Commentary

Sunset Commission on the Horizon?

I’ve seen a lot of beautiful sunsets in my time, but this one could take the cake:

A proposal that could lead to termination ââ?¬â?? or “sunset” ââ?¬â?? of agencies and programs that fail to prove their worth every 10 years may make it to the House floor for the first time this spring. The measure will likely come up for a vote during the first two weeks in June, said Kevin Madden, a spokesman for Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. The Bush administration-backed idea to create a Sunset Commission ââ?¬â?? whose recommendations would be voted on by lawmakers ââ?¬â?? has been bouncing around Congress for years and was the subject of a Government Reform subcommittee hearing in September. Bills to create the commission have been introduced in the House and Senate. . . . . In addition to the Sunset Commission, two other proposals would convene groups to recommend the elimination of agencies or programs: ï The Results Commission, which would evaluate a list of programs and agencies deemed questionable by the president. ï The Commission on the Accountability and Review of Federal Agencies, which would evaluate all agencies and programs except those in the Defense Department or any agency that solely administers entitlement programs. Bills to create these commissions have been introduced in both the House and Senate.