Bob Goodlatte

Mr. GOODLATTE

Mr. GOODLATTE. I now yield to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Paulsen).

Mr. GOODLATTE. I now yield to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. GOODLATTE. I now yield to the gentlewoman from Washington and the majority conference chairman (Mrs. McMorris Rodgers).

Mr. GOODLATTE. I now yield to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon).

Mr. GOODLATTE. I now yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rutherford).

Mr. GOODLATTE. I now yield to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. Esty).

Mr. GOODLATTE. I now yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Zeldin).

Mr. GOODLATTE. I now yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Moolenaar).

Mr. GOODLATTE. I now yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Lowenthal).

Mr. GOODLATTE. I now yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano).

Mr. GOODLATTE. I now yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis).

Mr. GOODLATTE. I now yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui).

Mr. GOODLATTE. I now yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer).

Mr. GOODLATTE. I now yield to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Ms. Sinema).

Mr. GOODLATTE

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly).

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. During this debate, my friends on the other side of the aisle have raised quite a few false alarms: If this bill passes, all important regulation will stop, they say. But that is not true. All regulation that is worthy of Congress' approval will continue; If this bill passes, expert decisionmaking will stop because Congress will have the final say on new, major regulations, not Washington bureaucrats. That is not true. Congress will have the benefit of the best evidence and arguments expert agencies can offer in support of their new regulations. Congress is capable of determining whether that evidence and those arguments are good or not and deciding what finally will become law. That is the job our Founding Fathers entrusted to us in the Constitution. We should not shirk from it. I will tell you, though, what will stop if this bill becomes law: the endless avalanche of new, major regulations that impose massive, unjustified costs that crush jobs, crush wages, and crush the spirit of America's families and small-business owners. Think about what that will mean to real Americans who have suffered the real burdens of overreaching regulations. Support the American people and listen to the major organizations across the country, which I include in the Record, who support H.R. 26, the REINS Act. Support the American people. Support the REINS Act. Support for H.R. 26, the REINS Act American Center for Law and Justice, American Commitment, American Energy Alliance, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, Americans for Limited Government, Americans for Prosperity--Key Vote, Americans for Tax Reform, Associated Builders and Contractors, Associated General Contractors, Club for Growth--Key Vote, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Credit Union National Association, Family Business Coalition, FreedomWorks--Key Vote. Heating Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI), Heritage Action--Key Vote, Let Freedom Ring, National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED), National Association of Home Builders, National Center for Policy Analysis, National Roofing Contractors Association, National Taxpayers Union--Key Vote, R Street, SBE Council, Campaign For Liberty.

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Lance).

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Young).

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Rothfus).

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Yoho).

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I offer this manager's amendment to assure that, just as the REINS Act strengthens Congress' check on rules that impose major new costs on the economy, it does not unduly delay the effectiveness of major new deregulatory actions, those that alleviate regulatory burdens of $100 million or more. When first introduced in the 112th Congress, the REINS Act incorporated the definition of major rule in the underlying Congressional Review Act--generally, a rule that has ``an annual effect on the economy of $100,000,000 or more.'' This was done in the interest of consistency with prior terminology, and it swept in both actions that imposed costs and actions that lifted costs. But, especially after the regulatory onslaught we have witnessed during the Obama administration, it is time to revise that definition. We should assure that the REINS Act focuses Congress' highest attention on the rules that hurt the economy the most: those that impose $100 million or more in costs per year. We should likewise make sure that the REINS Act does not impose additional hurdles in the way of the most important and desperately needed deregulatory actions: those that free the economy of $100 million or more in annual regulatory burdens. A deregulatory action with that level of economic effect is one that Congress should be encouraging, not slowing down. This refinement of the REINS Act's major rule definition is also needed to assure consistency with the major Administrative Procedure Act reform legislation the House is due to consider next week, the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2017. That measure already modernizes the major rule standard for APA purposes to $100 million or more in annual costs imposed on the economy. The REINS Act should mirror it. I urge my colleagues to support this manager's amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Garrett).

Mr. GOODLATTE

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit.