Legislative Appropriations Act, 2012

Floor Speech

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The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2551) making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012, and for other purposes:

* Mr. PETERS. Mr. Chair, our Nation faces a significant budget deficit and a growing national debt, and we must look for simple, common sense solutions to cut spending as Congress and President Obama work toward a comprehensive, balanced deficit reduction package that will put our Nation on a path to fiscal stability. Members of Congress must lead by example.

* As a State Senator in Michigan, I ran my office so efficiently that I was able to return a full year's operating budget to Michigan taxpayers. When I came to Congress at the beginning of 2009, I made it a priority to run my office efficiently, come in under budget, and return the difference to taxpayers. Last session, my office came in $320,000 under budget, and I am continuing my efforts to save taxpayer dollars at every opportunity.

* I rise today to express my support for Section 101 of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2012. This provision ensures that all unused fiscal year 2012 funds from each congressional office account, known as a Member's Representational Allowance (or MRA), be deposited in the Treasury and used for deficit reduction.

* Last session, I sponsored legislation that would require all future unspent MRA funds be put toward deficit reduction, and give this requirement the force of law. This bill passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support. Unfortunately, the Senate did not take action.

* While it is encouraging that the legislation we consider today contains a similar provision, this will only apply to unused funds for next year. This is why I introduced H.R. 262, the bipartisan Mandatory Returning of Allowances Act with my colleague, Representative STEVE SCALISE. This bill will ensure that all future unused MRA funds, not just fiscal year 2012 funds, are automatically and permanently used for deficit reduction.

* I urge my colleagues to support the Mandatory Returning of Allowances Act, and hope that House leadership will consider bringing this legislation to the floor for a vote.

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