Searching for and Cutting Regulations That Are Unnecessarily Burdensome Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. MURPHY of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment.

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Mr. MURPHY of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the substitute amendment to provide a bipartisan approach to this regulatory reform discussion.

As a CPA and a small-business owner myself, I have seen firsthand the burden that unnecessary regulations can have on businesses, particularly small businesses.

My substitute amendment would establish a regulatory improvement commission consisting of experts appointed by the President and congressional leaders of both parties to evaluate and provide recommendations for the modification, consolidation, or repeal of regulations that are unnecessarily burdensome.

The commission would have an aim toward reducing compliance costs, encouraging growth and innovation, and improving competitiveness, all while protecting public health and safety. After opportunities for input and consultation from experts, industry stakeholders, and the general public, the commission would submit a report to Congress containing proposed legislation to implement its adjusted changes. If Congress chooses to act and the President chooses to sign the report, agencies would have 180 days to implement.

My amendment is based on the Regulatory Improvement Act of 2015, which I was proud to introduce with the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Mulvaney) along with 14 cosponsors, 7 Democrats and 7 Republicans.

Our bipartisan proposal rejects the partisan approach before us today in favor of a true, bipartisan compromise that all Members should be able to get behind.

My constituents sent me to Congress with the expectation that I would be willing to work with anyone with a good idea. It shouldn't matter what party you have behind your name.

Traveling up and down my district, I hear the same thing from all of my constituents, whether they are Republican, Democrat, Tea Party alike. They get that there can be a cost to protecting the environment. But in my district on the Treasure Coast and Palm Beaches, they also know that having clean water is probably worth it.

They also get that there can be a cost to protecting their workers and workplace safety. But many of them have had the same workers for many, many years, if not decades, and they know that the safety of their employees is also probably worth it.

So what frustrates, I think, those constituents the most and those business owners the most is the unnecessary red tape and the excessive costs for the hoops that they have to jump through that don't make the air any cleaner and don't make the projects any safer. They expect Washington to work to fix that problem. That is why I have offered this amendment today.

I know that some on the left are going to say that this goes too far and some on the right think it doesn't go far enough. But I also know that, in a divided government, the partisan bill before us will do nothing to help relieve the regulatory burden on the small businesses in my district and across this country.

Riddled with poison pills, the SCRUB Act is a messaging bill, trying to send a message about one side allegedly not caring enough about jobs and the other side doesn't care enough about clean water or public safety.

But that is not the message that the small businesses care about and the small businesses in my district want to hear. They want results. They want solutions to this. Their message shouldn't be that Congress doesn't care.

So while I hoped that we would be able to pick up where we left off on this bill in the last Congress and find some areas where we can come together to solve problems for the American people, I understand that there are concerns with the amendment, and I do intend to withdraw it.

Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson).

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Mr. MURPHY of Florida. I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Chairman, I look forward to working together and to working with our friends on the other side of the aisle, getting back to getting things done for the American people.

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