美國“日落立法運動＂的理念、過程與得失

On the Sunset Legislative Movement in the United States: Concept, Process and Effects

“日落立法運動＂是20世紀70年代美國政府改革的重要組成部分。它的主要目標是，通過為政府機構設定運行的期限，強制它們接受立法機關的審查，來實現提升行政效率、遏制政府規模擴張的目標。經歷了短暫的興盛後，這一運動在20世紀80年代初開始回落。儘管影響巨大，但是該運動的目標並未完全實現，“日落法＂未在全美各州得到普及，也未被美國國會接受，其實施的效果也不盡如人意。這一運動的回落並不是理念的失敗。高昂的審查成本、不切實際的法律條款以及欠缺中立的審查過程才是導致其回落的主要原因。

The Sunset Legislative Movement is an important component of the governmental reform in the United States in 1970s. Its principal goal is to improve administrative efficiency and to curb the rampant expansion of the government by setting the time limits for governmental institutions and forcing them to go through the legislative examination. After a short golden period, this movement started to decline in the early 1980s. Although it has significant impact, the goal of this movement is not fully accomplished. Sunset legislation is neither accepted by all the 50 states nor did the National Congress of the United States. Its effect is far from satisfactory. However, it should be pointed out that its decline does not mean the failure of the ideology; the main reasons for its failure are the costly examination, unrealistic legislative design and the interference of interest groups.