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Sunset commissions are governmental bodies charged with reviewing government agencies and programs and recommending changes to the programs or outright elimination.

While sunset commissions may be couched as a good government measure, they are actually a tool of small government conservatives used to cut government spending and eliminate important programs.

The establishment of a federal sunset commission is a perennially bad idea in Congress. In the 110th Congress, three proposals have emerged. None of the proposals have received votes at the committee level or on the floor of a chamber and none appear to be moving forward at this time.

Click here to read the analysis of sunset commission legislation in the 110th Congress.

Click here for a side-by-side comparison chart of the three proposals