WASHINGTON, D.C. – Bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and James Lankford (R-OK) to save taxpayer dollars and reduce government bureaucracy has advanced in the Senate. The legislation would eliminate the Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress (ACRC), which would save tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars. The ACRC was created in 1990 to report on the preservation of congressional records, but its members believe that NARA, the Secretary of the Senate, and the Clerk of the House of Representatives now effectively manage congressional records issues on their own without the need for the committee’s advisory role. In its place, the legislation would require the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to submit an annual report to Congress.
“When federal advisory committees have outlived their original purpose, Congress must act to save taxpayer dollars and improve government efficiency,” said Senator Peters. “By eliminating this outdated and unnecessary Advisory Committee, we can streamline how Congress manages its records while ensuring they are appropriately preserved for future generations.”
The Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress Sunset Act of 2024 would require the Director of the Center for Legislative Archives of the National Archives to submit an annual report on the management and preservation of the records of Congress during the previous year to the Archivist of the United States, the Secretary of the Senate, the Clerk of the House of Representatives, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, and the Committee on House Administration. The Archivist, Secretary, and Clerk would then meet to review this report within 60 days of submission. The Advisory Committee would sunset 60 days after this bill is enacted.
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