[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 80 (Wednesday, June 22, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 22, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
          NATIONAL ADVISORY REFERENDUM ON CONGRESSIONAL REFORM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Hoekstra] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HOEKSTRA. Mr. Speaker, the American people are frustrated with 
politics as usual in Washington, DC. Specifically, they are frustrated 
with Congress.
  After years of scandals, deficits, and overall poor job performance, 
the people voted for change in the elections of 1992--110 new Members 
of Congress came to Washington to make a major impact and help to turn 
things around.
  Just 17 months later, the people are hardly satisfied with what they 
have gotten for their votes of 1992. In fact, there has been no 
progress made in reforming the way Congress makes decisions. There has 
been no progress in changing our spending habits. And there has been no 
progress on reconnecting the American people to the process of setting 
the agenda in Washington.
  But Mr. Speaker, this can all change today.
  Congressman Jim Inhofe today filed a discharge petition on House 
Resolution 409, the National Advisory Referendum on Congressional 
Reform.
  The national advisory referendum on congressional reform will give 
American voters the opportunity to vote on the balanced budget 
amendment, term limits, and the line-item veto, at the general election 
on November 8 of this year.
  This is truly a great opportunity for the American people. This would 
be the first time in American history that the people would be given 
the right to go to the voting booth and cast a vote for or against 
major issues that impact the future of this country.
  Why are we using the discharge petition? The reason is very simple. 
My legislation is currently collecting dust in the House administration 
Subcommittee on Elections. To date there has been no activity on my 
legislation.
  There is a very good reason why my legislation is not going to come 
up for a vote without using the discharge petition.
  The status quo rules in Congress. the way things are done around here 
rules in Congress. The power of the status quo, and the unwillingness 
on the part of leaders to change and adjust and refine to meet the 
challenges of our world, has been a great disappointment to me.
  For this reason, Congressman Jim Inhofe and I are working together to 
get 218 of our colleagues to sign a discharge petition on House 
Resolution 409, the national advisory referendum on the balanced budget 
amendment, the national advisory referendum on term limits, and the 
national advisory referendum on the line item veto.
  Why must we do this? Congress is ignoring the cries of the American 
people for change, but they are failing to recognize that Government 
policies are hurting actual businesses and actual individuals who are 
getting tired of paying huge taxes and complying with excessive Federal 
regulations.
  The static Congress views this frustration as a mood. You hear this 
often, Members are concerned about the mood of the voters.
  A dynamic Congress would view this frustration as a real problem, 
with an identifyable cause and effect. Taxes are too high. I can't save 
for my child's college education. I can't take my family on vacation. 
We need two incomes, one to pay the bills and another to pay the taxes.
  So how do we change this?
  I would argue that the first step is to give American people the 
tools they need to help set the agenda in Washington. The road to 
change and better government cannot be an us versus them issue.
  Legitimacy must be restored, both to the institution and to 
democratic process.
  The return to the Founding Fathers' vision for our constitutional 
Government, we need a new constitutional mechanism that lets voters 
help set the national agenda.
  The national advisory referendum on congressional reform will give 
voters the opportunity to help set the agenda.
  The American people, on November 8 of this year, will go to the pools 
and elect their Representatives and Senators, but they will also send a 
message to the Congress on three major reform issues.
  The national advisory referendum is a modest proposal that will go a 
long way toward reconnecting the American people to the process of 
setting the agenda for Congress, a process they have been isolated from 
for far too long.
  New benefits from holding a national referendum include the potential 
to stimulate the dangerously flagging public participation in civic 
affairs. Elections would once again be about both issues and 
candidates. Voters could go to the polls confident that they are 
sending a signal to Congress on which issues they want addressed. 
Candidates would be more likely to take positions on ballot issues, and 
less able to go into office based merely on name recognition and slick 
campaign styles.
  The advisory referendum process realizes the constitutional provision 
for the public to ``petition Congress for redress of grievances.'' 
Special interest lobbyists defend their access to Congress on these 
same petition grounds. Sure, individuals can write, call, or meet with 
their Representatives. But the wealthy have the means to organize in a 
collective voice, and their petitions are more likely to be heard. The 
national advisory referendum on congressional reform gives the average 
voter greater clout to compete with the current powerful interests.
  The national advisory referendum on congressional reform provides two 
useful functions that elevate public debate and reinvigorate our 
traditional institutions--separating issues from personalities so one 
focuses on issues, and facilitating communication between the 
electorate and the elected representative.
  As with any major reform, national indirect initiatives and referenda 
will disrupt comfortable relationships and break up cozy alliances. It 
may well mean the end of business as usual in Washington, DC. But 
business as usual is not what this Nation needs--nor what the voters 
want--at this point in our history. Enacting an indirect initiative 
process provides an opportunity to restore the democratic nature of our 
republican institutions, before growing public frustration brings even 
greater alienation or a stampede to more radical measures of change. It 
is time to sign disclose petition No. 22.

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