The new Republican majority in Congress is proving again that it means what it says with regards to the size, cost and scope of the federal government. And we're setting an example by putting our own House in order first.

After four decades of Democratic control, the House had grown bloated, expensive and inefficient. Committee staff positions increased from 250 in 1960 to almost 2,000 in 1994 -- with almost 1,000 additional staff persons providing support services through a Byzantine management structure that lacked accountability and effectiveness.

In the past six months, the Repulican majority has completely revamped the House: increasing accountability, improving efficiency, and lowering costs. As a result of our efforts, taxpayers will save $155 million this year alone on the cost of running Congress. Not bad for six months of work.

We began the year by cutting committee staffs -- and committee budgets -- by one- third. Doing so eliminated 620 staff positions and saved taxpayers $67 million. We also cut support staff by one-third. and opened up the committee funding process to greater public and media scrutiny.

One action we undertook that was long, long overdue was to authorize the first independent audit of the House's books and operations so that the American people can judge for themselves how Congress is being run. The major accounting firm of Price-Waterhouse has released its preliminary report -- and the results aren't pretty. The preliminary report suggests that tens of millions of dollars were wasted annually in previous Congresses due to unnecessary administrative costs and sloppy personnel practices.

The audit is designed to help us find more ways to streamline. downsize, and improve the efficiency of the legislative branch. While the independent audit will tell us where we can save taxpayers money, it will do something eve more important: it will help us decicie whether or not certain functioIls now carried our by the government could be more cost-effectively carried out by the private sector.

During the first six months of the new Congress, we created "Thomas,'' a computer system which, through the Library of Congress, makes bills and other congressional documents available to the American people on line over the Internet. ''Thomas'' is an innovative, low-cost means of providing vital information to the American people.

The Republican majority in the House also has attacked many of the "perks" that have rightfully angered taxpayers.

Since January, we've ended daily delivery of ice to congressional offices -- saving taxpayers $400,000. We've ended thc practice of provid free parking spaces to lobbyists. Indeed, this change and the significant staff reductions I mentioned earlier have freed up so many parking spaces near the Capitol that we've transformed two parking lots into public parking lots -- making it easier for tourists and constituents to vist their representatives on Capitol Hill.

We've begun the process of privatizing the House beauty shop and House barber shop, both of which have lost money for years, despite being subsidized by taxpayers.

And we voted to reduct representatives "franking" allowances by an average of $60,000 per Member. While that reduction -- the largest of its kind in history -- might mean one or two fewer newsletters mailed to the folks back home, most os us consider it absolutely essential of we are ever to get federal spending in general, and the congressional budget in particular, under control.

We Republicans believe we have an obligation to provide taxpayers with an open, cost-efficient House of Representatives of we are to have the moral authority to cut and streamline the rest of the federal government and restore the trust of the American people in their elected representatives. It may take more than the first six months to clean up the mess we inherited, and to fulfill the ambitious goals we've set for ourselves. But the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives is clearly off to a strong and impressive start.

U.S. Rep. Jack Fields represents the Brazos County in the U.S. House of Representatives. The telephone for his College Station district office is (409) 846-6068.