Earmarks May Return

Last Friday Chair DeLauro outlined the framework of community project funding known as earmarks.  In addition to adhering to the House Rules (House Rules XXI and XXIII), the House Appropriations Committee is enforcing a series of reforms to guarantee that Community Project Funding is dedicated to genuine need and not subject to abuse.  Earmarks will be limited to 1 percent of total discretionary spending, and lawmakers will be capped at submitting 10 earmark requests per fiscal year.  The House Appropriations Committee plans to create a "one-stop" online portal for all of the requests. In addition to oversight and transparency restrictions in place before the ban on earmarks in 2011, Democrats are adding more provisions, including making members certify that no immediate family members have any financial interest.

The reforms, transparency and accountability can be found here.