Congressman Conaway Chosen for GOP House Transition Team

Washington, D.C. – Representative Mike Conaway (R-TX) was named today to serve on the GOP Majority Transition Team. This 22-member team will work to ensure a seamless transition to a new Republican majority in the 112th Congress so that the House can get to work immediately in January to address the priorities of the American people. The team has been charged with implementing the reforms to Congress in the Pledge to America and looking for additional ways to reform Congress so that it is more transparent, cost-effective, and accountable to the people.

“Americans have had their voices ignored in Washington for far too long,” said Conaway. “Last week, they sent a clear message to Washington that things must change. With the new Majority, we have a chance to re-establish the House of Representatives as an institution that respects the will of the people and restores debate, transparency, and credibility to the House of Representatives. Republicans have pledged to run the House differently than it has been run by both Democrats and Republicans in the past. The groundwork for these changes will be laid by this team, and I am honored to have an opportunity to be a part of this historic transition.”

 NOTE: The Republican Pledge to America sets forth a plan to reform Congress and, in doing so, begin restoring the public trust.  These reforms include:

    * A requirement that legislation be available online for 3 days before a vote so that     members of Congress and the American people can read the bill.
    * A requirement that all bills include a citation of constitutional authority so that Congress respects the limits imposed on it by our founding document.
    * Changes to House rules to make it harder to increase spending and easier to cut it so that we begin a new era of fiscal responsibility in Washington.
    * An end to the practice of passing "comprehensive" or "omnibus" bills that package unrelated legislation together in an effort to avoid public scrutiny.

 “You would be hard pressed to find a member of Congress who has spoken out more passionately about the way this Congress has let down the American people than Mike Conaway,” said Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), Chairman of the GOP Office of Majority Transition. “He understands that Congress should work to advance the will of the people, not stifle it. And his experience as a CPA will be remarkably valuable as we work to make the House more cost-effective and efficient.  Mike will be an important member of this team and I’m grateful to him for serving.”

 Republican Leader Boehner has also pledged to end the days of bills being written in the Speaker’s Office behind closed doors, and instead vowed to move bill-writing authority back to committees, which would be required to post amendments and votes online to ensure full transparency.