Negotiations among proponents of sunset commission legislation have reportedly broken down, and now two separate bills are racing to the House floor for a vote as early as next week. Both bills share the basic sunset concept: creating unelected, unaccountable commissions to recommend which programs or agencies live, die, or get changed, and then to force the issue with Congress.

• The Brady bill (H.R. 3282) would create a permanent sunset commission that would put programs back on the sunset treadmill every 12 years. Programs would automatically be exterminated within one year of their review -- even if the sunset commission decides the program should continue -- unless Congress acts to save the program.
• The new Tiahrt bill (H.R. 5766) would give Congress (by joint resolution) and the White House (by executive order) the power to impanel one or more ad hoc sunset commissions, each of which would be charged with reviewing some specific subset of programs. Proposals for killing programs would be forced through Congress under anti-democratic procedures that limit debate, forbid amendment, and limit Congress's decision to an up-or-down, take-it-or-leave-it vote.

More Information One page summary with elements of the bills set side by side Issue brief analyzing the current bills and outlining alternatives to sunset commissions One page summary of the new Tiahrt bill Talking points about how sunset commission legislation are not "good government" proposals