[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 57 (Wednesday, April 9, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S5071]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BROWNBACK (for himself, Mr. Miller, Mr. Alexander, Mr. 
        Allard, Mr. Allen, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Ensign, Mr. Enzi, Mr. 
        Fitzgerald, Mr. Graham of South Carolina, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. 
        Santorum, Mr. Thomas, and Mr. Bunning):
  S. 837. A bill to establish a commission to conduct a comprehensive 
review of Federal agencies and programs and to recommend the 
elimination or realignment of duplicative, wasteful, or outdated 
functions, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Governmental 
Affairs.
  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the 
bipartisan Commission on the Accountability and Review of Federal 
Agencies, CARFA, Act.
  We need accountability in Federal spending. With our Nation at war 
and with a recovering economy, the Congress needs to take concrete 
steps to ensure that hard-earned taxpayer dollars are being efficiently 
used by the Federal Government.
  Indeed, few things are more upsetting to my Kansas constituents than 
to see wasteful Federal spending. Kansans often say to me: ``I do not 
mind paying my taxes, but it is infuriating to see my hard-earned money 
being poorly spent by the Federal Government. If I am going to work 
hard to earn this money, I want it spent wisely.'' These are real 
concerns that need to be addressed.
  The bipartisan legislation that I introduce today with 13 original 
cosponsors would help to provide accountability to Federal spending by 
establishing a commission to review Federal domestic agencies and 
programs within agencies.
  The Senate is already on record strongly supporting this concept 
through an amendment that I offered to the Senate Budget Resolution. On 
March 21, the Senate passed S.A. 282 to the budget resolution by a 
voice vote. S.A. 282 briefly describes the CARFA Act, expressing the 
sense of the Senate that a commission should be established to review 
Federal domestic agencies and programs within agencies, and that the 
commission should submit to Congress: (1) recommendations to realign or 
eliminate wasteful agencies and programs within agencies; and (2) 
legislation to implement its recommendations.
  The CARFA Act is modeled on successful commissions of the past. If 
enacted, the 12-member presidentially appointed commission would 
conduct a 2-year review of Federal domestic agencies and programs 
within agencies, using a narrow set of criteria in its review.
  Upon completion of its evaluation, the commission would submit to 
Congress both its recommendations of agencies and programs that should 
be realigned or eliminated, and proposed legislation to implement its 
recommendations. As with successful commissions of the past, the 
Congress would consider this legislation on an expedited basis with a 
comment period from the committees of jurisdiction. Within the 
expedited timeframe, the Congress would take an up-or-down vote on the 
legislation as a whole without amendment.
  I urge my colleagues to support and pass this important piece of 
legislation.
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