A third of the more than 2,100 bills considered by the House of Representatives during the past Congress involved congratulatory resolutions, a Post Office naming or other honors.
Fortunately, such time-wasting silliness may soon be coming to an end :
Reporting from 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 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.
