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Sen. Cornyn Welcomes President Obama’s Commitment To Do “Business In The Light Of Day”

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, today issued the following statement applauding President Barack Obama’s Inaugural remarks regarding open government:

“Today President Obama delivered a powerful Inaugural Address that will undoubtedly be captured in history as one of America’s finest moments.

“I was particularly pleased to hear him speak to the necessity of greater transparency in our federal government, and I echo his pledge to ensure our government does its business in the light of day. For too long, a dark veil of secrecy has stood in the way of the federal government and the American people. I have and will continue to make it a top priority to draw back this veil and shed light on how the federal government conducts its business and uses taxpayer dollars.

“I have introduced legislation to create a Federal Sunset Commission, based on the successful Texas model, to comb through federal programs and eliminate those deemed wasteful or ineffective. I hope President Obama will support me in this endeavor, and I look forward to working with him to achieve our common goal of creating a more open government that serves the needs of the American people.”

Background
Sen. Cornyn first introduced the United States Authorization and Sunset Commission Act, S.1731, in June 2007. The legislation would:

• Create an eight member bipartisan Commission, made up of four Senators and four Representatives, that will look at the effectiveness and efficiency of federal programs and agencies. 
• Establish 10 criteria for the Commission to use in developing its schedule and review proposal and its recommendations to Congress on whether agencies and programs should be abolished, streamlined, consolidated or reauthorized with recommendations for improvements.
• Require the Commission to submit a legislative proposal to Congress at least once every 10 years that includes a review schedule of at least 25 percent of unauthorized federal agencies or programs and at least 25 percent of ineffective federal programs or where effectiveness cannot be shown by the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Performance Assessment Rating Tool (PART).
• Call on the Commission to review each of the federal programs and agencies identified in the Schedule and Review proposal. The Commission will provide its findings and submit a legislative proposal necessary to implement their recommendations to Congress and the President every other year. Congress will have two years to consider and pass the Commission's recommendations or to reauthorize the program or agency before it is abolished.
  

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