Blog: Protecting Americans from Onerous Rules

Statement

This week I introduced my latest Shrink our Spending bill, which would save taxpayers a whopping $4.6 million on a grant through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) that funds research into Rose Rosette Disease, a mite that affects landscape roses. The U.S. rose industry draws a healthy $400 million annually, so I'm sure they can find the funds to cover this program's annual price tag without too much difficulty.

On Tuesday, the House passed H.R. 1190, the Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act, by a vote of 244-154. H.R. 1190 repeals sections 3403 and 10320 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which established the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). PPACA established IPAB, an unelected fifteen member board, to "reduce the per capita rate of growth in Medicare spending." IPAB has the authority to make recommendations regarding Medicare without any input from Congress and to cut spending on healthcare treatments.

On Wednesday, the House passed H.R. 2042, the Ratepayer Protection Act of 2015, by a vote of 247-180. H.R. 2042 postpones the dates by which states and operators of existing fossil-fuel fired power plants must comply with any final rule addressing emissions of carbon dioxide proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) until after completion of judicial review. This would include the following rules submitted by the EPA:

Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units, published in the Federal Register on June 18, 2014; and
Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: EGUs in Indian Country and U.S. Territories; Multi-Jurisdictional Partnerships, published in the Federal Register on November 4, 2014.
H.R. 2042 also protects states from being required to implement a state or federal plan under a final rule if the state's governor, in consultation with other relevant state officials, determines the rule would have a significant adverse effect on: 1) retail, commercial, or industrial electricity rates; or 2) the reliability of the state's electricity system.

On Thursday, the House concurred in the Senate Amendment to the House Amendment to H.R. 1295, the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015, by a vote of 286-138. H.R. 1295 reauthorizes and revises the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), extends the preferential duty treatment program for products from Haiti, reauthorizes Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), and strengthens the enforcement of anti-dumping and countervailing duty laws.

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