Bill to Review the Way Congress Runs Its Business OKd by House

The House, eager to shed its image as inept and corrupt, voted Thursday to create a special committee on overhauling the way that Congress conducts its business.

The bill, which was passed 412 to 4 and sent to the Senate, calls for a thorough review of everything from the huge congressional staff to the committee turf battles.

“The aim is both to restore public confidence in Congress as well as to improve its ability to respond to an increasingly complex agenda,” said Rep. Lee H. Hamilton (D-Ind.), a co-sponsor.

Hamilton, Rep. Bill Gradison (R-Ohio) and Sens. David L. Boren (D-Okla.) and Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.) introduced the legislation last July, and colleagues began to flock toward it this year in reaction to legislative gridlock and the bad-check scandal at the House bank.

Boren said he was “elated by the House’s action” and expected the Senate to quickly follow suit.

The bill creates a special bipartisan committee of 28 House and Senate members. The panel would have until the end of next year to come up with its recommendations.

Congress already has eliminated some perks and frills that contributed to its recent embarrassments. Federal investigators are continuing to look for possible criminal activity in connection with the House bank, and several employees have pleaded guilty to stealing money at the House post office.

Lawmakers also have taken aim at the executive branch. Sen. Dennis DeConcini (D-Ariz.) announced Thursday that he was introducing a bill to cut down on taxpayer-financed benefits enjoyed by government agency chiefs.

With the exception of the President, officials would be banned from using government planes for trips that mix official business with political and personal travel.

DeConcini’s bill also bans the use of taxpayer funds to subsidize the 119 executive branch dining rooms.