It looks like the House is going to vote soon on H.R. 3282 - Abolishment of Obsolete Agencies and Federal Sunset Act of 2005, which sounds like a good idea to me, even if it doesn't go as far as the Sunset Amendment I've been advocating for years. (This bill may or may not be the same as the Sunset Commission I mentioned last year.)
In general, federal agencies will be abolished as so:
SEC. 2. REVIEW AND ABOLISHMENT OF FEDERAL AGENCIES.(a) Schedule for Review- Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Federal Agency Sunset Commission established under section 3 (in this Act referred to as the `Commission') shall submit to Congress a schedule for review by the Commission, at least once every 12 years (or less, if determined appropriate by Congress), of the abolishment or reorganization of each agency.
(b) Review of Agencies Performing Related Functions- In determining the schedule for review of agencies under subsection (a), the Commission shall provide that agencies that perform similar or related functions be reviewed concurrently to promote efficiency and consolidation.
(c) Abolishment of Agencies-
(1) IN GENERAL- Each agency shall--
(A) be reviewed according to the schedule created pursuant to this section; and
(B) be abolished not later than one year after the date that the Commission completes its review of the agency pursuant to such schedule, unless the agency is reauthorized by the Congress.
(2) EXTENSION- The deadline for abolishing an agency may be extended for an additional two years after the date described in paragraph (1)(B) if the Congress enacts legislation extending such deadline by a vote of a super majority of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
If you think that's going to work, I had a bridge to sell you. Anything that the Congress of the USA passes will be to the benifit of incumbants.
Term limits please!
Oh this will work and work quite well. Everytime there is change and turnover in the agencies, there is an opportunity for shifting the professionals out and putting more politicals in. The prospect of opening up jobs more frequently and exercising indirect or direct patronage hiring will make the sunsetting process positively a joy to theparty operatives who thrive on that sort of stuff.