Providing For Consideration Of House Resolution 72, Directing Committees To Review Regulations From Federal Agencies

Floor Speech

* Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, today and tomorrow we are spending more than 10 hours of our time debating whether or not we should tell committees to do what they are already supposed to be doing.

* Lake County, in my district, has 19 percent unemployment rate.

* The people of Lake County know that we are not creating jobs by telling committees to do their jobs.

* The people in my district, who are waiting on banks to call them back about their loan modification applications, know that this debate will not help them keep their homes.

* There is real work to be done in Congress and this is not it.

* I think we can stipulate that there are regulations that are redundant and unnecessary.

* I, for one, know that a regulation from Federal Housing Finance Agency has shut down the incredibly successful Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program.

* PACE is an innovative program in my district, and districts across this country, that has created jobs, saved energy, and slashed homeowners' utility bills.

* Spending 10 hours of debate on this meaningless resolution is not going to reinstate the PACE program.

* It is not going to bring back the jobs for the people who installed residential solar panels and weatherized houses under PACE.

* This resolution is a lot of talk and no action.

* Committees have oversight responsibilities; it would be a much better use of our time to have simply scheduled 10 hours of Committee hearings on the matter.

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