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RELEASED
L 05o 3- /
RESTRICTED - Not to be released outsida the General
Accounting Office except on the basis of specific approval
by the Office of V-ongressional Relations.
COM8L30 GENERAL OF THE UNiT9 STATES
WASD4INGToN, D.C. 2C548
B-186304 MAY 12 1976
The Honorable Ray J. Madden
Chairman, Committee on Rules
House of Representatives
LM090531
Dear Mr. Chairman: kf-S~ff 4.e
We noticed, during our continuing reviews of the ! nvironmnental Pro-
tection Agency's programs, a practice being use in the egislativa
branch wnicn7-9chaugei could save Government operating costs] This
report discusses our suggestion for improvement and is being prL.ided
at the request of your staff,
An officiaJ of the House of Representatives new bill information (
- office has told rs that the practice of introducing identical bills (a
bill which word for word is +he same as a previously introuced bill,
with the exception of the House number and list of joint spor.zr') -n
tle House of Representatives is not uncommon. According tc an official
at the Government Printing Office, about 400 identical bills are intro-
duced during each session of the Congress. The purpose of introducing
identical bills seems to be to add names to a list of joint sponsors. For
example, House bill 2175 was introduced once on January 28, 1975. iden-
tical bills were introduced twice on February 26, 1975, once in March,
and twice in May.
House Resolution 42, which was passed on April 25, 1967, limits
to 25 the number of members who may jointly sponsor a House bill.
When the number of members desiring to jointly sponsor a bill exceeds
this limit, an identical bill or bills are introdu--d. For example, if
90 members desire to jointly sponsor a bill, four identical bills would
have to be introduced. The name of the original b.~l's sponsor would
appear on each of the bills introduced, thereby limiting to 24 joint spon-
sors added on each identical bill. In contrast, the Senate allow,. ihe full
membership to jointly sponsor a bill.
Before House Resolution 42, joint sponsorship of House bills did not
e%..st. During the House discussion on House Resolution 42, it was noted
that a congressman had introduced a housing bill a few days before th,'
discussion and that more than 90 members later introduced separate,
identical bills. The cost of printing this 36-page bill for 90 separate
sponsors was $8, 292. Had the one bill been sponsored by 90 members,
the one printing would have cost $607, or a saving of '7, 685. With this
type of saving in mind, House Resolution 42 was introduced as a means
of reducLig legislative costs.
BEST T I RED-76-104
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