Date: 2015-01-13
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentleman. the distinguished ranking member. for yielding the time. Mr. Chairman. I would almost attempt to bring back "Swanee River." or some old song that reflects "here we go again." This is a bill that has been recycled. It has been recycled and it has been recycled. I believe the underlying premise of the bill is contrary to the values of the American people. This is proposed as a Regulatory Accountability Act to generate jobs and opportunity. I rise in opposition to a bill that stymies progress. hinders clean water and clean air. and provides mountainous obstacles to the national security of America. What is the underlying premise of H.R. 185? The underlying premise of this bill is to require 70 new analytical requirements to the Administrative Procedure Act. and it requires Federal agencies to conduct an estimate of all indirect costs and benefits of proposed rules and all potential alternatives without providing any definition of what constitutes or does not constitute an indirect cost. Mr. Chairman. is there logic to saying that you are streamlining the APA process when you are adding a mountainous. tall. multifloor skyscraper of requirements? Is it accurate to suggest that you are making the process better when you are causing agencies of varying sizes already suffering from the restraints of the budgetcutting process of my friends on the other side of the aisle. are you suggesting that they can then analyze indirect costs and actually save money? We live in a climate and an era of difficult times. As a member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee. as our Secretary of Homeland Security has said. these are dangerous times. We have already indicated our sympathy for the people of France and viewed it as a wakeup call. Do you realize that some of the agencies facing this crisis will be Homeland Security. Health and Human Services? Does anyone recall the tragedy of Ebola and how quickly action was needed? This undermines the integrity of the process by increasing the procedural burdens for Federal agencies when they try to carry out their mandates. In fact. this is not helpful when we entrust our agency personnel to help protect the American people against threats near and far. So. Mr. Chairman. I am asking the question: What are we saving here? What money are we saving? Why are we undermining the very protection of this Nation? Again. the Clean Air Act. the Clean Water Act. the Occupational Safety and Health Act. the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. and. again. homeland security. all of these very important elements of safety for the American people will be undermined by H.R. 185. Today. Mr. Chairman. I ask my colleagues to stand on the side of the American people and vigorously oppose H.R. 185. Mr. Chair. I rise in opposition to H.R. 185. the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2015. This bill modifies the federal rulemaking process by codifying many requirements included in presidential executive orders and requiring agencies to consider numerous new criteria when issuing rules. including alternatives to any rule proposal. the scope of the problem that the rule is meant to address. and potential costs and benefits of the proposal and alternatives. In essence thoughthis H.R. 185 only adds to the procedural burdens of federal agenciesmaking it harder for them to effectively carry out their missions.