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Show WALTER SHEAD Congress Evades Own Law CONGRESS acts something like a policeman. It's OK for a cop to stop in v- traffic, park in front of a fireplug or run through a red light but not for a mere civilian. It's OK for congress to pass laws and the folks are supposed sup-posed to obey them but congress can disregard the law, as witness the legislative reorganization act which congress passed to eliminate obsolete methods and to streamline its working for benefit of everybody, including congress itself. The reorganization act has been ln effect more than a year and a survey shows that only about a third of its provisions are being; observed. Even those provisions which are being observed are being made ineffective by use of makeshift or evasive maneuvers. For instance, the law directed a streamlined reduction of standing committees from 48 to 19 in the house and 33 to 15 in the senate. Congress did that, but immediately started setting up dozens of sub-committees It might as well have continued the practice of naming special committees Congress is supposed to set up a budget deadline February 15 Last session it never did set up a budget figure and this year plans are under way to postpone it as late as mid-April. It was given authority to hire experts to act as executive assistants and pay them $10,000. Instead with very few exceptions, congressmen just raised salaries of their secretaries to $10,000 or split it up to give more folks from back home jobs in Washington. Wash-ington. Committees were to hold open hearings. John Taber's house appro priations committee never has held an open hearing. There were to be many other changes under provisions of the law. Already there have been violations of about two thirds of these provisions |