Boston Globe - Brown Outlines Initiatives With Aim to Reduce Government Spending

U.S. Senator Scott Brown outlined this morning several initiatives he said would reduce government spending, increase transparency and reduce waste.

Brown's plans include:

*The bipartisan Taxpayer Receipt Act, to be filed with US Senator Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat. The bill would provide an itemized taxpayer receipt showing taxpayers where all of the money paid to the Federal government is getting spent, and how much new debt "we've put on the national credit card," said Brown's office in a statement. The receipt would arrive when a taxpayer files their tax returns, on or before April 15th of each year.

*The bipartisan 48 Hour Spending Transparency Resolution, which Brown said he will file to increase transparency on spending bills. Under current law, the Senate has to wait 48 hours before considering a bill that includes a committee report, after a bill is reported out of committee. Brown's bill would apply that 48 hour threshold before any consideration of a legislative matter by a subcommittee or committee, or on the floor of the Senate.

*To tackle the debt, Brown said he believes that "we should change the way we budget and spend -- putting a system in place that helps the federal government prioritize what we really need, while eliminating what we can live without and balancing the budget." On February 1st, Brown sent a letter to the Budget Committee calling for "responsible budget reform." The letter asked Budget Committee leaders to ensure that priorities are established before the Senate holds any vote to increase the nation's debt limit.

*Brown is a co-sponsor of the Reduce Unnecessary Spending Act to give the president additional tools, such as a constitutional line-item veto procedure, "to eliminate the kind of reckless spending that sticks taxpayers with the bill for congressional pork," he said.

*Also in this Congress, Brown will introduce the Federal Acquisition Reform Act -- comprehensive legislation that he says will potentially save billions by streamlining the way the federal government purchases goods and services. And as the new ranking member of the Federal Financial Management Subcommittee, Brown will hold hearings on the Social Security Program, the Medicare and Medicaid Programs, and federal agencies "to root out the problems within these programs and ensure they are operating efficiently."

Brown also said he opposes to earmarks, which the Republican-controlled US House has pledged to eliminate.

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