[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 138 (Wednesday, October 13, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H9907]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     FIRST EVER CLEAN AUDIT OPINION OF U.S. HOUSE FINANCIAL RECORDS

  (Mr. SMITH of Michigan asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, when we drafted the Contract with 
America in 1994, we promised to conduct public audits of the House 
books and records, but in 1995 PricewaterhouseCoopers could not even 
render an opinion. The records, and I should say the lack of records, 
were deplorable. Millions of dollars were tracked on handwritten 
ledgers with numbers scratched out and written in different ink colors. 
Supplies and equipment were purchased without competitive bidding. 
There was $14 million in over-budget spending. There were problems with 
the post office and the House bank.
  After a great deal of work to clean up the mess and start keeping 
records under the guidelines of general accounting principles, this 
fall we received a totally clean bill of financial health. For the 
first time ever, the House books are clean, open to the public, and 
follow those principles.
  We are committed to the highest standards of integrity and full 
accountability to taxpayers, including balancing the budget without 
using the Social Security trust fund surplus.

                          ____________________