House of Representatives Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has begun work behind the scenes to draft new sunset commission legislation and has signaled to his party that the sunset commission will be a legislative priority. In conjunction with House Republicans agreeing to a broad "vision" statement on May 10, Boehner released a list of legislative priorities, including passing legislation to create a sunset commission, according to The Hill. The sunset commission proposals seek to create a single unelected commission to review federal programs and recommend which should be axed. (Read more about sunset commission proposals.) At the same time, BNA's Daily Report for Executives (subscription-only) reports that Boehner has been working with House Republicans to craft new sunset commission legislation, combining elements from the three sunset commission proposals that have been put forward in the 109th Congress. Elements likely to end up in the final bill include the following:

• Forcing programs back on the sunset commission treadmill every 10 years -- thus reopening debates about the continued necessity of long-standing, successful government programs, including those protecting civil rights, the environment, auto safety and more;
• Fast-tracking commission recommendations for program termination and reorganization through Congress with constrained debate and no opportunity for amendment; and
• Exempting the unelected commission from open government law.

Proposals creating a commission to review and sunset federal programs have circulated in the past but never seriously advanced. In the 109th Congress, the concept gained some steam after the White House released its own proposal for sunsets and reorganization authority. The issue accelerated during negotiations over the House budget resolution. The Republican Study Committee demanded, and House leaders conceded to, guaranteed floor consideration of sunsets as one of the conditions for securing its members' votes on the budget. While the budget resolution has stalled, this new intelligence indicates that passing a sunset commission proposal remains a legislative priority for House leaders, and a floor vote on sunsets is still expected in June. Read OMB Watch's latest analyses of sunset commissions:

• The sunset commission would promote more cronyism in Washington.
• The sunset commission threatens the constitutional separation of powers.