a website. The qualitative factors included: the quality and tone of the information presented; the usability and navigability of the site; its look and feel; and the degree to which the information meets visitor's needs.

For more information, call 202/224-3693 or visit http://leahy.senate.gov.