Senators Introduce Bipartisan Pay for Printing Act
August 6, 2012
WASHINGTON, DC – August 6, 2012 – U.S. Senators DeMint (R-SouthCarolina), Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), Ron Johnson(R-Wis.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Rand Paul(R-Ky.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and Pat Toomey(R-Pa.) are introducing the Pay for Printing Act, which would requiresenators to pay for celebratory or commemorative resolutions out oftheir own budgets, rather than using taxpayer funds.
“Theprinting of symbolic, nonbinding resolutions has gotten out of hand andit’s costing taxpayers more of their hard-earned dollars,” DeMint said.“This bipartisan legislation simply requires senators to takeresponsibility for paying for the cost of printing these symbolicresolutions out of their own office budgets. This will require senatorsto be more judicious with taxpayer dollars and hopefully cut down onmany of these unnecessary resolutions.”
“Our bill is a commonsense measure to remind all of us that if we can’t responsibly pay forthe small things, then how are we going to do the big things necessaryto finally get spending under control in Washington,” Corkersaid. “Members of Congress who introduce these commemorative resolutionsshould pay for them as a ceremonial function of their office, ratherthan adding them to the cost of government.”
During the 112thCongress alone the Senate has passed or agreed to more than 350 simpleresolutions and introduced over 100 more. The overwhelming majority ofthese resolutions are commemorative or celebratory in nature.
Examples of these resolutions in the last year include National ChessDay, National Day of the American Cowboy, commemorating the 75thAnniversary of Ducks Unlimited, National Safe Digging Month, Year ofWater, National Work and Family Month, commemorating the 100thAnniversary of the American Podiatric Medical Association,congratulating the Miami Heat for their NBA championship, celebratingPacific Lutheran University Lutes Softball Team, and commending YellowCorrugated Stainless Steel Tubing Bonding.
These resolutions incur printing costs of about $1,200 per page. So farin the 112th Congress, simple resolutions may have already costtaxpayers nearly $400,000 in printing costs alone.
According to the Legislative Information System of Congress, the numberof simple resolutions has nearly doubled over the past decade. In2001-2002, the Senate of the 107th Congress passed 247 simpleresolutions. In 2009-2010, the Senate of the 111th Congress passed 493.
The Pay for Printing Act requires that the sponsor of a simpleresolution — which is commemorative or celebratory in nature — pay forthe printing costs of his or her resolution. This money shall come fromthe sponsor’s Members’ Representative Allowance (MRA).
The Pay for Printing Act allows for an exemption for those resolutions with more than two-thirds of the Senate as sponsors.
