[Journal of the House of Representatives, 1994]
[Thursday, May 5, 1994 (44), Para 44.24 Message from the President--Federal Advisory Committees]
[Pages 806-807]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

Para. 44.24  message from the president--federal advisory committees

  The SPEAKER pro tempore, Mr. McNULTY, laid before the House a

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message from the President, which was read as follows:

To the Congress of the United States:
  As provided by the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (Public 
Law 92-463; 5 U.S.C., App. 2, 6(c)), I am submitting my first Annual 
Report on Federal Advisory Committees for fiscal year 1993 for your 
consideration and action.
  Consistent with my efforts to create a Government that works better 
and costs less, I issued Executive Order No. 12838 on February 10, 1993, 
requiring the executive branch to conduct a comprehensive review of all 
advisory committees. Based upon this assessment, each department and 
agency was directed to reduce by at least one-third the number of 
committees not required by the Congress. I am pleased to advise that 
this initiative has resulted in a net reduction of 284 unproductive 
advisory committees, exceeding our elimination target of 267, by 6 
percent, or 17 committees. In addition, we have identified approximately 
30 unneeded statutory groups.
  While progress has been achieved in assuring that the work of advisory 
committees remains focused on national, rather than special interests, I 
am asking for your support in effecting other needed improvements. The 
Administration will forward to the Congress a legislative proposal to 
terminate 30 advisory committees required by statute, but for which 
compelling needs no longer exist. I urge the Congress to act quickly and 
favorably on this proposal, and I welcome any recommendations of the 
Congress regarding additional groups that may be eliminated through our 
joint efforts to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the 
Government. Toward this end, I hope the Congress will show increased 
restraint in the creation of new statutory committees.
  I have directed the executive branch to exercise continued restraint 
in the creation and management of advisory committees. This will allow 
us to obtain further savings recommended by the Vice President and the 
National Performance Review. Consistent with Executive Order No. 12838, 
the Director of the Office of Management and Budget will continue to 
approve new agency-sponsored committees when necessary and appropriate. 
In addition the General Services Administration, as part of its overall 
responsibilities under the Act, will periodically prepare legislation to 
propose the elimination of committees no longer required by the 
Government.
  We stand ready to work with the Congress to assure the appropriate use 
of advisory committees and to achieve the purposes for which this law 
was enacted.
                                                   William J. Clinton.  
  The White House, May 5, 1994. 

  By unanimous consent, the message, together with the accompanying 
papers, was referred to the Committee on Government Operations.