Weekly Newsletters
Aug 01 2012
The Hill Report: Week of July 23 - 27, 2012
This week in Washington, the House continued to work to assist job creators, champion American-made energy and provide transparency. Below is a brief summary of the legislation approved by the House this week.
The Congressional Replacement of President Obama’s Offshore Drilling Plan
On Wednesday, the House approved H.R. 6082 to replace President Obama’s offshore drilling plan as a part of Congress’ mandatory 60-day review. On June 28th, the Administration released its proposed plan for developing our nation’s offshore energy resources. Unfortunately, the President’s plan restricts domestic production and limits much-needed job creation by failing to open any new areas for drilling, closing 85 percent of our offshore areas to energy production and offering only 15 lease sales – the lowest number ever offered since the process began 32 years ago.
The House’s alternative plan will boost our nation’s energy production in order to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and create thousands of new jobs for hardworking Americans. Our environmentally responsible, robust plan expands offshore drilling and opens up new targeted areas where we know we have the most oil and natural gas resources. I urge the Senate to join our efforts to replace the President’s inadequate proposal with a plan to promote American-made energy, strengthen our economy and achieve energy independence.
Federal Reserve Transparency Act
Also on Wednesday the House passed H.R. 459, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act by Texas Congressman Ron Paul which I cosponsored. H.R. 459 directs the Comptroller General to complete, before the end of 2012, an audit of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and of the Federal Reserve banks, followed by a detailed report to Congress. I am pleased to see this bill pass to ensure transparency and will continue to support legislation that carefully and vigilantly examines all federal programs, agencies, regulations and practices.
Red Tape Reduction and Small Business Job Creation Act
On Thursday, House Republicans once again affirmed our commitment to job creation by passing a package of proposals to provide relief from the onslaught of government red-tape imposed on small businesses. H.R. 4078, the Red Tape Reduction and Small Business Job Creation Act, would freeze any federal regulation that would cost the economy $100 million or more until the unemployment rate lowers to six percent, as well as require more oversight and analysis before regulations can be put into place.
Although the unemployment rate has been above eight percent for 41 consecutive months and GDP growth slowed to 1.5 percent this quarter, the regulatory burden continues to grow under the Obama Administration. The Federal Register, which publishes government regulations, has run over 41,000 pages so far this year and the paperwork associated with those rules could take approximately 114.1 million hours to complete.
Chart provided from the Joint Economic Committee Republicans to portray the web of
red tape a typical small business owner faces each day.
red tape a typical small business owner faces each day.
North Texas small business owners frequently tell me about the impact of burdensome regulations on their ability to invest, grow and hire new workers. I am pleased to report that my colleagues and I in the House are listening to them, and that I will continue to fight to provide certainty to job creators during this sluggish economy. Small businesses are the engine of our economy and we must empower them – not unnecessarily regulate them – in order to jump-start our economy and get the American people back to work.
Children’s Medical Center Visit
On Tuesday, I was delighted to meet Carter Townes, a 5-year-old from Clarksville, with his family and staff from the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas during their visit to the U.S. Capitol as part of the Children’s Hospital Association’s annual family advocacy day. The purpose of their visit was to visit with their representatives to stress the importance of children’s health care.
Children’s Medical Center Visit
On Tuesday, I was delighted to meet Carter Townes, a 5-year-old from Clarksville, with his family and staff from the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas during their visit to the U.S. Capitol as part of the Children’s Hospital Association’s annual family advocacy day. The purpose of their visit was to visit with their representatives to stress the importance of children’s health care.
Congressman Pete Sessions with Carter Townes in his Washington, DC office