PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT OF 1980

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85-00003R000300050001-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 17, 2007
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: December 11, 1980
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Administration of Jimmy Carter, 1980
you achieve one-half of your goal, and I
also said to her that you, when I suggested
it in that note-and it is true, I sent that
note that he wash his face and wear a
clean shirt-that he,took half of my advice
tonight. [Laughter] He never took it off.
[Laughter]
I must say to you that I think we each
have strengths and weaknesses, and one
of my strengths has been my ability to rec-
ognize my weaknesses--[laughter]-and
one of the things I've always been able to
do is take what I was doing seriously, but
not myself too- seriously.. But. tonight, I.
think I'm beginning to lose that capacity.
I began to get disturbed about myself
when just before-I came up here, my mind
was wandering a bit, and even though the
President was speaking, I leaned over and
said to Helen, "You know, Helen, I think
that what Brezhnev said to Senator Percy
that hasn't yet been reported was, `Be sure
and give my regards to Bob Strauss.""
[Laughter] You know, that's pretty good
for just the last 2 or 3 minutes. [Laughter]
It's getting late, and let me conclude
more seriously if I can for a moment by
saying to you first, Mrs. Johnson, how
proud that Helen- and I are and the mem-
bers of our family are that our names will
be associated with the school. I think the
former President would be very pleased at
that, and we are very proud of that
association.
Let me also say that in all seriousness
that I was thinking tonight as I sat there,
what a truly magnificent Nation this is.
You think of Afghanistan, and you think
of Poland, and one can't avoid thinking
of the Middle East, and we even think
of what happens in a stable society like
Great Britain when the government
changes with dramatic shifts. And here we
are with a change of government, with a
transition, and here we are in this room
that's truly a montage of America-cor-
porate leaders, politicians, young and old,
some jaded and some just beginning-but
all of us, all of us, absolutely convinced
that this process can work and all of us
tonight in this joyous, happy, positive
room knowing that we are participating
right at the halfway point of a change of
government, and things go on with sta-
bility and with soundness.
And my friend Abe Ribicoff just re-
turned a couple of days ago from Europe,
and he said, "The one thing I thought of
as Casey and I flew home, Bob, was all
I heard about just before I left this Nation
was what was wrong- with America. But
all I heard about in Europe where they
saw us from afar was how they could
become a part of this great Nation, how
they could bring their companies here,
how they could bring their families here,
how they could bring their security here,
all wanting to be a part of this great
Nation."
And so, it is tonight that I would con-
clude by briefly saying to you that this
process serves us well. This evening, I
think, is a moment of reminder, a.pause
at midpoint in the transition to say that
it works. God bless it and preserve it, and
each of you.
Thank you so much.
noTE: The President spoke at 10:38 p.m. in
the Grand Ballroom at the Sheraton Washing-
ton Hotel.
Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1980
Remarks on Signing H.R. 6410 Into Law.
December 11, 1980
THE PRESIDENT. This is the kind of bill
when at least everybody in the room is
smiling. [Lary
who are not
with this legi
important to
I'm very
Chiles and C
Horton, and c
on this legisl
the bill I'd I
comment.
This legis Paperwork R
latest and o
steps that w
wasteful and
work and a1
Federal regu
that I had in
Cabinet, I di:
the Cabinet
cut down on
that the Fede
the Americar
and unnecess;
because of d
amount of tir
Federal paper
also created s
tive decision
any further
burden. The
Budget was g
We began,
budget, the fi
ever seen, whi
to justify to
and Budget
increase in tl
rived from Ar
ican free-ente
be approved
proval was ac
Federal mone
We set up I
of Manageme
in order to c
 Administration of Jimmy Carter, 1980 Dec. 11
smiling. [Laughter] And a lot of people
who are not here are not very pleased
with this legislation, but I think it's very
important to our country.
I'm very delighted to have Senator
Chiles and Chairman Jack Brooks, Frank
Horton, and others who've worked so hard
on this legislation, and after I've signed
comment.
This legislation, which is known as the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, is the
latest and one. of the most important
steps that we have taken to eliminate
wasteful and unnecessary Federal paper-
work and also to eliminate unnecessary
Federal regulations. In the first meeting
that I had in this room in-1977 with my
Cabinet, I directed all of the members of
the Cabinet and major agency leaders to
cut down on the amount of paperwork
that the Federal Government placed upon
the American people as an extraordinary
and unnecessary burden. Two years later,
because of that effort, we had cut the
amount of time that Americans spend on
Federal paperwork by 15 percent and had
also created some new tools in the execu-
tive decision alone which could restrict
any further increase in the paperwork
burden. The Office of Management and
Budget was given this responsibility.
We began, for instance, a paperwork
budget, the first one that our Nation had
ever seen, which meant that an agency had
to justify to the Office of Management
and Budget and to me as President any
increase in the information that they de-
rived from American citizens or the Amer-
ican free-enterprise members. This had to
be approved ahead of time, just as ap-
proval was achieved for the expenditure of
Federal moneys.
We set up this new budget in the Office
of Management and Budget, this new unit,
in order to cut paperwork again and to
continue to eliminate unnecessary regula-
tions. Last year, in order to establish this
procedure firmly into the laws of our Na-
tion as an extension to an Executive order,
and also to expand it and to make it more
effective, we asked the Congress to
strengthen the Federal Reports Act by re-
quiring that all Federal agencies clear
their paperwork requirements. with the
Office of Management and Budget. We
found ready support on the Hill, particu-
larly among those who will speak after
The act I'm signing today will not only
regulate the regulators, but it will also al-
low the President, through the Office of
Management and Budget, to gain better
control over the Federal Government's ap-
petite for information from the public. For
the first time it allows OMB to have the
final word on many of the regulations
issued by our Government. It also ensures
that the public need not fill out forms nor
keep records which are not previously ap-
proved by OMB.
This legislation is another important
step in our efforts to trim waste from the
Federal Government and to see to it that
the Government operates more efficiently
for all our citizens. In scope, it stands with
the civil service reform and the deregula-
tion of trucking and rails and airlines and
other industries. And in spirit, it stands
with the designation of the Inspectors
General to attack waste and with the re-
quirement that agencies write their rules
in understandable English and study the
impact of these regulations on small busi-
nesses.
We have made a great deal of progress
through executive action over a 4-year
period. This new action, embedding my
own philosophy and the philosophy of
those behind me into the laws of our Na-
tion, will perpetuate this progress and will
 -Approved For Release 2007/05/17: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300050001-5
Administration of Jimmy Carter, 1980
enhance the progress even further in the
future.
I'm very delighted now to sign this leg-
islation, following which I would like to
ask Chairman Jack Brooks to make a few
remarks, if he's willing to do so.
[The President signed the bill as Representative
Brooks- spoke.]: _' s` ?_
REPRESENTATIVE BRooxs. I'd be hon-
ored,.Mr. President,.and to say first that
certainly you ought to-be commended for
your courage in presenting this program. -
in working on it, in encouraging it, and in
signing it in spite of solid opposition from
the usual bureaucrats- who are against-
[laughter]-=any management. proposals.
In 1965, with the ADP proposition on
computers, that has saved the Govern-
ment billions of dollars, we had the same
pressure from some of the same bureau-
crats just fighting President Johnson-
and they've fought you. But you had the
courage to do it, because you know that
this bill is a landmark of your administra-
tion and will help to get a handle on 10
to 15 percent of the Federal budget that
we spend on information and paper proc-
essing. --
It is the most important legislation that
you have passed and that we have been
able to work on. It will help this Govern-
ment run the information upon which de-
cisions are made that cost billions of dol-
lars a year. -
Thank you, sir.
THE PRESIDENT. Lawton Chiles.
SENATOR CHILES. Mr. President, you
mentioned that this was one of the first
things that you talked about in your Cabi-
net meeting. It was also one of the things
that you talked about on the stump all
over the country when you were cam-
paigning. I think this is certainly a prom-
ise fulfilled, and I'm delighted to have had
a chance to participate in that.
Frank Horton and Tom McIntyre
headed up a Paperwork Commission, and
this was the cornerstone of the recommen-
dations from the Paperwork Commission.
Elmer Staats in the GAO has been tre-
mendous support to us as we fought some
of those bureaucrats, Senator Danforth,
working with me on our House side, and
I also want to compliment the staffs of
Jack Brooks and my staff and all the staffs
that worked on this, because they did a
yeoman's task too. And I'm delighted to
.participate with Jack Brooks. When you
get him working on something, you know
he's going to take care of his side. You've
just got to worry about your side.
[Laughter]
I think we've got a good bill, and I -
think what now we have is the framework
that is there for an administration to really
implement it, and really do something,
about paperwork.
THE PRESIDENT. I'll always remember
the day that Frank Horton and Tom Mc-
Intyre and Elmer Staats and others
brought the paperwork report into my
office, which was a very good and reassur-
ing report and one that's been a basis of
this legislation. Frank, I'd like to ask you
to say a word.
REPRESENTATIVE HORTON. Mr. Presi-
dent, this is an honor for me to partici-
pate in this ceremony, and as one of the
original authors of the bill it's a great
pleasure to be here and to see you sign
your name to this very important piece of
legislation, which as. you point out is
going to be a very landmark piece of legis-
lation in your administration.
It is true that in October of 1977 as the
Chairman of the Paperwork Commission,
I presented to you the report of the
Paperwork Commission. Many of those
people are here. Tom McIntyre, as you
pointed out, was a member of the Com-
mission from the Senate. Senator Bill
Brock was also a member, and then when
he left the Senate, Senator Hatfield was a
member. On
was a great s
the Commis:
not here. I t1-
but he's- just
too.
Mr. Staat
Commission,
now worked
might say p;
mission that
in existence
destruct in t)
ber 1975. It
and furthen
million that
been approp
Bert Lance
successor, Ji
course, with
this legislate
law.
We said it
work was $1
eral Goverr
business and
culmination,
Paperwork 1
lion which
office which
you've starte
on this tremf
And, Mr. Pr
pletely suca
gratulate yo
leadership in
THE PREs
there's no w,
you very m
dressed the
right? (Laug
NOTE: The Pr
signing cerem,
White House.
As enacted,
approved Dec
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Administration of Jimmy Carter, 1980
member. On the House side, Tom Steed
was a great support and was a member of
the Commission also, and I'm sorry he's
not here. I think he did have an invitation
but he's just not here, but he did a lot
too.
Mr. Staats and other members of the
Commission, people who are in this room
now worked with the Commission, and I
might say parenthetically, it's one Com-
mission that self-destructed. It was to be
in existence for 2 years. It did self-
destruct in those 2 years. It started Octo-
ber 1975. It went out of existence in 1977,
and furthermore, we turned back $1.4
million that we didn't spend. that had
been appropriated. But from the outset,
Bert Lance as your OMB Director, his
successor, Jim McIntyre, and, then of
course, with your tremendous support,
this legislation has been now signed into
law.
We said in 1977 that the cost of paper-
work was $100 billion a year to the Fed-
eral Government and business, small
business and large business, and this is the
culmination, really, of the work of the
Paperwork Commission-is this. legisla-
tion which is going to put in place an
office which can carry on the thing that
you've started, namely to try to cut back
on this tremendous amount of paperwork.
And, Mr. President, in this you have com-
pletely succeeded, and I want to con-
gratulate you and thank you for your
leadership in this field.
THE PRESIDENT. With you as partners,
there's no way I could have failed. Thank
you very much. As you say, we've ad-
dressed the bureaucrats, and we've won,
right? [Laughter]
NOTE: The President spoke at 9:15 a.m. at the
signing ceremony in the Cabinet Room at the
White House.
As enacted, H.R. 6410 is Public Law 96-511,
approved December 11.
Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act of 1980
Remarks on Signing H.R. 7020 Into Law.
December 11, '
THE PRESIDENT. Although it's impossible
to single out all of the people who've been
responsible for this legislation, I would like
particularly to thank the ones who were
responsible for its drafting and later call
on a few to say a word after I finish with
the signing ceremony.
Congressman Jim Florio, Senator Jen-
nings Randolph, Senator Bob Stafford,
and many others worked on this important
bill in its drafting phase, and those others
that I'll mention later on worked in a very
concerted and effective way in getting the
legislation through the Congress.
I would like to express my thanks to
Howard Baker, to John Rhodes, on both
sides of the Hill, of the Capitol, for mak-
ing this a bipartisan project, succeeding in
their effort even after the election of this
year. And if I had time I would thank
all eight committees who were respon-
siblelfor the legislation-[laughter]-three
committees in the Senate and five com-
mittees in the House who had direct re-
sponsibility over terms of this legislation
itself. And, of course, Senator Bill Bradley
and Congressman Mario Biaggi, Congress-
man Biz Johnson, although I stole him
from the Senate later on, former Senator
Ed Muskie, Congressman Gore, and in the
public sector I would like particularly to
thank Irving Shapiro, who, on behalf of
the leaders of the free enterprise system of
our country, were instrumental in pushing
this bill to a final conclusion. This directly
affects the chemical industry, and the en-
lightened attitude of the executives of that
industry was a very constructive element.
Almost 1 %2 years ago I sent to the Con-
gress the original proposal for this land-
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