Directing Committees to Review Regulations from Federal Agencies

Floor Speech

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Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 72 because I believe that a number of regulations issued by Federal agencies are stifling job creation. And, from the sound of it, President Obama agrees. On January 18 of this year, President Obama issued an executive order stating that, quote, our regulatory system must promote economic growth, innovation, competitiveness, and job creation. I agree with the President on all those points.

Some regulations are critical to protect our health and provide a safe place to live and work, but there are a number of regulations affecting job creators, including small businesses and community banks. These regulations are overly burdensome, repetitive, and just plain don't make sense. Not a day goes by without one of my constituents complaining over the EPA's overreaching policies. The administration is trying to do through regulations what it couldn't get passed into law. As a result, job creators spend their money complying with these burdensome regulations--money that should be used to create jobs, money that should be used to invest in research, in capital improvements, and money that should be used to spur innovation. For example, job creators are spending money planning for more burdensome EPA regulations on boilers; boilers used every day to heat schools and businesses. And now the EPA wants to apply the oil spill law to force dairy farmers to spend millions of dollars preparing for spilled milk, because of the amount of fat in it. What if it's skim milk? If it wasn't so troubling, it might be funny.

On top of this, regulations yet to be written inject uncertainty into the economy, further stifling job creation. Uncertainty over renewable tax credits, for example, is forcing a Little Rock company back home in my district to stop building wind turbines because they don't know if they can sell them.

I've heard concerns back home over the lack of transparency from unelected Federal workers that have never met the folks in Arkansas and they've never held a town hall. They don't hold town halls before they write these regulations, yet they pass the equivalent of laws every day.

We can do better. Let's seek commonsense solutions to our problems and stop the Federal Government from killing jobs.

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