Evening star., 1945-12-14
SfreamIine Plan
For Congress
Due for Heariinq
Joint Committee
Expected to Receive
Proposal Next Week
BY DON S. WARREN,

Proposals for drastic reorganiza-
ton of congressional machinery to
facilitate handling modern prob
lens are tentatively scheduled to
be placed before the joint House
Senate "streamline" committee next
week.
Specific recommendations on
many phases of the congressional
! framework, it is reported, have been
agreed upon by Senator La Toilette,
Progressive, of Wisconsin and Rep
resentatlve Monroney, Democrat, of
Oklahoma, the chairman and vice
Chairman of the committee.
These leaders hope that the 12-
man committee may meet before
Congress recesses over the holidays,
and agree on formal report.
Fight Seen on Reductions.
, Many of the proposals, such as
the reduction of House and Senate
committees from 81 to 32-leaving
Is in each house-are expected to
provoke determined fight in the
joint group.
Sponsors of such a plan acknoWl-
edgedsan imminent battle since its
adoption would remove numerous
Senators and Representatives from
chairmanships or high positions
they nov hold. But they contend
such a revision of congressional
machinery is necessary if Congress
Is to catch up and keep pace with
mounting, complex Government
business.
The tentative report also con-
talns a proposal that Congress au-
thorize the holding of a referendum
among Washington residents to de-
termine what type of local self
government" they want.
No Specific References.
The report does not make specific
references to either the Summers
Capper resolution. calling for
constitutional amendment to grant
representation in Congress to the
dlsfranchised District residents, or
the McCarran bill proposing
council-manager form of govern
ment for the District.
One explanation for the general
reference to the District suffrage
question and the proposed referen-
= dunn was that the ''streamline"
group is not Legislative" commit
tee and is directed only to make
recommendations to Congress rather
than to submit measures.
Ril1S nr ,acal,,fia,e
Its recommendations, however, may
be offered by individual members.
Controversial Measures.
Among the more controversial
proposals repeatedly agreed upon by
the La Follette-Monroney Subcom-
mittee are:
To drastically limit the effect of
.the time-honored seniority system
OF selection of House and Senate
committee chairmen by providing
for an election of new chairmenI
every six years.
To reduce the power the House
Rules Committee holds to bottle up
: legislation it wishes to keep from
the floor, by requiring it to send
reports on bills, either favorable or
unfavorable, to the floor within 2OI
days.
Single Defense Committees.
To create single national defense
committees in the House and Senate
to take over the Military and Naval
Affairs Committees.
To abolish the Public Roads, Riv-
ers and Harbors, and Public Build
ings and Grounds Committees and
transfer their powers to House and
Senate Committees on Public Works.
In addition to these and many
other proposals, it is said, the tenta-
tive subcommittee report also pro-
poses that each member of Con-
gress be given well-paid assistants
. to enable members to devote more
of their time to legislative duties in
stead of running errands to Govern
. ment departments for their con-
Stituents.