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  • LegisTech: Modernisation in Parliaments: AI as a Tool for Modernisation

    Bússola Tech and the Houses of the Oireachtas, the Parliament of Ireland, have the honour of presenting LegisTech: Modernisation in Parliaments – AI as a Tool for Modernisation. This prestigious international conference will be held from June 3rd to 5th, 2026 at the Houses of the Oireachtas, in Dublin. The conference aims to deepen international dialogue on parliamentary modernisation and the strategic integration of artificial intelligence in legislative institutions, bringing together secretaries-general, clerks, parliamentary counsels, legislative administrators, technology leaders and institutional decision-makers from across jurisdictions.

    The next edition will focus on the important theme of Artificial Intelligence as a Tool for Parliamentary Modernisation. The programme has been designed to promote in-depth debates on various dimensions of parliamentary modernisation, including, among other topics, digital maturity evaluation, modular and interoperable digital platforms, data governance and standards, AI-ready parliamentary data, cybersecurity, procedural adaptations, institutional guardrails for artificial intelligence, long-term financial planning for modernisation initiatives, parliamentary accessibility in the era of disinformation, and the integration of AI tools with parliamentary business and services.

    The conference will also feature thematic breakout sessions and practical discussions on governance models, infrastructure, digital service delivery, decentralised development of parliamentary solutions, and the responsible implementation of artificial intelligence in legislative environments.

    Parliaments and legislative institutions from around the world are invited to participate in a journey of dialogue, cooperation and institutional reflection, envisioning a future in which digital transformation strengthen parliamentary capacity, procedural resilience and democratic governance.

    Registration for in-person participation is not available to the general public. Parliaments and institutions interested in participating are invited to contact Bússola Tech and the Houses of the Oireachtas for further information.

  • Programme

  • Day 1 – June 3rd, 2026 (Wednesday)

    Venue: Houses of the Oireachtas, Dublin. Ireland

    08:30 – 09:00: Registration

    09h00 – 09h30: Official Opening

    • Ciarán Doyle - Assistant Secretary of the Houses of the Oireachtas
    • Luís Kimaid - Executive-Director of Bússola Tech
    • José Pedro Montero - President of the Association of Secretaries-General of Parliaments (ASGP)
    • Luís Fernando Pires Machado - Executive-Director at the Legislative Knowledge Institute

    09h30 – 10h30: Panel Discussion about Modularization, Integration and Tailoring of Digital Platforms and Services in Parliaments

    • Luís Kimaid - Executive-Director of Bússola Tech (moderator)
    • Neemias Muachendo - IT Director at the Assembleia Nacional of Angola
    • Kirsten Gullickson - Director of Systems Analysis and Quality Assurance at Office of the Clerk at the U.S. House of Representatives
    • Mairéad Keating - Head of Parliamentary Business Systems Development at the Houses of Oireachtas
    • Juliano Bringer - CIO at Ágape Consulting

    10h30 - 10h45: Coffee-Break

    10h45 - 11h45: Panel Discussion about Agentic Artificial Intelligence in Parliaments

    • Ciarán Doyle - Assistant Secretary of the Houses of the Oireachtas (moderator)
    • Ahto Saks - Administrative Director at the Parliament of Estonia
    • Stephen Dwyer - Senior Innovation Director at the U.S. House of Representatives
    • Bruno Thomasi - CEO at Govsys
    • Kieran McCorry - National Technology Officer at Microsoft

    11h45 - 12h45: Panel Discussion about the Evaluation of Digital Maturity of Parliamentary Business and Services

    • Ludovic Delepine - ICT Director at the EU Parliament (moderator)
    • Fotis Fitsilis - Head of Documentation at the Hellenic Parliament
    • Ciarán Doyle - Assistant Secretary of the Houses of the Oireachtas
    • Shahin Hasan Hasanov - Deputy Secretary-General at the National Assembly of Azerbaijan
    • Leslie Addico - IT Director at the Parliament of Ghana

    12h45 - 14h00: Lunch-Break and Official Photo at the Oireachtas

    14h00 - 16h30: Thematic Trails in Breakout Rooms

    • Presentations of 10min and remaining time of moderated discussion by the Chairperson

    Breakout Room 1: Governance and Administration

    • Ciarán Doyle - Assistant Secretary of the Houses of the Oireachtas (Chairperson)
    • Kirsten Gullickson - Director of Systems Analysis and Quality Assurance at Office of the Clerk at the U.S. House of Representatives (Speaker)
    • Mary Tougher - Programme Manager at the Houses of the Oireachtas (Speaker)
    • Fuat Bayramoglu - Legislative Expert at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (Speaker)
    • Daniel Schuman - Executive-Director at the American Governance Institute (Speaker)

    Breakout Room 2: The use of AI in cybersecurity to combat AI powered/fueled attacks

    • Fotis Fitsilis - Head of Documentation at the Hellenic Parliament (Chairperson)
    • Graeme Smith - Cybersecurity Programme Manager - Houses of the Oireachtas (Speaker)
    • Jack Turner - Cybersecurity Governance Risk and Compliance Officer Houses of the Oireachtas (Speaker)
    • Franklin De Vrieze - Head of Practice Accountability at the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (Speaker)

    Breakout Room 3: Ensuring Funding for Parliamentary Modernisation

    • Luís Kimaid - Executive-Director of Bússola Tech (Chairperson)
    • David Wilson - Clerk at the Parliament of New Zealand (Speaker)
    • Elaine Cameron - Head of Infrastructure and Operations Houses of the Oireachtas (Speaker)
    • Wade Ballou - Chief Legislative Counsel (retired) at the U.S. House of Representatives (speaker)
    • Marty Bickford - Vice-President at Xcential Legislative Technologies (Speaker)

    16h30 - 17h00: Plenary Session Update on Breakout Sessions

    17h00 - 18h00: Networking Reception

  • Day 2 – June 4th, 2026 (Thursday)

    Venue: Houses of the Oireachtas, Dublin. Ireland

    08h30 – 09h30: Panel Discussion about Data Governance and Standards in Parliaments: Preparing Parliamentary Data for AI Integration

    • Ciarán Doyle - Assistant Secretary of the Houses of the Oireachtas (moderator)
    • Monica Palmirani - Professor at the University of Bologna
    • Grant Vergottini - CEO at Xcential Legislative Technologies
    • Ambrósio Soares - ICT Center Coordinator at the Assembleia da República of Mozambique
    • Fotis Fitsilis - Head of Scientific Documentation and Supervision at the Hellenic Parliament

    09h30 - 10h30: Panel about Engagement, Delivery and Prioritization of Member's Digital Services

    • Ambrósio Soares - ICT Center Coordinator at the Assembleia da República of Mozambique (moderator)
    • Loveness Mayaka - Clerk at the National Assembly of Zambia
    • Ana Rita Laranjeira - Assembleia da República of Portugal
    • Marcos Aquino - CEO at Ágape Consulting
    • Stephen Dwyer - Senior Innovation Director at the U.S. House of Representatives
    • Juan De Dios Cincunegui - Advisor at the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina

    10h30 - 10h45: Coffee-Break

    10:45 - 11:30: Cybersecurity and Parliament Specific Incident Response for Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

    • Neemias Mucheando - IT Director at the Assembleia Nacional of Angola (Moderator)
    • Graeme Smith - Cybersecurity Programme Manager at the Houses of the Oireachtas in Ireland
    • Sara Fernandes - Head of the Information Security Division at the Assembleia da República of Portugal
    • Franklin De Vrieze - Head of Practice Accountability at the Westminster Foundation for Democracy

    11h30 - 12h30: Panel Discussion about Parliamentary Content and Weaponised Media in the Era of Disinformation

    • Luís Kimaid - Executive-Director of Bússola Tech (moderator)
    • James Pinnell - Deputy Director for Programmes at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
    • Derek Luyten - Executive Director at the House Democracy Partnership at the U.S. House of Representatives
    • Cara Hunter - Member of the Legislative Assembly of Northern Ireland Assembly
    • Jeffrey Joswa - Deputy Director of ICT at the National Assembly of Zambia
    • Michelle Conville - Assistant Principal Officer, Communications Unit at the Houses of the Oireachtas of Ireland

    12h30 - 13h30: Panel Discussion about Preparing the AI Guardrails for your Parliament

    • Ciarán Doyle - Assistant Secretary at the Houses of the Oireachtas (moderator)
    • Wade Ballou - Chief Legislative Counsel (retired) at the U.S. House of Representatives (Speaker)
    • Fuat Bayramoglu - Legislative Expert at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey
    • Tim De Bondt - Head of the Communications Department at the Sénat of Belgium
    • Luís Fernando Pires Machado - Executive-Director at the Legislative Knowledge Institute
    • Fillemon Johannes - IT Director at the Parliament of Namibia

    13h30 - 14h30: Lunch-Break

    14h30 - 17h00: Thematic Trails in Breakout Rooms

    Presentations of 10min and remaining time of moderated discussion by the Chairperson

    Breakout Room 1: Building Parliamentary AI Assistants

    • Ciarán Doyle - Houses of the Oireachtas of Ireland (Chairperson)
    • Bilal Munir - Data and AI Manager at the Houses of the Oireachtas (Speaker)
    • Sola Adewumi - IT Manager at the Houses of the Oireachtas (Speaker)
    • Bruno Thomasi - CEO at Govsys (Speaker)
    • Ludovic Delepine - ICT Director at the EU Parliament (Speaker)
    • Stephen Dwyer - Senior Innovation Director at the U.S. House of Representatives (Speaker)

    Breakout Room 2: Data Governance and Standards for AI Integration in Parliaments

    • Jude Wilson - Chief Technology Officer at the Houses of the Oireachtas (Chairperson)
    • Marcos Aquino - CEO at Ágape Consulting (Speaker)
    • Monica Palmirani - Professor at the University of Bologna (Speaker)
    • Grant Vergottini - CEO at Xcential Legislative Technologies (Speaker)
    • Fotis Fitsilis - Head of Documentation at the Hellenic Parliament (Speaker)

    Breakout Room 3: Technology and Infrastructure for a Digital Parliament

    • Luis Kimaid - Executive-Director of Bússola Tech (Chairperson)
    • Kirsten Gullickson - Director of Systems Analysis and Quality Assurance at Office of the Clerk at the U.S. House of Representatives (Speaker)
    • Neemias Muachendo - IT Director at the Assembleia Nacional of Angola
    • Carlos Rocca - Director-General at the Cámara de Representantes of Uruguay (Speaker)
    • Marty Bickford - Vice-President at Xcential Legislative Technologies (Speaker)
    • Juliano Bringer - CIO at Ágape Consulting

    17h00 - 18h00: Visit of the Floor and Demonstration of Oireachtas’ Digital Systems

    18h00 - 18h30: Plenary Session Update on Breakout Sessions

  • Day 3 – June 5th, 2026 (Friday)

    Venue: Houses of the Oireachtas, Dublin. Ireland

    08h30 – 09h30: Panel Discussion about Procedural Adaptations and Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Parliaments

    • Luís Kimaid - Executive-Director of Bússola Tech (moderator)
    • Claus Koggel - Director-General at the Bundesrat of Germany
    • Xolile George - Secretary-General at the Parliament of South Africa
    • Hugo de Rosas - Secretary of Legislative Services at the Cámara de Diputados of Mexico

    09h30 - 10h30: Panel Discussion about Legacy Systems in Parliaments in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

    • Mairéad Keating - Head of Parliamentary Business Systems Development at the Houses of Oireachtas (moderator)
    • Kirsten Gullickson - Director of Systems Analysis and Quality Assurance at Office of the Clerk at the U.S. House of Representatives
    • Vaapi Kaenda - System Administrator at the Parliament Of Namibia
    • Bruno Thomasi - CEO at Govsys
    • Patrick McAllister - IT Manager at the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly
    • Frode Rein - Head Strategy & Innovation at the Parliament of Norway

    10h30 - 11h00: Coffee-Break

    11h00 - 12h00: Panel Discussion about The Financial Planning for Parliamentary Modernisation: Ensuring Long Term Continuity

    • Luís Kimaid - Executive-Director of Bússola Tech (moderator)
    • David Wilson - Clerk at the Parliament of New Zealand
    • Carlos Roca - Director-General at the Cámara de Representantes of Uruguay
    • Elaine Cameron - Head of Infrastructure and Operations Houses of the Oireachtas
    • Augusto Nardes - Minister at the Congressional Audit Office from Brazil

    12h00 - 13h00: Panel Discussion about the Possible Usage of Artificial Intelligence on Ex-post Legislative Scrutiny

    • Wade Ballou - Chief Legislative Counsel (retired) at the U.S. House of Representatives (moderator)
    • Sinéad Fitzpatrick - Private Members’ Bills Legal Adviser at the Houses of the Oireachtas
    • Andy Beattie - Chief Parliamentary Counsel of Scotland
    • Marty Bickford - Vice-President at Xcential Legislative Technologies
    • Ludovic Delepine - ICT Director at the EU Parliament
    • Daniel Schuman - Executive-Director at the American Governance Institute

    13h00 - 14h00: Lunch-Break

    14h00 - 15:00: Panel Discussion about Addressing Administrative and Political Concerns Around Parliamentary Digital Transformation

    • Luís Kimaid - Executive-Director of Bússola Tech (moderator)
    • Julius Kampamba - Team Lead at the Technical Team of the Society of the Clerks at the Table (Socatt) Africa
    • José Pedro Montero - President of the Association of Secretaries-General of Parliaments (ASGP)/ Secretary-General at the Cámara de Senadores of Uruguay
    • Joe Peppard - Academic Director at the University College Dublin
    • Martin Hughes - Clerk of the Seanad of the Houses of the Oireachtas

    15h00 - 17h30: Thematic Trails in Breakout Rooms

    Presentations of 10min and remaining time of moderated discussion by the Chairperson

    Breakout Room 1: Decentralized Development of Digital Solutions in Parliaments

    Presentations of 10min and remaining time of moderated discussion by the Chairperson

    Breakout Room 1: Decentralized Innovation and AI Assisted Development of Digital Solutions in Parliaments

    • Colm Kealy - Programme Manager at the Houses of the Oireachtas (Chairperson)
    • Cillian Hamel - Data and AI Consultant at the Houses of the Oireachtas (Speaker)
    • Juliano Bringer - CIO at the Ágape (Speaker)
    • Frode Rein - Head Strategy & Innovation at the Parliament of Norway (Speaker)

    Breakout Room 2: Reviewing the Rules of Procedure to Enable AI Integration

    • Xolile George - Secretary-General at the Parliament of South Africa (Chairperson)
    • Hugo de Rosas - Secretary of Legislative Services at the Cámara de Diputados of Mexico (Speaker)
    • Mairéad Keating - Head of Parliamentary Business Systems Development at the Houses of Oireachtas (Speaker)
    • Claus Koggel - Director-General at the Bundesrat (Speaker)
    • Bruno Thomasi - CEO at Govsys (Speaker)

    Breakout Room 3: Technology and Infrastructure for a Digital Parliament

    • Daniel Schuman - Executive Director at the American Governance Institute (Chairperson)
    • José Pedro Montero - President of the Association of Secretaries-General of Parliaments (ASGP)/ Secretary-General at the Cámara de Senadores of Uruguay (Speaker)
    • Stephen Dwyer - Senior Innovation Director at the U.S. House of Representatives (Speaker)
    • Ronan Curran - Digital Team Lead at the Houses of the Oireachtas of Ireland (Speaker)
    • Luís Kimaid - Executive-Director of Bússola Tech (Speaker)

    17h30 - 18h00: Plenary Session Update on Breakout Sessions

    18h00 - 18h15: Closing Remarks

  • Participants

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    Ahto Saks

    Administrative Director

    Parliament of Estonia

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    Ambrósio Soares

    ICT Coordinator

    Assembleia da República of Mozambique

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    Ana Rita Laranjeira

    Parliamentary Advisor in the Committee Support Division within the Directorate for Parliamentary Activity Support

    Assembleia da República of Portugal

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    Andy Beattie

    Chief Legislative Counsel

    Scotland, United Kingdom

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    Augusto Nardes

    Minister

    Congressional Auditing Office (TCU) of Brazil

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    Bruno Thomasi

    CEO

    Govsys

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    Carlos Roca

    Director-General

    Cámara de Representantes of Uruguay

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    Ciarán Doyle

    Assistant Director

    Houses of the Oireachtas in Ireland

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    Claus Koggel

    Director-General

    Bundesrat of Germany

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    Colm Kealy

    Digital Parliament Programme Manager

    Houses of the Oireachtas in Ireland

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    Daniel Schuman

    Executive-Director

    American Governance Institute

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    David Wilson

    Clerk

    Parliament of New Zealand

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    Derek Luyten

    HDP Executive-Director

    U.S. House of Representatives

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    Filimon Johannes

    IT Director

    Parliament of Namibia

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    Fotis Fitsilis

    Head of Documentation

    Hellenic Parliament

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    Franklin De Vrieze

    Head of Practice Accountability

    Westminster Foundation for Democracy

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    Frode Rein

    Head Strategy & Innovation

    Parliament of Norway

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    Fuat Bayramoglu

    Legislative Expert

    Grand National Assembly of Türkiye

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    Grant Vergottini

    CEO

    Xcential Legislative Technologies

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    Graeme Smith

    Cyber Security Programme Manager

    Houses of the Oireachtas in Ireland

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    Hugo de Rosas

    Secretary of Legislative Services

    Cámara de Diputados of Mexico

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    Jack Turner

    Governance, Risk and Compliance Manager

    Houses of the Oireachtas in Ireland

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    James Pinnell

    Deputy Director for Programmes

    Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

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    Jeffrey Joswa

    Deputy Director of ICT

    National Assembly of Zambia

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    José Pedro Montero

    President/ Secretary-General

    Association of Secretaries-General of Parliaments/ Cámara de Senadores of Uruguay

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    Joe Peppard

    Academic Director

    University College Dublin

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    Juan de Dios Cincunegui

    Advisor

    Cámara de Diputados of Argentina

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    Jude Wilson

    Chief Technology Officer

    Houses of the Oireachtas in Ireland

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    Juliano Bringer

    CIO

    Ágape Consulting

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    Julius Kampamba

    Technical Team Lead

    Society of the Clerks at the Table Africa

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    Kieran McCorry

    National Technology Officer

    Microsoft

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    Kirsten Gullickson

    Director of Systems Analysis and Quality Assurance at Office of the Clerk

    U.S. House of Representatives

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    Loveness Mayaka

    Clerk

    National Assembly of Zambia

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    Ludovic Delepine

    ICT Director

    EU Parliament

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    Luís Fernando Machado

    Executive-Director

    Legislative Knowledge Institute

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    Luís Kimaid

    Executive-Director

    Bússola Tech

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    Mairéad Keating

    Head of Parliamentary Business Systems Development

    Houses of the Oireachtas in Ireland

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    Marcos Aquino

    CEO

    Ágape Consulting

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    Martin Hughes

    Clerk

    Seanad of Ireland

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    Marty Bickford

    Vice-President

    Xcential Legislative Technologies

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    Mary Tougher

    Head of Programme Management Office

    Houses of the Oireachtas in Ireland

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    Michelle Conville

    Assistant Principal Officer, Communications Unit

    Houses of the Oireachtas of Ireland

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    Monica Palmirani

    Professor

    University of Bologna

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    Neemias Muachendo

    IT Director

    Assembleia Nacional of Angola

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    Sara Fernandes

    Head of the Information Security Division

    Assembleia da República of Portugal

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    Sola Adewumi

    Data and AI

    Houses of the Oireachtas in Ireland

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    Sinéad Fitzpatrick

    Private Members’ Bills Advisory

    Houses of the Oireachtas in Ireland

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    Stephen Dwyer

    Senior Innovation Director

    U.S. House of Representatives

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    Tim De Bondt

    Head of the Communications Department

    Sénat of Belgium

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    Vaapi Kaenda

    System Administrator

    Parliament of Namibia

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    Xolile George

    Secretary-General

    Parliament of South Africa

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    Wade Ballou

    Chief Legislative Counsel (retired)

    U.S. House of Representatives

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