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17-473: Legislative Reorganization Act may refer to either of two acts of the United States Congress that changed the procedures under which Congress operates: Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with

34-654: A more rational basis. The bill also required lobbyists to register with Congress and to file periodic reports of their activities. Under the Act the Committees on Public Buildings and Grounds (1837–1946), Rivers and Harbors (1883–1946), Roads (1913–46), and the Flood Control (1916–46) were combined to form the Committee on Public Works. Its jurisdiction from the beginning of the 80th Congress (1947–48) through

51-548: The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure . With the establishment of the Committee on Rivers and Harbors on December 19, 1883, the Committee on Commerce relinquished its previous jurisdiction over appropriations for the improvement of rivers and harbors. Federal internal improvements for harbors date from 1792 with the Cape Henry Light , and for rivers from 1824. The latter beginning for rivers followed

68-653: The landmark decision of the US Supreme Court granting Congress the power to regulate interstate navigation under the Commerce Clause in Gibbons v. Ogden ; the work was initiated through the General Survey Act and the first rivers and harbors legislation passed shortly thereafter. While the issue of federally funded improvements was still contentious, it was generally less so by the time

85-488: The 90th Congress (1967–68) remained unchanged. The Act also prohibited the practice of the Executive Branch detailing staff to committees for policy development. FDR had detailed several Executive Branch staff to key committees that were working on his legislative agenda. Congressional backlash to this tactic is one of the reasons the Act was passed. The Act produced mixed results. Probably its greatest success

102-570: The United States. Historically, citizens have not been able to sue their state—a doctrine referred to as sovereign immunity . The FTCA constitutes a limited waiver of sovereign immunity, permitting citizens to pursue some tort claims against the government. Title V of the Act was the General Bridge Act (60  Stat.   847 ), providing for the: "construction, maintenance, and operation of bridges and approaches thereto over

119-520: The act. Many lobbyists exploited loopholes in the act to avoid full compliance. The ambitious reform of the budget process failed to work and was abandoned after a couple of years. Above all, the act failed to achieve its major objective. It slowed but did not reverse the flow of power and prestige from the legislative branch to the executive branch. Title III of the Act was the Regulation of Lobbying Act (60  Stat.   839 ), intended to reduce

136-475: The committee's co-chairs incorporated many of those reforms into a reorganization measure. The key provisions of the Act proposed streamlining Congress's cumbersome committee system by reducing the number of standing committees and carefully defining their jurisdictions; upgrading staff support for legislators; strengthening congressional oversight of executive agencies; and establishing an elaborate procedure to put congressional spending and taxation policies on

153-568: The influence of lobbyists and to provide information to members of Congress about those that lobby them. The Regulation of Lobbying Act was later repealed by the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 . Title IV of the Act was the Federal Tort Claims Act (60  Stat.   842 ), permitting private parties to sue the United States in a federal court for most torts committed by persons acting on behalf of

170-466: The national legislature became evident during the Great Depression of the 1930s and World War II. During those years of economic crisis and global war, the federal government took on vast new responsibilities—responsibilities that stretched to the breaking point of the capacity of the national legislature, as it was then structured, to cope with a vastly increased workload. At the same time

187-558: The navigable waters of the United States" and repealed provisions of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 . United States House Committee on Rivers and Harbors The House Committee on Rivers and Harbors was a U.S. House committee from 1883 until 1946. It was authorized early in the 48th Congress in December 1883, when the committee was given jurisdiction over subjects relating to the improvements of rivers and harbors; it also had

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204-411: The pent up frustrations and anxieties of war. Some influential commentators charged that Congress's antiquated traditions, cumbersome procedures, and long delays in considering legislation rendered it incapable of meeting the needs of the modern world. The future, they said, rested with the president . By the end of the war, many legislators had concluded that the only way to recapture their lost stature

221-402: The power and prestige of Congress were rapidly eroding. During the depression, and even more so during the war, Congress delegated sweeping authority to the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt to implement legislation as he and his agents in the executive branch saw fit. In addition, the war caused Congress a severe loss of prestige. Suddenly, it seemed legislators became the object for all

238-590: The responsibility of reporting the river and harbor bills to the floor. These functions previously had been handled by the Committee on Commerce . The committee's jurisdiction changed over time with many additional considerations and jurisdictions and some reductions. The Rivers and Harbors committee, as well as other committees related to public works were terminated by the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 , with their successor being House Committee on Public Works , and currently

255-538: The title Legislative Reorganization Act . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Legislative_Reorganization_Act&oldid=362949957 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 The need to modernize

272-448: Was in equipping legislators and their committees with staffs of experts to help draft bills and analyze the complex issues that come before Congress. Legislative oversight of the executive branch also improved as a result of reorganization. In other areas reorganization fell short. The positive effects of reducing committee numbers was at least partly counterbalanced by the unexpected proliferation of subcommittees, which were not regulated in

289-486: Was to reform the Congress. A key leader of the reform movement was the veteran Wisconsin senator Robert M. La Follette Jr. , scion of Wisconsin's famous political dynasty. In 1945, he and Oklahoma representative A. S. "Mike" Monroney co-chaired a joint committee of Congress to consider what might be done to make the body more efficient and effective. The following year, the committee recommended sweeping reforms, and

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