Senators seek to jump-start presidential transitions

A bill designed to help newly-elected Presidents and their senior appointees "hit the ground running" upon taking office passed the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Wednesday.

The bill, S. 2705, which the committee approved by voice vote, amends the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 to help members of the incoming administration quickly familiarize themselves with their new responsibilities and surroundings during the transition period before inauguration. This would be done with briefings and orientations for individuals in line for senior executive branch appointments.

Although similar to a House-passed measure, H.R. 3137, sponsors of the Senate bill-Committee Chairman Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., and Ranking Member Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn.-went further by including a requirement that a "transitions directory" be compiled to give top White House aides and prospective appointees key agency and administrative information.

"There are only 73 days from Election Day to Inauguration Day, Thompson said. "The President-elect must have the ability to immediately put a new team in place and that team should have access to the critical information it needs to be ready to take over the management of the federal government on Inauguration Day.

The Senate bill also requires the Office of Government Ethics to prepare a report suggesting ways of "streamlining, standardizing and coordinating the financial disclosure process." Proposals in this report should "ease the burden of financial disclosure on executive branch nominees," according to a committee news release distributed to reporters during the meeting.

A policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington-based think tank, seized on this provision in hailing the bill. "The nomination process is grueling," said Virginia L. Thomas, a Heritage senior fellow in government studies.

"Along with the paperwork, potential appointees must undergo a complete background check and fill out additional forms when the nomination reaches the Senate committee," she said. "A nominee may also be required to provide further information to specific agencies or departments. Attracting committed and qualified people to serve in government will become less of a task if this bill becomes law."