FINDINGS BY TEMPORARY SELECT COMMITTEE TO STUDY THE SENATE COMMITTEE SYSTEM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90B01370R000500700002-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 7, 2008
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: November 29, 1984
• Content Type: MEMO

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asL
OLL 84-4572
29 November 1984
SUBJECT: Findings by Temporary Select Committee To Study the
Senate Committee System
1. On 29 November, Members of the subject Committee
convened to mark up the Committee's final report. The
attendees included: Dan Quayle (R., IN), Wendell H. Ford
(D., KY), Jake Garn (R., UT), Malcolm Wallop (R., WY),
Warren B. Rudman (R., NH), John Melcher (D., MT) and
Spark M. Matsunaga (D., HI).
2. Of particular interest is the Committee's
recommendation to establish a joint House-Senate committee
on intelligence. Senator Rudman stated that this is a very
hot issue, there is contentiousness on both sides of
Congress, and the Committee should drop the issue from the
report because it would not have any impact anyway.
3. Senator Wallop argued that there should be no limit
on the number of years a member could serve on the
intelligence committee. (Senator Quayle, the primary author
of the report, extended the current eight-year term to ten
years in order to compromise between Senators who want the
eight-year limit and those who want no limit). Senator
Wallop cited the need for continuity, the complexity of the
intelligence business ("there are a lot of acronyms to
learn"), the long lead-time for technical programs to come
on line, and, "it takes seven years to have an appreciation
for the end results of appropriations:' Senator Garn spoke
in support of Senator Wallop.
4. The Committee decided to go forward with the
recommendation for a joint committee and to avoid discussion
of the term of service.
Attachment: Committee Draft ort
Chief, Liaison Division, L
STAT
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CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE November 20, 1984
U.S. CONGRESS
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20515
Honorable Dan Quayle
Co-Chairman
Select Committee to Study the
Committee System
United States Senate
B-42 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Congressional Budget Office has reviewed the draft recommendations
of the Senate Select Committee to Study the Committee System, dated
November 2, 1984. The Committee is proposing 11 changes in the Senate
committee system. One of them, the establishment of a joint committee on
intelligence, is expected to produce savings of about $1.5 million annually.
Further savings of up to $6.5 million annually may result from the
elimination of 30 subcommittees, if committee budgets are reduced
correspondingly.
Recommendation #3 would limit each committee (except for the
Appropriations Committee) to a maximum of five subcommittees, resulting
in the elimination of 30 subcommittees. If a proportional reduction is made
in staffing and other expenses by January 1986, this recommendation could
reduce total committee costs by as much as $3 million in fiscal year 1986
and by about $6.5 million annually thereafter. However, there is no
assurance that such savings would be realized simply as a result of
eliminating subcommittees, since staff positions and budgetary allotments
could be reallocated within committees. For example, the Senate
committee reorganization of 1977 resulted in the elimination of 49
subcommittees between the 94th Congress and the 96th Congress--but the
number of committee staff members remained about the same and
committee expenditures increased. Therefore, specific steps to constrain
committee budgets would be necessary to realize significant savings from
implementing this recommendation.
Recommendation #10 would establish a joint Senate-House committee on
intelligence, with a small professional staff, which would replace the two
existing intelligence committees. Currently, the House and Senate
intelligence committees have 60 staff members between them, and their
combined budgets amount to about $3 million. Eliminating the two separate
committees and creating a joint intelligence committee would save about
$1.5 million annually, assuming that the new committee would cost about
the same as one of the existing committees. Our estimate assumes that
such savings would not be realized until at least fiscal year 1986.
Rudolph G.- Penner
Director
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Honorable Dan Quayle
November 20, 1984
Page Two
Recommendation #11 would create a Senate select committee to propose
legislation necessary for implementing a two-year budget process. Since the
select committee would rely on staff resources from existing committees
and would not be authorized to hire staff, there are no significant costs
associated with this recommendation.
The remaining recommendations in the Committee's report would not result
in any additional costs or savings to the federal government. In addition,
none of these recommendations would affect the budgets of state or local
governments.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased to provide
them.
Sincerely,
Rudolph G. Penner
Director
cc: Honorable Wendell H. Ford
Co-Chairman
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254 SENATE OFFlC[ U OING
WASHINGTON. O.C. 20510
TEUiPHONE: AREA COOS [phone]
46 EAST OHIO STREET. ROOM 447
Ri01ANA-OUS. ANA 46201
TMEPHONE: AREA coot (917) 269?SSSS
senator Dan QuayIe
84 ; 161
CONTACT: Peter M. Lincoln 224-8730
Robert M. Guttman 224-2740
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20, 1984
QUAYLE SCHEDULES NOVEMBER 29 MARK-UP OF SENATE COMMITTEE REFORM PLAN;
CBO ESTIMATES QUAYLE'S PROPOSALS WOULD YIELD UP TO $8 MILLION IN SAVINGS A YEAR
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Temporary Select Committee to Study the
Senate Committee System will meet on November 29 to finalize the
recommendations and report it is to submit to the.full U.S. Senate
by December 15, U.S. Senator Dan Quayle, chairman of the panel,
announced Tuesday.
At the same time, Quayle issued a summary of the draft pro-
posals he is presenting to the Temporary Select Committee for its
consideration at the mark-up session.
In addition, the Indiana Senator released a Congressional
Budget Office (CBO) study which estimates that, if Quayle's entire
reform package is implemented by the Senate early next year, savings
of up to $8 million a year would be realized. In a November 20
letter to Quayle, CBO Director Rudolph G. Penner wrote that one
of the changes under consideration, "the establishment of a joint
committee on intelligence, is expected to produce savings of about
$1.5 million annually," while Quayle's recommendation that each
committee except for the Appropriations Committee be limited to
five subcommittees, which would result in the elimination of thirty
subcommittees, "could reduce total committee costs by as much as
$3 million in fiscal year 1986 and by about $6.5 million annually
thereafter," provided "a proportional reduction is made in staffing
and other expenses...."
The Temporary Select Committee, which is co-chaired by U.S.
Senator Wendell Ford (D-KY), was established at Quayle's urging in
June to conduct a study of the Senate committee system and report
its findings and recommendations by December 15, 1984. The resolu-
tion incorporating the panel's recommendations is to be referred to
the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, which will consider
the measure and its accompanying report when the new Senate convenes
in January.
Under the provisions of S. Res. 127, which authorized creation
of the Temporary Select Committee, it is "to conduct a thorough
study of the Senate committee system, the structure, jurisdiction,
number and optimum size of Senate committees, the number of sub-
committees, committee rules and procedures, media coverage of meetings,
staffing and other committee facilities." Next month, the Quayle-Ford
panel is to submit to the Senate a final report of its findings, as
well as "recommendations which promote optimum utilization of Senators'
time, optimum effectiveness of committees in the creation and over-
sight of Federal programs, clear and consistent procedures for the
referral of legislation falling within the jurisdiction of two or
more committees, and workable methods for the regular review and
revision of committee jurisdictions."
The Temporary Select Committee received testimony on these and
other issues from fourteen Senators in two-hearings chaired by Quayle
on July 31 and August 2. The panel held business meetings on
September 18 and 25 to review a number of reform proposals, including
the package that Quayle first outlined in a Senate floor speech on
September 12. Quayle subsequently elaborated on his recommendations
and the Temporary Select Committee's progress in floor speeches on
September 28 and October 3.
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November 29 Mark-up of Senate Committee Reform Plan
Page two
Serving with Quayle and Ford on the twelve-member panel are
U.S. Senators Charles Mathias (R-MD), Jake Garn (R-UT), Malcolm
Wallop (R-WY), Bob Kasten (R-WI), Warren Rudman (R-NH), Russell Long
(D-LA), John Melcher (D-MT), J. Bennett Johnston (D-LA), Spark
Matsunaga (D-HI) and Alan Dixon (D-IL). Sixty days after submitting
its final report to the Senate, the Temporary Select Committee
will disband.
The November 29 mark-up session will be held in SR-301 be-
ginning at 9:30 a.m.
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Senator Dan
Quayle
254 SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON. O.C. 20510
TELEPHONE: AREA CODE [phone]
46 EAST OHIO STREET. ROOM 447
INDIANAPOLIS. INDIANA 46204
TELEPHONE: AREA CODE [phone]
84;161A
CONTACT: Peter M. Lincoln 224-8730
Robert M. Guttman 224-2740
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20, 1984
SUMMARY OF DRAFT REPORT
PREPARED BY U.S. SENATOR DAN QUAYLE,
CHAIRMAN, TEMPORARY SELECT COMMITTEE TO STUDY THE SENATE COMMITTEE SYSTEM
The following is a summary of the draft report that U.S. Senator
Dan Quayle (R-IN), chairman of the Temporary Select Committee to
Study the Senate Committee System, is presenting to the panel for
consideration at its November 29 mark-up session:
The Temporary Select Committee to Study the Senate Committee
System finds substantial problems with the operation of the committee
system and with the operation of the Senate as a whole.
To improve the operation of the committee system, the Select
Committee makes the following recommendations:
1. Limit senators' committee assignments to 2 "A" committees and 1
"B" committee, without exceptions.*
2. Reduce total slots on "A" committees to 200 and total slots on
"B" committees to 100.
3. Limit the number of subcommittees a committee may establish to
5 (except Appropriations).
4. Limit senators to 2 "A" and "B" committee and subcommittee
chairmanships.
5. Limit senators to membership on 2 subcommittees of each com-
mittee on which they serve (except Appropriations).
6. Limit senators to a total of 9 "A" and "B" committees and sub-
committees.
7. Require that the majority and minority leaders not count for
the purpose of determining a quorum on the committees on which they
serve.
8. Provide for sequential referral of reported bills to committees
with a substantial jurisdictional interest.
9. Provide for referral of legislative provisions of reported
appropriations bills to authorizing committees.
10. Encourage the utilization of the existing computerized scheduling
system by requiring committee chairmen to publish a list of committee
members with meeting conflicts.
* Currently; the following are "A" Committees: Agriculture,
Appropriations, Armed Services, Banking, Commerce, Energy, Environ-
ment, Finance, Foreign Relations, Governmental Affairs, Judiciary
and Labor.
The following are now "B" Committees: Budget, Rules, Small
Business, Veterans' Affairs, Joint Economic, Aging and Intelligence.
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Temporary Select Committee
Page two
11. Establish a joint House-Senate committee on intelligence.
12. Establish a temporary committee to propose legislation necessary
to implementing a 2-year budget process.
In regard to the operation of the Senate, the Committee makes
the following recommendations:
1. Discourage the proliferation of non-germane amendments by pro-
viding for a "germaneness motion" requiring a super majority under
which non-germane amendments are prohibited, making non-debatable
rulings of the chair that an amendment is non-germane and requiring
a super majority to overrule the chair after the germaneness motion
has been adopted.
2. Provide for a two-.hour time limit on the motion to proceed.
3. Establish a more meaningful cloture procedure by requiring a
2/3 majority of those present to invoke cloture and by limiting
post-cloture debate to 20 hours.
4. Reduce the number of roll call votes by strict adherence to the
constitutional requirement of support by one-fifth of members present
and by deferring to the preference of the leadership.
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