EMERSON HOPEFUL CONGRESS WILL EMBRACE REFORMS

U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson said Tuesday he remains optimistic that members of Congress will embrace forthcoming recommendations of a Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress.

The committee, which has been meeting since January, recently completed a six-month public-hearing phase in which it heard more than 400 people.

Following a recent retreat at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., to discuss information it had gathered, the committee of 14 representatives and 14 senators now enters a "deliberative stage," Emerson said.

The Cape Girardeau Republican serves on the panel, which is equally divided between Democrats and Republicans. Emerson said he hopes the panel will have final recommendations ready by the end of September and they are acted on by the House and Senate in October.

"I may be overly optimistic, but I think right now that October is a realistic timeframe," said Emerson. If lawmakers cannot complete work on the recommendations by October, Emerson predicted it will be finished before the end of the year.

Congress is scheduled to adjourn around mid-October; however, Emerson said he believes final adjournment is not likely until just before Christmas.

A big reason for Emerson's optimism is that most members of Congress want the process reformed.

Said Emerson: "The idea of reform is one that knows no partisan bounds or ideological bounds. Most members are as concerned about this as I am. We will see a lot of bipartisan and ideological cooperation on this issue."

Emerson said some members may attempt to stall the reform process, but most of that is centered around "turf problems" where a reduction in the number of subcommittees is feared and shifting of committee responsibilities will affect senior members who hold posts.

Emerson discussed the committee's work and other issues facing Congress in a conference call to newspapers around the 8th District Tuesday morning. Congress is returning to work this week after an Independence Day recess.

The committee has focused on eight issue areas: the budget in its entirety, including the appropriations and authorization processes; committee structure and jurisdictions; floor deliberation and scheduling; staff resources and support agencies; cooperation between parties, chambers, and branches of government; congressional ethics and institutional integrity; public understanding of Congress; and communications and information technology and their use in the lawmaking process.

Since entering the House in 1981, Emerson has advocated a two-year budget cycle. He said he anticipates that will be a recommendation of the committee.

"There is a broad consensus in Congress that we should move to a two-year budget cycle: one year spent authorizing expenditures and doing very serious oversight of programs, policies, and projects of the respective departments, and one year appropriating," said Emerson.

"It has long been a complaint of mine that Congress does not provide its oversight function with any consistency and depth. The two-year cycle will allow us to be much more deliberative and more concerned about substance."

Another area that will likely be tackled is the large number of subcommittees in Congress and the large staffs that work for the subcommittees.

"While I feel that we have way too many subcommittees, I am not sure we have too many full committees," said Emerson. "The full committees fall into general jurisdiction lines that seem to be appropriate."

The congressman said staffs for the representative functions of congressional members are not excessive. Emerson explained that he has 16 people on his staff and is entitled to hire up to 18. The staff is evenly distributed between Washington and the district, with district offices in Rolla and Cape Girardeau and a mobile office that visits every county at least twice each month.

He said the 8th District, which spans 26 counties and covers a large part of the state, receives the same staff as smaller, compact districts like that of U.S. Rep. Bill Clay in the city of St. Louis.

"I feel the way we are organized and deal with problems is about as efficient as you can get," said Emerson. "I don't think members in their representative capacity are overstaffed; sometimes understaffed."

The committee is also looking at ways to increase public understanding of Congress and overcome concerns about the integrity of members and Congress as an institution.

Said Emerson: "Congress is not as good as you and I would like to have it, but not as bad as it is perceived by the public at large. I believe the vast majority of my colleagues have high integrity; they just have a lot of different ideas. I think one of the problems with the public perception in Congress is that it never speaks as one voice on behalf of Congress."

Emerson said that when issues of "institutional integrity" and ethics arise, or how Congress functions, Democratic and Republican leaders should join in explaining the issues.

The congressman said the national electronic media always attempts to portray Congress in the worst possible light. "They do everything to exasperate but nothing to elucidate or educate," said Emerson.

"Congress should be treated as it is - the highest legislative body in the land. More effort should be made toward education of the public about the very complex and detailed processes that lawmaking entails."

Emerson said he anticipates changes in the way Congress does business by allowing members to spend more consecutive days in their districts and stop holding committee hearings and legislative sessions simultaneously.

"We are very busy all the time; if not here, in Washington, then certainly back in our district and going back and forth a great deal," said Emerson. "But about half the time Congress works is unproductively spent. We spend half our day going back and forth across the street going to committee and subcommittee meetings and then going to vote on the floor."

Emerson said he is recommending that days be set aside when the House meets and no committee meetings are held, and days established for committee meetings only and no sessions.