Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2011

Floor Speech

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Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I rise in opposition to H.R. 10, the so-called REINS Act. It's a demonstration of the reign of terror that the Tea Party-Grover Norquist Republican Party has exacted on Americans insofar as their health and safety are concerned, and in terms of their ability as small businesses to compete with Wall Street and Big Business.

You see, this is a Christmas gift. It's a gift to those who installed this Tea Party reign in Congress, and this Tea Party reign, the Republicans in Congress, are doing everything they're supposed to do.

This is the anti-regulatory bill, as the chairman said, that is the mother of all anti-regulatory bills. In fact, these 25, 26 bills that have been misnamed ``jobs bills'' that the Republicans have passed are nothing more than anti-regulatory legislation, sprinkled with a little antiabortion legislation in there--with not one job to be created.

You're just simply kowtowing to the wishes of those who line your pockets with gold in order for you to get elected.

This anti-regulatory legislation is turning the clock back on progress in America. We want to turn it all over to Big Business. This is what the Wall Street occupation is all about. This is what the Tea Party is all about.

The CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.

Mr. CONYERS. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. This bill will make it impossible to implement critical new regulations that will place some restraints on the excesses of the business community, and I ask that it be defeated.

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Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise to support my amendment to this dangerous bill, the REINS Act.

My amendment is simple. It would exempt any rule that the Office of Management and Budget determines would promote job growth from the bill's congressional approval requirement, which is very cumbersome.

The Republican majority claims that job growth is its top priority, and if that's the case, then my Republican friends should support this amendment. In reality, we all know this bill will not create a single job, and as part of the majority's anti-regulatory agenda, will make it virtually impossible to implement rules for our health and safety.

This bill does not fine-tune the regulatory process, as the Republicans say. It will do nothing but make the regulatory process more bureaucratic and impose unnecessary hurdles for the agencies seeking to enact rules that protect our health and safety.

The majority has a scare tactic--that is that regulations kill jobs, and that's nothing but a myth. The National Federation of Independent Businesses, which describes itself as the leading small business association representing small and independent businesses, does a regular survey of small businesses. And it found that the single most important problem facing small businesses is poor sales, not regulations.

The REINS Act would delay, if not halt, regulations that are necessary for the health and safety of our constituents. Further, the bill would slow down regulations that may actually foster job growth. Thus, if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are truly concerned about job growth, I would encourage them to support this amendment.

I hope all of my colleagues will support this amendment because the regulations that will help put unemployed Americans back to work should take effect without unnecessary delay.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. In response, no, I've never operated a business on Wall Street, and I'm not really concerned about Wall Street as Wall Street has been getting all of the breaks. This party, the Tea Party Republicans, seem hellbent on shifting everything in their direction.

I yield the balance of my time to the distinguished gentlewoman from Texas, Sheila Jackson Lee.

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