Political Quotes

“now, on another related matter, as the Senate approaches final passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, I want to shine a spotlight on a part of the legislative process that doesn't see the light often enough: the Office of the Senate Legislative Counsel. There is an old political yarn that the legislative process is like watching sausage get made; you would rather not know. Well, the Office of Legislative Counsel occupies a particularly difficult part of the sausage-making: turning Senators' broad outlines for legislation into specific and precise legislative language. It is a very hard job. For over a century, this group of hidden experts have had a hand in crafting every major piece of legislation introduced in this Chamber. A century ago, many scoffed at the notion of having a team of professionals help the Senate write legislation. It was actually a New Yorker, I am proud to say, Elihu Root, who originally suggested in 1912 that, maybe, this body could use a little help in constructing well- written laws. It took a few years after he made his plea, but the complexity of tax legislation to raise revenue during World War I led to the creation of the original drafting service. During its first 4 years, the Legislative Drafting Service handled 518 requests. By the 114th Congress, however, they were receiving more than 65,000. It is an amazing workload, unglamorous but vital and essential.…”