[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 48 (Thursday, April 27, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E662]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      H.R. 3277--FEDERAL AGENCY PERFORMANCE REVIEW AND SUNSET ACT

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                           HON. JON C. PORTER

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 27, 2006

  Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to speak in favor of H.R. 3277, 
the ``Federal Agency Performance Review and Sunset Act.'' The Federal 
Government is fraught with chronic program overlap and duplication. As 
Congress has created multiple agencies and programs to meet the needs 
of our Nation over the years, it has become increasingly clear that 
many of these programs are now outdated because they serve similar 
purposes.
  Did you know that: 19 federal programs throughout the government 
focus on substance abuse prevention; 90 early childhood programs exist 
in 11 federal agencies within 20 different offices; 86 teacher training 
programs exist in 9 different agencies; and 27 different programs and 
services to prevent teen pregnancy exist in HHS alone.
  The costs of the hurricane recovery efforts in Texas and Louisiana 
have reached record proportions and will place an increasing amount of 
strain on our Nation's resources. The President has stated that federal 
spending cuts are inevitable in the near future if the government is to 
achieve a balanced budget. Congress must take accountability by making 
sure the most effective spending cuts do not hinder the necessary 
operations of the Federal Government.
  The members of Congress have a unique opportunity in front of them. 
Together, we can help eliminate program overlap and duplication and at 
the same time help offset the costs of the hurricane recovery efforts 
with the passage of the Sunset Act. Under the ``Federal Agency 
Performance Review and Sunset Act,'' or the Sunset Act the need and 
efficiency of each Federal Agency will be investigated by a Sunset 
Commission.
  Once a Federal Agency has been reviewed by the Commission, Congress 
will have 2 years to positively reaffirm the need for that agency. No 
reauthorization by Congress in that 2-year span would result in the 
termination of the agency or program. The Sunset Commissions will 
empower the President to make the most effective spending cuts by 
trimming Federal programs whose functions exist elsewhere in the 
government.
  Last year, Chairman Alan Greenspan testified before the Senate Budget 
Committee with regard to reforming the budget process. What was missing 
in government, he stated, was a systematic review of all Federal 
programs. He said, ``[Congress] might want to require that existing 
programs be assessed regularly to verify that they continue to meet 
their stated purposes and cost projections.'' The Sunset Act is 
expressly consistent with this analysis, and would bring light of 
review and accountability to Federal programs, and result in 
considerable cost savings to the taxpayer.
  A similar important piece of legislation that I introduced is H.R. 
3276, the ``Government Reorganization and Improvement of Performance 
Act''. Under the ``Government Reorganization and Improvement of 
Performance Act,'' bipartisan commissions would be created to study 
specific areas where there might be overlap and duplication in federal 
operations. The commissions would issue recommendations to the 
President on how to reorganize, at which time the President would 
decide whether to submit the proposal to Congress. This legislation 
would require both the creation of a Results Commission and any 
reorganization proposal endorsed by it to come before Congress under 
expedited procedures to ensure that the proposal receives a clean, up-
or-down vote in both houses.
  It is clear that the world works at much faster speeds than it did 
40, 30, and even 20 years ago. It is clear that it should not require 
an act of Congress to reorganize the Executive Branch so that real 
solutions for crises can be found in the most efficient manner. H.R. 
3276 will allow a ``fast-track'' reorganization authority to exist that 
will increase the overall operability and efficiency of the government 
and allow it to keep pace with the speed of the world today.
  Something has to be done to eliminate the government waste caused by 
chronic program overlap and duplication throughout the Federal 
Government and get the biggest bang for the taxpayers' dollars. The two 
commissions proposed in H.R. 3276 and H.R. 3277 are critical to 
achieving a sensible and responsible analysis of government programs 
and operations and ultimately in eliminating unneeded programs and 
reorganizing government operations.

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