Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1608, the Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2019. I thank the sponsor of this legislation, my colleague from Missouri (Mr. Clay). In spite of the fact that he is not wearing his stylish red glasses today, I want to acknowledge the great work that he has done. He has been a tireless advocate on this important reform over many Congresses. H.R. 1608 will help improve the governance and transparency of Federal advisory committees. The Federal advisory committees are groups of experts and stakeholders who provide advice and recommendations to Federal policymakers. Currently, Madam Speaker, there are over 1,000 advisory committees that are covered by the transparency and accountability requirements in the Federal Advisory Committee Act. But many more advisory committees are exempt from the law and may not receive the same level of scrutiny, due to a lack of transparency of their own operations. The gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) has been right in working tirelessly to make sure that advisory committees covered under the law are required to report on their operational costs. Those reports show advisory committees cost the Federal Government, many times, over $300 million annually, Madam Speaker. We need to make sure that we are getting the most from the hardworking American taxpayers' dollars.…”