[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 14965]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  PERMITTING INDIVIDUALS CURRENTLY SERVING IN OFFICE OF COMPLIANCE TO 
                         SERVE ADDITIONAL TERM

  Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on 
House Administration be discharged from further consideration of the 
bill (H.R. 3071) to permit the individuals currently serving as 
Executive Director, Deputy Executive Directors, and General Counsel of 
the Office of Compliance to serve one additional term, and ask for its 
immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from Ohio?
  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the right to object, 
and I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) for an explanation of 
his request.
  Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman, our ranking 
member from California, for yielding to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3071, a resolution 
permitting the individuals currently serving as Executive Director, 
Deputy Executive Directors, and General Counsel of the Office of 
Compliance to serve one additional term. I support this initiative as 
it was a recommendation contained in the February 2004 Government 
Accountability Office report on the Office of Compliance, which stated 
that allowing these individuals to serve for more time will increase 
the institutional continuity and therefore potentially the 
effectiveness of the organization.
  I believe that this is a better serving of our institution and that 
the current executive staff who have the opportunity to serve an 
additional term so the Congress that way can evaluate and decide how 
best to move forward with the GAO's recommendation.
  I appreciate the gentlewoman's work and her staff on this issue. 
Again, I think this will better serve us and the Office of Compliance 
and our constituents and the staff of the House.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3071, a resolution 
permitting the individuals currently serving as Executive Director, 
Deputy Executive Directors, and General Counsel of the Office of 
Compliance to serve one additional term. A February 2004 Government 
Accountability Office report on the Office of Compliance, concluded 
that allowing these individuals to serve for longer than one term could 
increase the institutional continuity and potentially the effectiveness 
of the organization.
  Though the statute originally limited staff to one term, the 
flexibility to have the executive staff serve for an additional term, 
may better serve the institution and we must have some way of 
evaluating the GAO's recommendation. Therefore the current executive 
staff will have the opportunity to serve one additional term. When 
their terms have expired the Congress can re-evaluate whether term 
limits serve the interests of the Office of Compliance and this 
institution.
  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I further reserve my right to 
object and thank the chairman for his explanation.
  I do now join the chairman in support of his request to permit the 
incumbent Executive Director, the two Deputy Executive Directors, and 
the General Counsel of the Office of Compliance to serve second 5-year 
terms.
  The Congress passed the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 and 
created the Office of Compliance as a reform design to ensure that 
Congress must live under the same laws as everybody else. The Act 
limited the service of the office board of directors and of its senior 
staff to single 5-year terms. Last year, Congress unanimously passed 
legislation allowing the members of board to serve second 5-year terms.
  This bill will allow the four incumbent senior staffers who must 
otherwise leave their posts later this year also for an additional 5 
years. In a recent report requested by the House Committee on 
Appropriations, the Government Accountability Office concluded that 
this change would enhance the Compliance Office's business continuity. 
In recent testimony before the Senate appropriations legislative branch 
subcommittee, the board of directors requested such a change for that 
reason.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe the changes make sense. I urge the House to 
support the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the bill, as follows:

                               H.R. 3071

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. PERMITTING CURRENT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DEPUTY 
                   EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS, AND GENERAL COUNSEL OF 
                   OFFICE OF COMPLIANCE TO SERVE ONE ADDITIONAL 
                   TERM.

       (a) Executive Director.--Notwithstanding section 302(a)(3) 
     of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 
     1382(a)(3)), the individual serving as Executive Director of 
     the Office of Compliance as of the date of the enactment of 
     this Act may serve one additional term.
       (b) Deputy Executive Directors.--Notwithstanding section 
     302(b)(2) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 1382(b)(2)), any individual 
     serving as a Deputy Executive Director of the Office of 
     Compliance as of the date of the enactment of this Act may 
     serve one additional term.
       (c) General Counsel.--Notwithstanding section 302(c)(5) of 
     such Act (2 U.S.C. 1382(c)(5)), the individual serving as 
     General Counsel of the Office of Compliance as of the date of 
     the enactment of this Act may serve one additional term.

  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read 
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

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