R Sheet on Congressional Reorganization Acts
Authors
Key Points
Background
The U.S. Congress has earned its reputation as a slowmoving, antiquated institution badly in need of reform. A broken budget process, outdated technology and lawmaking driven by partisan leaders are only a few of the factors contributing to Congress’s present dysfunction and 20 percent approval rating.
But despite their credibility and intensity, frustrations toward Congress are not unique to the present day. At various points in our history, lawmakers and the public have voiced concerns that Congress is unable to fulfill its role as a coequal branch of government. In each of these periods, critics warned that the legislature’s internal organizational structures and procedures dramatically limit its ability to legislate and conduct meaningful oversight. As a result, trust in the First Branch declined and deference to the Executive Branch increased. The same is true today.
Congress, however, has a history of responding to its own inadequacies. In three distinct instances—1945, 1965 and 1992—Congress established a bipartisan Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress (JCOC) to hear proposals from members and experts about how best to modernize its organization and procedures. Following recommendations from the 1945 and 1965 JCOCs, Congress reinvested in itself by passing the Legislative Reorganization Acts of 1946 and 1970, both of which restructured and streamlined congressional operations.
The time for another JCOC has come. Members and congressional observers are again clamoring for reforms to overcome dysfunction and restore Congress as the First Branch of government. Establishing a fourth JCOC is a reasonable and historically proven mechanism to study, recommend and institute such reforms for the betterment of the institution.
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