Providing for Consideration of HR 2, American Energy Solutions for Lower Costs and More American Jobs Act; Providing for Consideration of HR 4, Jobs for America Act; and Providing for Proceedings During the Period from September 22, 2014, Through November 11, 2014

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule and the underlying bill.

Each year, Washington imposes thousands of pages of rules and regulations on America's private sector employers, as well as State and local governments. Buried in those pages are costly Federal mandates that make it harder for businesses to hire and cash-strapped States, counties, and cities to serve their citizens.

There are some who may not understand why a bill to improve the regulatory process is also a bill about jobs. As a former small business owner, I understand firsthand the concerns job creators have about how lengthy, confusing rules affect their ability to conduct business and provide jobs and opportunities to their employees.

That is why I introduced H.R. 899, the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act, which we call UMITA, and am glad to see it included in H.R. 4, the Jobs for America Act.

The bill builds upon the bipartisan 1995 Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, also known as UMRA, and will ensure awareness and public disclosure of the cost--in dollars and jobs--that Federal dictates pose to the economy and local governments.

H.R. 899, as included in H.R. 4, does not seek to prevent the Federal Government from regulating. Rather, it seeks to ensure that its regulations are deliberative and economically defensible.

Asking regulators to thoroughly consider and understand the costs of a rule in addition to its benefits should not be controversial--it is just plain common sense.

Regulators and legislators should know exactly what they are asking the American people to pay and whether the cost of compliance might make it harder for family businesses to meet payroll and stay afloat.

And no government body--on purpose or accidentally--should skirt public scrutiny when jobs and scarce resources are at stake.

In the nearly 20 years since UMRA's passage, weaknesses in the law have been revealed, weaknesses that some government agencies and independent regulatory bodies have exploited.

UMITA makes independent regulatory agencies subject to UMRA's requirements, ending a two-tier system that allowed regulations to be implemented without the required consideration, scrutiny, or public input.

H.R. 899 recognizes that the Federal Government's reach extends way beyond the taxes it collects and the money it spends. Regulations can advance government initiatives without using tax dollars.

Rather than count expenses for new programs, the government can require the private sector, as well as State and local governments, to pay for Federal initiatives through compliance costs.

This bill shines much needed light on the murky regulatory process and ensures the public has transparent access to proposed rules and regulations.

Both Democrats and Republicans recognize that appropriate regulations don't need to be issued in the dead of night or negotiated behind closed doors. That is why the House passed H.R. 899 with bipartisan support earlier this year.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the rule and the underlying bill.

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