Jimmy Carter: Reorganization Plan Authority Letter to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate.

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Reorganization Plan Authority Letter to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate.
February 4, 1977

Jimmy Carter
1977: Book I

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Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

One of the major goals of my Administration will be to reorganize and streamline the Executive Branch to insure the effective management of government programs. An indispensable tool in this effort-one available to every President between 1939 and 1973--will be the authority to submit reorganization plans to Congress for expeditious review and approval. Therefore, I am hereby transmitting to you a draft bill entitled "To reestablish the period within which the President may transmit to the Congress plans for the reorganization of agencies of the Executive Branch of the government, and for other purposes."

The bill provides for the following changes to the Reorganization Act of 1949:

1. Extends the authority for four years.

2. Amends the reorganization plan procedure to permit the President to amend or withdraw a plan within 30 days of the date of transmittal to Congress. Amendments would not affect the 60-day period for Congressional review.

3. Allows the President to transmit more than one plan every thirty days.

4. Adds a requirement that a reorganization plan specify the expected improvements in management, efficiency, and delivery of Federal services to result from the plan and deletes the provision which requires the enumeration of potential savings.

5. Deletes the provision which requires a plan to be limited to one logically consistent subject matter.

Government reorganization during my Administration will be a joint Executive-Congressional effort. I fully expect that the result will be real and substantial improvement in the way the Federal Government works for our citizens. Therefore, I urge prompt action by Congress to approve this legislation so that we may begin this important work.

Sincerely,

JIMMY CARTER

Note: This is the text of identical letters addressed to the Honorable Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr., Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Honorable Walter F. Mondale, President of the Senate.

Citation: John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters, The American Presidency Project [online]. Santa Barbara, CA. Available from World Wide Web: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=7511.

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