Shrinking our Spending and Recognizing Our Veterans

Statement

This week I introduced my third Shrink our Spending bill designed to defund the EPA's BEACH Act Grants. In 2000, the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act (BEACH Act) was signed into law to assist state and local health officials in developing and implementing beach monitoring programs at our nation's beaches. Since 2001, EPA has made available nearly 130 million in taxpayer dollars on the program, but President Obama and the EPA both agree that "state and local government programs have the technical expertise and procedures to continue beach monitoring without federal support.' We're being asked to spend millions of dollars on unnecessary federal efforts that are duplicative at best, so I'm proposing we save the U.S. taxpayer $9.5 million this year alone and end this program. More information on my SOS initiative is available at my website or by clicking here.

On Tuesday, the House passed H.R. 2250, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2016, by a vote of 357-67. H.R. 2250 provides $3.3 billion for the operations of the Legislative Branch, including funding House committees, Capitol Police, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC), Library of Congress (LOC), Government Publishing Office (GPO), and the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The bill spends $172.3 million less than the President's request. Funding for the House of Representatives has been reduced by 14 percent since the Republicans gained the House majority in 2011.

In addition, the House passed H.R. 2353, the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2015, by a vote of 387-35. H.R. 2353 extends the authority of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) through July 31, 2015. The HTF currently has sufficient resources to fund its obligations through this period. I voted against this bill because it continues to kick the can down the road on solving the numerous problems with the Highway Trust Fund.

On Wednesday, I hosted another teletown hall to discuss the current issues before Congress and address your concerns. I always appreciate hearing from my constituents, and look forward to these calls. If you weren't called this week, make sure you keep an eye on my social media channels for future teletown halls. I always announce them before I begin.

That same day, the House passed H.R. 1806, the America COMPETES Act, by a vote of 217-205. H.R. 1806 authorizes funding for research and education programs and grants totaling approximately $33 billion over 10 years. It reauthorizes civilian research programs in the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Department of Energy (DOE), and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). This bill prioritizes basic research while staying within the caps enacted into law by the Budget Control Act.

The House also passed H.R. 880, the American Research and Competitiveness Act of 2015, by a vote of 274-145. H.R. 4438 establishes a permanent and simplified formula for calculating the research tax credit and increases this credit from six percent to ten percent. Additionally, the bill allows qualified small businesses, defined as those businesses with $50 million or less in gross receipts, to claim these tax credits against Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) liability. H.R. 880 would be effective for qualifying amounts paid and incurred after December 31, 2014.

Finally, on Thursday, the House passed H.R. 2262, the SPACE Act of 2015, by a vote of 284-133. H.R. 2262 facilitates a pro-growth environment for the developing commercial space industry by encouraging private sector investment, creating more stable and predictable regulatory conditions, and improving safety. Specifically, the bill: reaffirms the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) ability to regulate to protect the uninvolved public in the event of an accident or unplanned event; closes loopholes that leave spaceflight participants vulnerable to financial ruin for participating in commercial human spaceflight; provides flexibility in the experimental permitting and licensing regimes to allow for rapid improvements in safety and reliability systems; and affirms Congress's commitment to the development of the commercial space industry.

We capped off the week with the Salmon Salute to Veterans and Resource Clinic in Gilbert. As we enter Memorial Day weekend, it's important to recognize and honor our vets for their service to our nation. The Third Annual Salmon Salute to Veterans is our chance to come together and publically appreciate their dedication and service. But it's not all about words, following the salute, we arranged to have representatives of the Phoenix VA, including Director Grippen, on hand to answer questions and help vets get access to the services to which they are entitled. Thank you, once more, to all of our veterans for your dedication and service to our nation.

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