To successfully serve his house state constituents, U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) and different members of Congress usually must attain out to government agencies for info. And when he receives an out-of-office message or no response from these agencies, he’s not glad about it.
“It is unacceptable,” stated Rep. Burgess, as a result of it’s “inhibiting members of Congress from serving the American people.”
To rectify the state of affairs, Rep. Burgess on Jan. 25 sponsored the bipartisan Response from Executive Agencies to Congress on Time (REACT) Act, H.R. 504, with unique cosponsor U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) to require government agencies to respond to inquiries from lawmakers in a well timed method, in accordance to a invoice abstract supplied by Rep. Burgess’s workplace.
“This legislation will help members receive more timely responses to aid in their ability to serve their constituents more effectively,” Rep. Burgess stated. “Unelected agency personnel must be held accountable to the people’s elected representatives. By expanding the ‘rule of seven’ in the House or ‘the rule of five’ in the Senate, every member will have the ability to receive swift answers for their constituents.”
Specifically, Rep. Burgess is referring to the truth that H.R. 504 would amend title 5 of the United States Code to require an government company to submit info to any committee of the U.S. House of Representatives upon the request of seven of the members of the committee, and to submit info to any U.S. Senate committee upon the request of 5 of the members of the committee, if the knowledge relates to any matter underneath the jurisdiction of the committee, per the congressional report invoice abstract.
“This bill strengthens the congressional oversight function by allowing members who serve on committees with expertise in certain policy areas to obtain information from the executive branch that they cannot easily acquire currently,” added Rep. Davis. “I am proud to join Dr. Burgess on this good-government bill.”
If enacted, H.R. 504 additionally would give government agencies 45 days to respond to a request for info from any seven or 5 members of the House or Senate authorizing committees, respectively; and make clear that any seven or 5 members of the House and Senate, respectively, have a explanation for motion within the applicable district court docket, the lawmaker’s abstract says.
