Tester proposes saving millions by posting, not printing, legislation

Senator wants to end expensive practice of printing every bill introduced in Congress

(U.S. SENATE) – Senator Jon Tester wants to cut government spending by ending the practice of printing copies of every bill introduced in Congress.

Tester has teamed up with Senators Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Mark Warner, D-Va., to introduce the Stop the Overprinting Act.  Under the bipartisan plan, all bills and resolutions in Congress would instead be posted online.

The U.S. government currently prints hundreds of copies of every bill introduced in Congress, regardless of whether further legislative action is taken.  Thousands of bills are introduced every year in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

“Families across Montana are used to making every penny count—and Congress ought to follow their lead,” Tester said.  “Every single taxpayer dollar we can save by cutting waste and making government leaner and more efficient is a dollar that doesn’t get added to the national debt.  Those common-sense cuts in spending, combined with some tough decisions ahead, are what’s going to finally get the country’s debt under control.”

Tester’s legislation is estimated to save millions from the government’s printing budget.

Tester regularly posts the legislation he introduces or cosponsors online.  The bipartisan Stop the Overprinting Act is available on his website, HERE.

Tester, an outspoken advocate for cutting spending and reining in the national debt, personally trimmed $6 billion from last year’s unemployment insurance bill.  He also introduced legislation in the Senate that would permanently end automatic pay raises for members of Congress.