Rokita Report - The Student Success Act, Fighting Regulations & More

Statement

Dear Friend,

Thank you for the opportunity to update you on the work of the 114th Congress. I trust this finds you and your family well, as we work together to bring Hoosier common sense to Washington.

Student Success Act

As Chairman of the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee, I am committed to empowering parents and local communities in education decision-making. To achieve this, on February 3rd, I reintroduced H.R. 5, the Student Success Act, with the Chairman of the House Education& the Workforce Committee, John Kline. This legislation would replace the flawed No Child Left Behind Act which has been unchanged since 2002.

Continuing to leave students, states, and school districts tied to a failing law is unacceptable. The Student Success Act is designed to restore educational control to its proper place and reduce the federal government's intrusion into our classrooms. By restoring power to families, teachers, and local school districts, we can place more students on a successful path. I see advancing the Student Success Act as an example of why I came to Washington -- to help Americans build better lives for themselves by reducing the footprint of the federal government.

While the Student Success Act passed the House in the 113th Congress, the Senate did not consider legislation to replace No Child Left Behind. Some of the highlights of the Student Success Act include:

Consolidating over 65 ineffective, duplicative and unnecessary programs into a Local Academic Flexible Grant.
Replacing the current one-size-fits-all national accountability requirements with state-led systems.
Protecting state and local decision-making by preventing the Secretary of Education from coercing states into adopting Common Core or other national academic standards.
Providing parents and education leaders with the information they need to hold schools accountable.
Boosting school choice by expanding quality charter schools and allowing federal funds to follow low-income children to the schools they're attending.
Strengthening efforts to improve student performance among high-risk students.

The President's Budget

Every year, the President is required to submit his budget to Congress by the first Monday in February. This year, for only the second time of this presidency, the budget was submitted on-time.

Unfortunately, the President's proposal came dead on arrival. His budget punishes success, provides false promises to the American people, and never attempts to bring the budget into balance. It increases spending by $2.4 trillion, increases taxes by $2.1 trillion, and will add $8.5 trillion to the debt if implemented.

As Vice Chair of the Budget Committee, I am working with my colleagues to craft a responsible budget that restrains spending without heavy-handed tax increases, balances the budget within ten years, and restores the principles that make our nation exceptional.

On Wednesday, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Shaun Donovan, testified before the House Budget Committee. I asked him pointed questions about our national debt and expressed my concerns with the President's budget increasing taxes, but never balancing. This is a sign that our problem is spending - not revenue.

Welcoming Governor Pence

This week, Governor Pence testified before the House Education& the Workforce Committee. I had the honor of introducing him to the full committee. Governor Pence was sharing Hoosier success stories before the committee during a hearing titled "Expanding Opportunity in America's Schools and Workplaces." He spoke about how Hoosier common-sense can be applied to the federal government. Indiana has had great success creating jobs without relying on federal resources.

Regular readers of the Rokita Report know that I am concerned about the federal government's use of regulatory authority. We have all seen how Indiana's approach to creating jobs has worked for Hoosiers, while the federal government's approach has failed. In the next section of this Rokita Report, I share some recent victories fighting federal red tape.

Pushing Back on Regulations

On Wednesday, I examined the impact of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed Waters of the the U.S. (WOTUS) rule during a joint hearing of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Committee on Environment& Public Works. The WOTUS regulations represent a significant power-grab by the EPA. Despite defunding the ability of the agency to regulate farm ponds and irrigation ditches in December, the EPA is continuing to consider this rule.

Many of my colleagues expressed their concerns about how this rule could impact their home states. I shared their concerns and asked witnesses about the appropriate role of the federal government in regulating local bodies of water. Many Hoosiers remember how difficult it was for us to seek relief from federal mandates that drained Lake Freeman over the summer. I strongly believe that the EPA is overreaching and getting involved in issues that states are better suited to address.

The next day, I helped pass H.R. 527, the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act. This legislation would require that federal agencies consider the potential "economic impact" of proposed rules on small businesses and nonprofits. Agencies would be required to publish a ten-year impact plan for rules determined to have a potentially significant economic impact. Too often, the federal government imposes mandates that drive up costs for small businesses significantly without considering their real impact.

Repealing and Replacing ObamaCare

Finally, I supported legislation to completely repeal the President's insidious ObamaCare law. This marks the first full repeal vote of the 114th Congress and demonstrates that nearly five years alter, this law is still a failure.

ObamaCare was built on a series of false promises. Americans were told if they liked their health care, they could keep it. They were told their insurance premiums would go down. They were told that this massive new entitlement program would actually reduce the national debt. Now five years later, Americans realize that ObamaCare is just a big government boondoggle that increases their out-of-pocket costs, increases their taxes, and takes away their health care choices.

To contrast the President's failed law, the bill I voted on cast a vision for real, consumer-driven health care. It directs the House to craft legislation that preserves access to health plans, provides coverage to those with pre-existing conditions, decreases the number of uninsured, expands state flexibility, and protects the doctor-patient relationship. By empowering the consumer, instead of the government, we can truly reform health care in America.

Thank you for your continued interest in Congress and for supporting my efforts to bring Hoosier common sense to Washington. Take care.

Sincerely,

Todd Rokita

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