[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 71 (Thursday, June 9, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 9, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                          CONGRESS AND REFORMS

                                 ______


                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 8, 1994

  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to insert my Washington 
Report for Wednesday, May 25, 1994, into the Congressional Record.

                          The Reform Congress

       The 103rd Congress has the potential to be known as the 
     ``reform Congress''. The legislative agenda of the House and 
     Senate has been dominated by a host of substantive and 
     institutional reform initiatives. A variety of factors have 
     led to this, including public dissatisfaction with 
     government, a new Administration, a growing awareness of 
     major problems in key policy areas such as welfare and health 
     care, and Member interest in improving the performance of 
     government. Several reform initiatives stand out.


                           health care reform

       There is a consensus in favor of reforming our national 
     health care system among Democrats and Republicans, big 
     business and labor, health care professionals, and most other 
     Americans. It now appears that the President's health care 
     plan as submitted to Congress will not be adopted. Congress 
     instead will likely take a more incremental approach to 
     changing the existing health care system. The general 
     consensus in favor of reform has not yet translated into an 
     agreement about specifics, but Members and committees are 
     striving to work these out. Legislation could be considered 
     on the floor sometime this summer.


                             welfare reform

       Congress is considering proposals to end welfare as we know 
     it. The effort is a top-to-bottom overhaul of the welfare 
     system to end the culture of welfare that fosters dependency 
     over self-sufficiency. The emphasis is on making parents 
     support their children, making work more financially 
     rewarding than welfare, improving training and employment 
     opportunities, preventing pregnancies among young welfare 
     mothers, and limiting benefits to just two years for those 
     physically able to work. Many difficult questions must be 
     resolved as Congress addresses this legislation. As a result, 
     welfare reform may be delayed.


                             defense reform

       Last year the Defense Department completed a comprehensive, 
     ``bottom-up'' review of U.S. defense policy in the post-Cold 
     War era. The review includes recommendations for a more 
     mobile, better equipped military, a revamped defense 
     strategy, and the abolition of certain Cold War weapons 
     systems such as the AF/X combat aircraft. Legislation already 
     has passed during the 103rd Congress that implements several 
     of these recommendations. It moves us toward a streamlined, 
     flexible military force, cancels certain outdated programs, 
     and strengthens our defense industrial base.


                        executive branch reform

       Based on the ``reinventing government'' review headed by 
     Vice President Gore, the Administration has proposed hundreds 
     of recommendations to reform the executive branch. They are 
     based on the idea that we can no longer afford to pay more, 
     and get less, from government. We must be prepared to 
     radically change the way government operates and to try to 
     improve its performance. Many of the recommendations require 
     congressional approval. For example, one important set of 
     proposals moving through Congress deals with government 
     procurement of goods and services, an area rife with waste 
     and excessive red tape. Other examples include reducing the 
     size of the federal workforce, consolidating and modernizing 
     operations, and reducing paperwork and administrative costs.


                        campaign finance reform

       Americans are concerned that congressional elections are 
     too expensive, that incumbents have the upper hand in 
     fundraising, and that special interest PACs have excessive 
     influence. During 1993 the House and Senate each passed 
     legislation to overhaul campaign finance laws. The House bill 
     provides for voluntary spending caps and a reduction in how 
     much PACs and individual contributors can give to a 
     candidate, among other provisions. The Senate bill contains 
     different expenditure controls, and would ban PAC 
     contributions outright. House and Senate conferees will 
     attempt to reconcile the differences between the two bills 
     during the next several weeks. The prospects for an agreement 
     are good but not certain.


                       voter registration reform

       Last year Congress passed and the President signed the so-
     called ``Motor-voter'' bill, which enables citizens to 
     register to vote when they get their driver's license, or to 
     sign up by mail. The new law should help reduce unnecessary 
     barriers to registration and promote greater participation in 
     U.S. elections, which unfortunately is low compared to other 
     Western democracies.


                            Lobbying Reform

       People have a right to be skeptical about gifts and meals 
     Members of Congress can now accept from lobbyists. Both the 
     House and Senate have passed bills that would clamp down on 
     this practice. The Senate bill would ban gifts from almost 
     everyone but family members and close friends. The House bill 
     would abolish all gifts costing more than $20 from lobbyists, 
     but meals and entertainment would be allowed if unsolicited 
     and provided by a non-lobbyist. The chances are good that 
     these differences will be reconciled this year. In addition, 
     proposals to tighten registration requirements for lobbyists 
     could also pass during the 103rd Congress.


                          congressional reform

       Earlier this year, legislation was introduced containing 
     the reform recommendations of the Joint Committee on the 
     Organization of Congress, which I co-chaired. The mandate of 
     the Joint Committee was to spend 1993 evaluating the internal 
     operations of the House and Senate and then make 
     recommendations for reform by the end of the year. Included 
     among our recommendations are proposals that would: apply 
     employment and civil rights laws to Congress, include private 
     citizens in the House ethics process, cut congressional 
     staff, streamline the committee system and the budget 
     process, and open Congress up to more public scrutiny. These 
     recommendations currently are under consideration by the 
     House and Senate Rules Committees, and I am hopeful about the 
     chances for adoption. If accepted, the recommendations will 
     constitute the most sweeping overhaul of congressional 
     operations in decades.


                                outlook

       Although each of these reforms is important--and others are 
     also being considered--it will be extremely difficult to pass 
     them all before the end of the year. The issues are complex, 
     the solutions under consideration are not perfect, and there 
     is substantial political opposition to many of them. But it 
     is evident that Congress is trying to deal in a fundamental 
     way with the problems that concern Americans. If Congress 
     proceeds with reform in a spirit of constructive 
     bipartisanship, my sense is that much of this agenda can be 
     accomplished before the 103rd Congress adjourns. Meaningful 
     reform is the best way for Congress to earn public trust.

                          ____________________