The American people know that if you tax job creators more, you get less job creation. Similarly, if you tax investment more, you get less investment. Time and again, the House has passed solid proposals to create jobs and boost our economy, but the president and Senate Democrats have instead continued to pursue a tax-and-spend mentality that will not help us grow our way out of these difficult economic times.
Following is a statement from U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-9) on the president’s proposal unveiled today that will increase taxes by $1.5 trillion:
“The American people know that if you tax job creators more, you get less job creation. Similarly, if you tax investment more, you get less investment. Time and again, the House has passed solid proposals to create jobs and boost our economy, but the president and Senate Democrats have instead continued to pursue a tax-and-spend mentality that will not help us grow our way out of these difficult economic times. It is time for real solutions, and the House has offered them. I will also continue to reject any calls for tax increases at a time when Americans are facing historic economic hardships.”
Below is a list of the legislation passed by the House that will help create jobs, lift economic activity, reduce spending and the debt and reform the tax code:
Empowering Small Business Owners and Reduce Regulatory Burdens: Small business owners are being bogged down by burdensome regulations from Washington that prevent job creation and hinder economic growth. We must remove onerous regulations that are redundant, harm small businesses and impede private sector investment and job creation.
H.Res. 72, a resolution to direct committees to inventory and review existing, pending, and proposed regulations and order from agencies of the federal government, particularly with respect to their effect on jobs and economic growth. Passed the House by a vote of 391-to-28 on February 11, 2011.
H.R. 872, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act. This legislation would reduce costly and redundant regulatory burdens forced on America’s hard-working farmers and ranchers by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The legislation stems from a 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in the National Cotton Council v. Environmental Protection Agency case, which effectively negates the authority of the EPA under the CWA to exempt the application of pesticides. For three decades, FIFRA has closely regulated pesticide use in our nation. Prior to the ruling of the Court of Appeals, applications of pesticides have been exempted from National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit under the CWA. Under the court order, pesticide applications not covered by an NPDES permit are subject to a fine of up to $37,500 per day per violation. In addition to the costs of compliance, pesticide users will be subject to an increased risk of litigation under the citizen suit provision of the CWA. Passed the House by a vote of 292-to-130 on March 31, 2011; Senate has taken no action to date.
H.R. 910, the Energy Tax Prevention Act. The legislation strips the EPA of its new-found authority under the Clean Air Act to limit the emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases from power plants, oil refineries and other sources. The Act does not affect in any way the EPA’s authority to regulate pollution, including toxins, which can have public health impacts. The Energy Tax Prevention Act simply hinders the EPA’s ability to levee energy taxes and enact costly regulations, freeing up capital that will help lead to job creation and economic growth. Passed the House by a vote of 255-to-172 on April 7, 2011; Senate has taken no action to date.
H.J.Res. 37, a resolution of disapproval regarding the FCC’s regulation of the Internet and broadband industry practices. Passed the House by a vote of 240-to-179 on April 8, 2011; Senate has taken no action to date.
H.R. 2018, the Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act. The bill would preserve the system of cooperative federalism established under the Clean Water Act in which the primary responsibilities for water pollution control are allocated to the states. The bill restricts EPA’s ability to second-guess or delay a state’s permitting and water quality certification decisions under the CWA once EPA has already approved a state’s program. Passed the House by a vote of 239-to-184 on July 13, 2011; Senate has taken no action to date.
H.R. 1315, Consumer Financial Protection and Soundness Improvement Act. The legislation improves the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by: establishing a five-member, bipartisan commission to manage the Bureau, which Congressional Democrats previously supported; creating a meaningful review process of rules promulgated by the CFPB that takes into consideration how a proposed rule could endanger the safety of consumers’ financial institutions; and ensuring there is a Senate confirmed chair of the commission before the CFPB exercises its new regulatory authority. Passed the House by a vote of 241-to-173 on July 21, 2011; Senate has taken no action to date.
H.R. 2587, Protecting Jobs From Government Interference Act. The legislation prevents the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) from dictating the location of American jobs. The legislation would amend the National Labor Relations Act to prohibit the NLRB from ordering any employer to relocate, shut down or transfer employment under any circumstance beginning the date of passage. This legislation would provide employers with the certainty they need to invest in our economy and put Americans back to work, right here at home. Passed the House by a vote of 238-to 186 on September 15; Senate has taken no action to date.
Fix The Tax Code To Help Job Creators: America’s tax code has grown too complicated and cumbersome. We need a tax code that is flatter, fairer and simpler to ensure that everyone pays their fair share, lessen the burden on families, generate economic expansion and create jobs by making America more competitive.
H.R. 4, the Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act. The legislation is dedicated to protecting small business, their workers and American taxpayers by: repealing onerous tax reporting provisions that Democrats enacted last year to help pay for both their health-care law and TARP III legislation; protecting taxpayers by reducing waste, fraud and abuse in the job-killing health-care law; reducing the deficit by $166 million in the first 10 years; reducing federal spending by $20 billion over 10 years; and reducing taxes by $19.7 billion.Passed the House by a vote of 314-to-112 on March 3, 2011, passed the Senate on April 5, 2011, signed into law by the President on April 14, 2011.
Encourage Entrepreneurship and Growth: America has historically been on the cutting edge of innovation and technological development, but we are increasingly falling behind our global competitors. We must make it easier for existing businesses to grow and allow more start-up companies to flourish.
H.R. 1249, the America Invents Act. The legislationimplements a first-inventor-to-file standard for patent approval, creates a post-grant review system to weed out bad patents and helps the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) address the backlog of patent applications. Passed the House by a vote of 304-to-117 on June 23, 2011; Passed the Senate on September 8, 2011. Signed into law on September 16.
Maximize Domestic Energy Production To Ensure An Energy Policy For The Twenty-First Century: The energy sector is crucial to our economic growth, and high energy costs have a major impact on job creation. We need policies that allow us to harness our abundant supply of natural resources in America, develop new sources of energy, and create jobs here at home.
H.R. 1230, Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act. This legislationwould require the Interior Secretary to conduct oil and natural gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and offshore Virginia, which have been delayed by the Obama administration. The administration blocked production of American energy resources when they halted the five-year plan (2007-2012) that determined when and where offshore energy production would occur. It is estimated that this legislation would generate $40 million in new revenue over the next decade, create nearly 2,000 American jobs and produce more than half a billion barrels of oil and 2.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Passed the House by a vote of 266-to-149 on May 5, 2011; Senate has taken no action to date.
H.R. 1229, Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act. The legislationwould end the de facto drilling ban in the Gulf of Mexico that has been in place since last year. According to the administration’s own estimates, the self-imposed moratorium has resulted in 12,000 lost jobs. Rigs are actively leaving the Gulf of Mexico for foreign countries like Cuba, Brazil and Mexico, and production in the Gulf has declined by nearly 240,000 barrels a day. Specifically, this legislation would: improve safety by reforming current law to require lease holders to receive an approved permit before drilling; require the Interior Secretary to conduct safety reviews of offshore wells; set a 30-day timeline with the possibility for extensions for the Interior Secretary to act on a drilling permit application; provide 30 days for the Interior Secretary to restart Gulf of Mexico permits that were approved before the self-imposed Obama moratorium; and create an expedited judicial review process for lawsuits relating to drilling permits. Passed the House by a vote of 263-to-163 on May 11, 2011; Senate has taken no action to date.
H.R. 1231, Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act. This legislationwould lift the president’s ban on new offshore drilling by requiring the administration to move forward on American energy production in areas containing the most oil and natural gas resources. Passed the House by a vote of 243-to-179 on May 12, 2011; Senate has taken no action to date.
H.R. 2021, the Jobs and Energy Permitting Act of 2011. This legislation would eliminate red tape and expedite EPA’s permitting process to allow for increased oil and gas exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf. The administration’s bureaucratic permitting process under the Clean Air Act has held up oil exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf for years, keeping valuable energy supplies locked away. Passed the House by a vote of 253-to-166 on June 22, 2011; Senate has taken no action to date.
H.R. 1938, North American-Made Energy Security. The legislationwould expedite a final decision on the presidential permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, an expansion of an existing pipeline that would bring oil from Alberta, Canada to U.S. refineries. Completion of the pipeline expansion will bring nearly 1.3 million barrels per day of safe and secure oil into U.S. markets. In addition to bringing more oil online, the pipeline project is estimated to create more than 100,000 jobs. Passed the House by a vote of 279-to-147 on July 26, 2011; Senate has taken no action to date.
Pay Down America’s Unsustainable Debt Burden and Start Living Within Our Means: The federal government is spending and borrowing so much that the United States will soon go broke. Washington’s spending binge has put our nation in debt, eroded economic confidence and caused massive uncertainty for private sector job creators. It's time to live within our means.
H.Con.Res. 34, a resolution establishing the budget for the United States Government for FY 2012 and setting forth appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2013 through 2021. Passed the House by a vote of 235-to-193 on April 15, 2011; Senate has not yet considered a budget of their own in more than 800 days.
