Evening star., 1946-03-04
Congress Reorganization Plan
Urges Pay Raise for Members,
Advocates SeIf-RuIe for District
Fewer Committees
And Curb on Deficit
Spending Proposed
By J. A. O'Leory

A new system to curb deficit
spending, a law to regulate lobby
lists, and higher pay for mem
bers of Congress are outstand-
ing recommendations in the
report of the joint committee
to streamline Congress, made
public today.
Senators and Representatives
would be raised from $4,000 tc
$4,000 a year and each member
would be provided with an $4,000
administrative assistant, if the re-
port is carried.
To improve the process of law
making, the committee proposes
that the 33 standing committees OF
the Senate be regrouped into 16, and
the 48 House committees into 18.
More Technical Advisers.
The committee also proposed that
Congress staff itself with more
technical advisers to supervise a
Federal Government, which, the
report, points out, has grown to
100000 employees with a probable
postwar budget of $25 5,000,O 100000 a
year.
The committees formula for
bringing the Governments out-go
into closer line with its income
would require Congress to pass early
in each session a resolution setting
forth the estimated Treasury
receipts and appropriations for the
coming year.
If total expenditures recommend
ed exceed estimated income, Con-
gress should be required by record
vote to authorize creation of ad-
ditional Federal debt in the amount
of the excess" the report proposed.
Would Prorate Cuts.
"Should total appropriations
later be found to have exceeded
the total budget figure as set by
Congress" the report continues
"all appropriations except perma-
nent appropriations and those for
servicing the public debt, for vet
erans' pensions and benefits and
trust expenditures, would be auto
matically reduced accordingly by a
uniform percentage designed to
bring total appropriations within
the overall-limit previously fixed"
This recommendation comes on
the heels of a statement this morn
ing by 16 prominent members of
the House and Senate, from both
major parties, urging Congress to
achieve balanced budget for the
year commencing July 1.
"We cannot afford to spend money
we do not have" the statement
read. "We cannot afford to con-
tinue war agencies overdue for de-
mobilization, or war functions of
doubtful value in civil agencies
now, and from the ground up"
Subscribers to the statement are:
Senators Bridges of New Hampshire,
Byrd of Virginia, Taft, of Ohio,
Tydings of Maryland, Vandenberg
Of Michigan, Walsh of Massachu-
sets, Wherry of Nebraska, White
Of Maine; and, Representative Cox
Of Georgia, Doughton of North
Carolina, Halleck of Indiana, Knut-
son of Minnesota, Martin of Massa-
chusetts, Taber of New York, Whit
tington of Mississippi and Wood
ruff of Michigan.
Registers Lobby Expenditures.
In recommending the registration
Of organized groups and their
agents who seek to influence legis-
Iation," including the filing of quar-
5erly statements of expenditures
made for this purposes the commit
lee said it recognizes the right of
citizens to petition for redress of
grievances.
"The problem of safeguarding the
free expression of the will of the
people from distortion is difficult
one," the report continues Rather
than stifle any such expression,
your committee hesitates to make
any recommendation upon the con-
;rol of lobbyists or pressure groups.
"We feel, however, that it will be
possible to improve the situation
without impairing in any way this
freedom of expression. The avail
ability of information regarding
organized groups and full knowledge
Of their expenditures for influencing
legislation, their membership and
the source of contributions to them
Of large amounts of money, would
prove helpful to Congress in evaluat-
ing their representations without i'm
pairing the rights of any individual
or group freely to express its opin-
ions to the Congress.
Controversies Sidestepped.
The streamlining group had to
sidestep two controversial subjects
Tor lack of agreement on workable
substitutes, namely:
l. The seniority rule, by which
nembe1 move up to the chairman
ship of committees.
2. The powers of the Rules Com
nittee in the House, which de-
;ermines in nearly all cases when
bills <hat have been approved by
(See CONGRESS, Page A-12.)
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