Category: Public Policy

 

Read the complete post at the POLITICO’s website.

Of particular interest is an addition to House Rule XII that provides that a Member of Congress may not introduce a bill or joint resolution unless the sponsor also submits a statement citing as specifically as practicable the power or powers under the Constitution authorizing the enactment of that bill or joint resolution. The statement will appear in a separate section in the Congressional Record and be made available to the public in electronic form.

The scope and reach of the Constitution provision, and how it will be implemented, is unknown as this is a new step in the legislative drafting and policy development process. If you are planning to ask your Member to introduce a piece of legislation, you should consult with staff or your legislative counsel early on to ensure that you address these and other new requirements. 

A complete summary of the House Rules changes is provided by the House Rules Committee and is available for download here.

Pursuant to numerous laws including the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), federal agencies must report certain types of sales to the Congress. The Congress requested that the GAO identify the magnitude and nature of defense exports and assess the information currently reported on these exports to the Congress.  The exports review had a total value of $19 billion to $22 billion annually from 2005 to 2009.

The GAO recommended that “Congress consider whether it needs specific data on exported defense services and is recommending that State [Department] publicly report consolidated defense export data on DCS and FMS in a consistent manner. In the absence of additional direction and resources from Congress, the Department of State did not agree. GAO believes the recommendation remains valid.”

The report is available for download here. 

The report is available for download here.