[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 22, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H4671-H4672]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         COST OF GOVERNMENT DAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 19, 1999, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.

[[Page H4672]]

  Mr. HAYWORTH. Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of working 
Americans and every American, because we have reached a milestone on 
the calendar. Today, June 22, 1999, ranks as Cost of Government Day.
  Now, it is true that yesterday, with the summer solstice gave us our 
longest period of daylight, the longest day of the year, but, Madam 
Speaker, I believe all Americans, especially those who work so hard to 
feed their families, need to know that today marks the day, 170-plus 
days into the calendar year, when Americans can finally go to work for 
their families instead of paying the cost of our bloated bureaucracy 
and government.
  What does it mean to working families, Madam Speaker? What does it 
mean to every American? Well, simply this: According to Americans for 
Tax Reform, Madam Speaker, Federal regulations during 1998 cost 
American taxpayers over $1 trillion. That translates to over $3,800 for 
every man, woman and child this year. Americans for Tax Reform 
estimates that working American will work in excess of 1 month, almost 
40 days, in excess of 38 days, to pay for regulatory costs.
  Madam Speaker, that is why today I am pleased to come to the floor to 
announce that I will reintroduce on this, the Cost of Government Day, 
the Congressional Responsibility Act. It is being sponsored in the 
other body by my good friend, the senior Senator from Kansas Mr. 
Brownback. The Congressional Responsibility Act requires that new 
Federal regulations cannot take effect until Congress approves them and 
the President signs them, or until his veto is overridden.
  Madam Speaker, in the weight of this compelling, overwhelming 
evidence that our government has grown too large and costs working 
Americans too much, I say it is important to restore what our 
Constitution said and our Founders, following the beautiful Preamble 
which serves as more than just a mission statement for our United 
States; in our Constitution, the very blueprint of our Republic, says 
this: Article I, section 1. All legislative powers herein granted shall 
be vested in a Congress of the United States.
  In other words, Madam Speaker, all lawmaking authority. But as 
historians look back upon the 20th century, Madam Speaker, they will 
talk about the unintended rise of, in essence, a fourth branch of 
government, the regulatory branch, because to deal with emerging 
industries, to deal with trying to control so many sectors of our 
economy, the Congress ceded, delegated its authority to an alphabet 
soup of acronymed agencies in the executive branch, where, Madam 
Speaker, unelected, unaccountable Washington bureaucrats, in essence, 
make law.

  Madam Speaker, a personal indulgence. J.D. in my name does not stand 
for juris doctor. I am not a lawyer; I never played one on TV. That is 
considered an asset in Arizona. But one need not be a lawyer to 
recognize that when Washington bureaucrats make law, the unelected, the 
unaccountable suddenly have great power in our society, to the point 
now where we work 170-plus days every year just to pay for the cost of 
government; where all Americans work in excess of 1 month, in excess of 
38 days to pay for regulations.
  What we say with the Congressional Responsibility Act is quite 
simple. Those regulatory agencies can continue to promulgate and 
formulate regulations, but, Madam Speaker, men and women of goodwill 
from both sides of the aisle, constitutionally elected by their 
constituents, are sent to Washington to make tough choices, and what 
the Congressional Responsibility Act would simply do would be to say 
this: Once a regulation is promulgated, have it sent to the Congress 
for an up or down vote. That way, Madam Speaker, accountability, 
responsibility, authority is restored where our Founders wanted it to 
be: with those elected to the Congress of the United States, with those 
who are accountable to the people.
  Madam Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join Senator Brownback, 
the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) and me in sponsoring and voting for 
the Congressional Responsibility Act.

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