Resolved: The House will cut its celebrations

WASHINGTON - The House this session has spent time honoring Geronimo, celebrating the Hollywood Walk of Fame's 50th anniversary, declaring country music a distinctly American art form and congratulating the Saratoga Race Course on its 142nd season.

But the days of lawmakers spending hours on such niceties are on the way out.

A leader of the House's new Republican majority intends to end the practice of lawmakers voting on such resolutions -- or at least dramatically scale it back.

Today's Republicans, imbued with a sense that Washington's priorities have become muddled, contend that most commemorations are a waste of floor time needed for more pressing matters.

"I do not suspect that Jefferson or Madison ever envisioned Congress honoring the 2,560th anniversary of the birth of Confucius or supporting the designation of National Pi Day," said Eric Cantor, R-Va., the next House majority leader. "I believe people want our time, energy and efforts focused on their priorities."

Defenders of the practice say the resolutions are a time-honored tradition that gives deserved recognition to individuals and groups while providing moments of bipartisan cheer in an otherwise divisive Capitol.

"Look, they're really important to people in our localities," said Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., who offered several resolutions this session, including one recognizing Filipino American History Month. "It doesn't cost us a lot of money. It's important for local pride."

The results were striking. Commemorations plummeted from a high of 41 percent of all bills passed in the mid-1980s to 12 percent in 1995-96.

But this being Washington, lawmakers found a way around the new rules. Because the ban restricted only commemorations designating a specific time period, lawmakers soon started bestowing less temporal honors -- as in "supporting the goals and ideals of American Craft Beer Week."

Other ways cited

Members of both parties indulge in the practice, introducing hundreds of celebratory resolutions every session. It's the kind of Washington addiction that the opposition wave against politics-as-usual has set its sights on.

Singling out the resolution marking Confucius' birth as an example of a time-waster, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, sneered, "We shouldn't have done it until he was at least 2,600 years old."

Critics say there are ways for lawmakers to recognize a surfing champion or salute baseball bat maker Hillerich & Bradsby Co. on the 125th anniversary of the Louisville Slugger without requiring a House vote.

Earlier this year Chaffetz voted against the resolution recognizing the Hollywood Walk of Fame, saying his district also has an amusement park, but "I'm not coming to the United States Congress asking for recognition of it."

Grandstanding?

The question is whether the attempt to eradicate these kinds of resolutions is about the need to get down to legislative business or is merely grandstanding against a Washington habit.

One-third of the more than 2,100 bills considered on the House floor during the past Congress involved congratulatory resolutions, a post office naming or other honors, according to the GOP.