Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress Sunset Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9360) to sunset the Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 9360, the Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress Sunset Act, led by Representative Mary Miller of Illinois, is an important measure that will modernize how Congress manages its records.

H.R. 9360 sunsets the Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress, an outdated committee, and replaces it with a more efficient process for reviewing congressional records.

The bill instructs the Director of the Center for Legislative Archives of the National Archives to submit an annual report to the Archivist of the United States, the Clerk of the House, the Secretary of the Senate, and requisite congressional committees on the management and preservation of the records of Congress.

By eliminating this obsolete committee, H.R. 9360 provides a more efficient process for the management and preservation of congressional records through annual reports and cuts burdensome administrative hurdles.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Miller).

Mr. Speaker, I, too, urge my colleagues to support H.R. 9360, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 9360, which will sunset the Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress.

This committee was created in 1990 to advise Congress and the National Archives on the management and retention of congressional records.

My bill, however, would eliminate this outdated committee. Due to advancements in technology over the last several decades and changes in the way Congress operates, sunsetting this committee is necessary and will streamline the archival process.

This bill will also maintain oversight of the Center for Legislative Archives by requiring the center to publish an annual report on the management and preservation of records. Sunsetting this advisory committee will furthermore save taxpayers approximately $38,000 annually in operating costs without sacrificing the transparency of congressional records.

As this advisory committee hits its 36th year, we can agree that the committee has accomplished its original goals and has met its intended purpose, thereby outliving its usefulness.

Mr. Speaker, as we continue to improve the efficiency of our government, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress was created in 1990 to review and advise Congress and the National Archives on the management and preservation of congressional records.

The House Clerk, who is one of the leaders of the advisory committee, approached us with this proposal because the committee accomplished its key goals and is no longer useful in addressing current challenges.

This makes sense because the ways we manage and preserve records have changed significantly over the last three-and-a-half decades. Sunsetting this committee will save taxpayer dollars and allow those resources to be used to improve contemporary archiving practices.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to have the bill before the House, and I urge all my colleagues to vote in support of it.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.