LET'S PUT PEN TO PAPER TO FIX CONGRESS

Among the issues in Congress that will gain momentum this fall is reforming the governmental institution itself. For the last eight months, the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress (JCOC), on which I serve, has heard over 100 hours of testimony about how to effectively improve our nation's highest legislative body. Now, it is our job to put pen to paper and translate those ideas into real recommendations for the whole Congress to consider.

I believe one area in need of reform is the congressional budget process. A first step would be scrapping the yearly budgets that Congress now approves to finance governmental programs in favor of a two-year budget cycle. This change would allow congressional committees the opportunity for more oversight in the programs' operations to make sure the American taxpayers' dollars are being spent more wisely.

Another area I believe needs to be overhauled is the congressional committee system. Quite frankly, there are too many subcommittees which overlap in their jurisdiction. As the current system is set up, one piece of legislation could and often does wind up before a half-dozen or more committees and subcommittees before it can even reach the House or Senate floor for debate. This jurisdictional "turf" problem bogs down the legislative process and adds to what most Americans perceive as "gridlock."

These are just a couple of examples of what the JCOC could present to the House and Senate as institutional reform proposals. Furthermore, I remain hopeful that at least certain initiatives in the upcoming reform package will pass Congress because most members - from freshman Democrats to senior Republicans -realize the importance of fundamentally "fixing the system.~" By improving the congressional process through meaningful reforms, it should help restore the confidence of the American people in our nation's democracy-based system of government.