March 1, 1977
Page 5709
HEARINGS ON "SUNSET"
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, next month, the Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations will open a new round of hearings on S. 2, the Sunset Act of 1977.
These hearings will build upon the record of 7 days of hearings held last year by the subcommittee on S. 2925, the precursor of S. 2. We plan to have testimony from representatives of the Carter administration, as well as from outside experts on the subject of congressional reform and program evaluation. We hope to have testimony from interested Members of Congress as well.
The hearings we held last year were extremely productive, in my opinion. In the first place, they helped us to build the case for the kind of far reaching reform which "sunset" proposes. When S. 2925 was first introduced last winter, we had only a handful of cosponsors. By the end of the 94th Congress, however, we had almost 60. And we already have more than half the Senate as cosponsors of S. 2.
But more importantly, the hearings last year were most helpful in guiding us in the development of the sunset concept itself. The latest version of the bill, S. 2, reflects suggestions for improvement received by the subcommittee over almost a year's work on the legislation.
We have come a long way in trying to adapt this new idea to the structure and operations of the Federal Government. Nevertheless, reservations about the applicability of the sunset concept remain. I am hopeful that this year we can get to the heart of those reservations, because I, for one, am firmly committed to the idea and believe that its enactment is an essential part of a larger effort to bring the operations of the Federal Government under control.
We will be aided immeasurably in this effort this year by a new administration committed to Government reform in general, and to sunset in particular. Our hearings last year were notably lacking in constructive comments from representatives of the executive branch — the people who run the programs we are trying to bring under tighter rein. This year promises to be different in that regard, and so I am looking forward to a productive year for sunset.
The subcommittee hearings are scheduled for March 22, 23, 24, 28 and 29, beginning at 10 a.m. in room 3302 of the Dirksen Office Building. Anyone wishing information about the hearings should contact Ms. Lucinda Dennis, the chief clerk of the subcommittee.