[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 24313]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



              BIENNIAL BUDGET: AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Madam Speaker, in the next 3 weeks, we will see, 
perhaps, the best and worst of democracy in action; and that is why I 
have called for a biennial budget review process.
  I have a bill, H.R. 493, I hope my colleagues will look at this. I am 
a firm believer that, by adopting such measure, we will remove this 
inherent politics every year that so often occurs during budget 
negotiations.
  What I would like to see is the first session of Congress being 
dedicated to passing all of the 13 appropriations bills, then the 
second session of Congress would be dedicated to authorizing these 
bills, and then to look at oversight of the laws that we have passed.
  Let us investigate and evaluate all these laws we pass every year. 
The current way of doing business often leads to a stalemate where 
politics prevails. This country deserves better.

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