Coalition Supports Recorded Votes in Committees for Spending Authorization

As Congress continues to move toward the possibility of a lame duck session, there is still time left for important work to get done in the coming weeks. Catfish repeal, National Defense Authorization Act, funding the government, and appropriations bills are all still left to be completed. The need for greater accountability is also something that is necessary and doable in the current Congress. One way lawmakers can achieve that aim is by moving forward with a rule change that would require committees to have recorded votes on legislation that would authorize or appropriate $100 million or more. This would be similar to H.R. 427, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (REINS Act), which Taxpayers Protection Alliance has supported, and has passed the House already. This week, affirming our support for greater transparency and accountability on spending, TPA signed a coalition letter sent to Congress by FreedomWorks calling for this very change in House rules. Taxpayers are tired of seeing their money so carelessly wasted by their elected officials, and the more they know about who is supporting these massive spending measures, the better prepared they can be to hold those members accountable.

Read the full letter below


September 14, 2016 

Dear Speaker Ryan and Chairman Sessions,

As the House considers rules changes for the 115th Congress, we encourage you to consider a proposal to require committees to have recorded votes on legislation that would authorize or appropriate $100 million or more. This rule change would help bring increased transparency to the work of the House, additional accountability to committees, and would mirror the spirit of H.R. 427, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (REINS Act) of 2015 which passed the House overwhelmingly last year.

Under current practice, committees can commit a massive amount of taxpayer money to programs while evading a recorded vote. For example, this year the House Appropriations Committee passed nine of the committee’s 12 spending bills by voice vote. With no recorded roll call votes, the committee proposed that the House appropriate over $850 billion. All members of the House will be better informed about bills if committee members are on the record with recorded votes. This will help demonstrate the true level of support on committees for legislation. It is also a basic function of members to cast recorded votes to make their positions clear. 
Finally, recorded votes will help constituents better understand their representative’s position on legislation. Recorded votes at committee level will result in better informed constituents which will in turn benefit our constitutional republic.

This proposed addition to the House rules follows the template found in the REINS Act. The REINS Act requires an affirmative congressional vote to approve a major regulation or rule of $100 million or more. If the House must approve $100 million or more in regulatory costs, in order to be fiscally constant, the House must require the same discipline from itself that it rightfully seeks to exert over the executive branch.

We encourage you and your colleagues to consider this proposed change to the House rules. It will help make the House, its committees, and its members more informed and accountable.

Sincerely,

FreedomWorks
Campaign for Liberty
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Taxpayers for Common Sense
National Taxpayers Union