Show r 1 I Report From Washington Congress Faces Mountains Of Legislation Each Year By Rep Laurence J Burton Utah R-Utah What chance does a bill have of becoming law Not much according to statistics just released relating to the work of the 1st session of the Congress In all there here were 17 bills introduced in inthe inthe the Congress during 1967 Only of them were enacted into law That's less than 3 per cent which isn't much of a batting average regardless of the league youre you're in I IN ADDITION to the bills that were introduced there were 1102 joint resolutions concurrent resolutions and 1213 simple resolutions sponsor sponsor- sponsored ed in the two Houses during the 1st session of this Congress All of these measures added together er including bills makes a grand total of items of legislation Obviously no single legislator or could be expected to be familiar fam- fam familiar with everyone every one of these items If a Congressman were to read 50 bills a day everyday including Sundays and holi holi- holidays days he still wouldn't be able to read all the measures that are introduced in a single ses ses- session sion And believe me if a Congressman were to study that many bills he wouldn't get anything else done and in the process he would ruin his eyes I and unbalance his equilibrium I daresay Can you imagine spending all of your time read read- reading reading ing some items of leg leg- legislation all replete with lawyers lawyer's nice phraseology the provid ed and subject tos and I It just couldn't be done TO SPARE each member the impossible task of concerning himself directly with all of the measures that are introduced ed the work of the Congress has been divided up the com com com- committee method The House of Representatives has 21 standing committees and two select com com com- committees Each of the memo mem- members bers of the House serves on at least one committee and many serve on two My own committee assignments as most of you know are on the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee and on the Select Committee on Small Business In addition I also serve as a member of the Public Land Law Review Commission and of the Golden Spike Centennial Commission two extra legisla tive bodies Under the chairmanship of Wayne N Aspinall D- D DI D Colorado the House Interior I and Insular Affairs Committee has the deserved reputation of being one of the work hardest ing and most productive in the Congress The gentleman from Colorado believes the purpose of the committee Is to get its assigned work done with all del del- deliberate deliberate speed and that it be bedone bedone done well The committee had bills referred to it last year It to the House for final action after extensive hearings and 38 of them be be- be became came law Others are pending in the Senate for action there THE SELECT Committee on Small Business is not a legisla- legisla legislative legislative tive committee That is it does not consider specific items of legislation but is concerned with studying matt matters rs of inter inter- interest est to small business and mak ing recommendations to the Congress for appropriate legis action During 1967 the Mouse House was in session days the Senate days To be precise that figures out to exactly 1090 hours 48 minutes for the Sen ate hours 16 minutes for forthe forthe the House The amount of de- de debate debate bate that took place during these periods of time makes up pages in the Congressional al Record for the Sen ate for the House That merely conforms the ions of many of us that they do doa doa a lot more talking on the Sen ate side than they do here in inthe inthe the House IN THE House last year were roll call votes The Senate topped us in this cate- cate category category gory too as thero were roll call votes in that body In Inthe Inthe the House however there were in addition to the roll call votes quorum calls that is a reading of the memo mem roll to determine at at- at attendance The Senate isn't so concerned with this as the House as there were only 80 Senate quorum calls As far as relations between the Congress and the Executive branch are concerned this was wasa wasa a rather peaceful session The President saw fit to veto only three items of legislation And none of the three was den by the Congress Things may not be quite so peaceful during 1968 Somehow things get a mite more stirred up outing election years |