[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 116 (Tuesday, July 18, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H7155-H7156]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                 FIRST AUDIT EVER OF THE PEOPLE'S HOUSE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. McInnis). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Arizona [Mr. Hayworth] is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, when I return home to the Sixth District 
of Arizona and visit with my constituents and talk to them about 
various issues confronting this body and this Nation, the question 
always arises: What are you in the Congress doing to take the lead? 
What differences have you made by example?
  Today in this Congress, we reaffirm one of those examples with the 
announcement of the privately conducted audit of this institution, the 
first ever, the first in its history finally being completed.
  Unfortunately, some of the worst fears of the American people have 
been confirmed with this report. Because you see, Price Waterhouse, the 
independent accounting firm with whom we contracted to do the audit, 
said that the records were so poorly kept that they could not even make 
an accurate assessment of the problem. What a terrible indictment of 
the old order, that this, the people's House, had fallen into such 
disrepair in terms of balancing the ledger books, in terms of keeping 
track of your money, that the independent accounting firm could not 
even issue any type of evaluation or accurate opinion. In accounting 
parlance the worst possible evaluation.
  The audit is rife with examples. The House Finance Office, an office 
which processes $700 million a year in salary and expense checks using 
handwritten ledgers to keep records. Here in the information age, as we 
brought the House of Representatives on line and on the Internet 
through Thomas, as we look to the technological advancements in the 
computer age, and still in this institution handwritten records. The 
opportunities for abuse were plentiful. The audit notes bills were paid 
late, appropriations limits ignored. Little accounting for the property 
and equipment belonging to this, the people's House, and with the 
computer program and the computer system that does exist, significant 
security problems.
  Now, be forewarned: It is almost impossible in the course of 6 or 7 
months to take this institution and automatically put it on the right 
track. Certainly more remains to be done, and 

[[Page H 7156]]
there may even be a period of time here where we are trying to move 
from these archaic, unrealistic accounting practices to a fair, honest, 
and open system. The hard work may still be ahead of us in correcting 
this as an institution. But I noted with great satisfaction that 
Members on both sides of the aisle stepped up unanimously I believe, if 
my math is correct and my recollection correct, to vote for a 
resolution approving of this audit and carrying on the business at 
hand.
  This morning, during the course of 1-minutes, one speaker had the 
audacity to pooh-pooh, I guess, just put down the audit process. I note 
with interest the Member voted for this resolution. I appreciate his 
commitment there. But the fact is that working together, Members of 
both parties must remake this institution in the image of the American 
people. Mr. Speaker, we are committed to that.

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