Todd Young

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Redundant to the Treasury Department's blog post, it bears reminding. They're sitting over there, gathering dust, as the American people demand relief. It is so important. I want to thank you for your leadership on this issue. Those in Arkansas are well represented by you on this and other matters, working very hard to ensure that where relief can be provided, we provide it; where the prerogatives of the legislative branch can be defended, you will defend them. That's where I stand as well. We just need the United States Senate to act.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Out in Colorado: Fort Collins Small Businesses Prepare for Affordable Care Act Changes; The World-Herald: Districts to Cut Back Paraprofessionals' Hours as a Result of Health Care Law. It's already even impacting paraprofessionals right now. Beacon Journal: Limiting Part-Time Hours to Avoid Health Care Costs. More of the same, impacting yet more Americans. Requirements for Health Care Reform and Resulting Requirements for Chesterfield County Public Schools; The Salt Lake Tribune: Ahead of Health Reform, Granite District Cuts Part-Time Workers' Hours.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. That's right. I've seen some Indiana headlines--a number of them--related to some of these effects. One pops out there for me. The Indianapolis News: School Part-Timers Fear Fewer Hours, Less Pay, as Impact of Health Care Law Kicks In. Let's remember this is not just businesses that are being impacted. We've got municipalities, school workers, and businesses, especially in the hospitality industry or your retail sector, where we see a lot more people being hired on a part-time basis. Seemingly, every aspect of our economy and much of our society is being adversely impacted by this law. Now, that's not to say that some people aren't helped. All things being equal, if we can insure a few more million people, that's a great thing; but with all the collateral damage created by this law and its unsustainability, that's the real problem here.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. I think one out of every six members of their conference were supportive of your bill.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. I think that was the right thing to do, the right vote to cast. It certainly preserved the precedent that it is this body that passes the laws, that develops the legislation. It's the job of the executive branch to sign those various acts into law, and then to execute them, not to recraft the laws as it might see convenient, for whatever motives. And so you mentioned my bill, which is really, in the end, the American people's bill because it's designed to provide relief to American families, the Fairness for American Families Act. You know, the thinking behind this is quite simple. If the President wants to offer businesses a relief from the employer mandate tax, as our Supreme Court has styled it, then why won't you offer relief to working Americans and their families? It's that simple. And I have yet to hear an acceptable response. No, we're playing politics. Well, are those one of nine Democrats who voted for my legislation also playing politics? No, candidly, I think they're being fair minded. Some would argue that they're looking for political cover or whatever. I'll let others assess that. But, certainly, it's good legislation. It's fair and equitable legislation to accord the same sort of treatment to hardworking Americans that the President would give to the business community. And though I agree, let me go on record that that business community needs relief too.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. There seem to be a lot there. How would you like to proceed?

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. So the Contra Costa Times of Concord says that half of the Affordable Care Act call-center jobs will be part-time. The Missourian says ObamaCare is going to impact Franklin County workers. The Weekly Standard reports Wisconsin grocery store forced to cut hours due to ObamaCare. The Huffington Post reports that White Castle indicates that ObamaCare is causing them to consider only hiring part-time workers. KHN indicates Wellpoint sees small employers dropping their health coverage. There's more.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. So we're already picking up on some trends here. From a number of the headlines, we're getting the sense that this health care law is not what we were told it would be, what the American people were told it would be. It's not sustainable. That's why there's all manner of taxes, from medical device taxes to what was once a tanning tax. They're looking for revenue under every rock to make this thing sustainable. It doesn't control costs. By some estimates in my own State, the State of Indiana, premiums are expected to go up 70 percent-plus within the next year or so. There are problems about access that we're hearing about that are captured in articles around the country. Rural areas, in particular, can expect to have a shortage of doctors as a direct result of this law. And there are quality concerns. I've just listed my thoughts on what health care reform ought to accomplish. All those various things ought to happen. Unfortunately, ObamaCare is failing on every front. And I don't say this with any celebration. I lament the fact. It's all the more reason that we need to continue to educate our colleagues and that minority of the American people that still believe this is going to work.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. There are people behind every one of these headlines. Forbes says: Labor Unions Are Indicating That ObamaCare Will Shatter Our Health Benefits and Cause Nightmare Scenarios. My recollection was that labor was very much behind this bill, originally. I would love to work with them or any members of union or union leadership to be part of the solution here to help alleviate some of the pain. Welcome home.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Absolutely.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Well, they're hearing from their members.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. That's right.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Objective journalists.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Let me press ``pause'' here before we read more of these headlines, which are incredibly illustrative and instructive. So many of them deal with the cut in the number of hours for our wage earners during the worst economy since the Great Depression.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Why is that happening? Why is that happening? Well, you've got employers that are now mandated to provide health insurance to their employees, and many of them, in order to remain profitable, must change their way of doing business. So they change people from full-time into a part-time status. They hire people into part-time positions rather than full-time positions. And then we have, perhaps most pathetically and tragically, what has been dubbed the ``29er effect,'' where people are working more than 30 hours a week, many of whom are barely getting by, barely able to put food on the table and meet their utility bills and so on, that are being dropped down to 29 or fewer hours. How is that helpful to the American people?

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. That's right. And we have legislation here, again, to address this problem, like the Saving American Workers Act. There's lots of cosponsors here in the House.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Are these some of the very same bills, my good colleague, that the President in recent speeches has characterized as partisan, misguided, meaningless? I do believe you may be referring to some of those bills.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Well, it is hogwash. And it's particularly hogwash because among those various reforms that you've itemized there, let's reflect on how much persuasion, how much public argument was required to even bring the President of the United States to go along with repealing this egregious, superfluous 1099 obligation. We had to make the public argument. We had to win the argument because there was great reluctance, if recollection serves, and I think it does, to make any changes whatsoever to what most Americans now know as ObamaCare. The thought was and the thinking still seems to be among a number of our colleagues that if they touch the act, then that is going to lead to further reform, perhaps dissolution or repeal of the act altogether and replacement with something that is more patient centered, with something, frankly, that is more bipartisan. So to our colleagues who often level criticisms at those of us who are identifying ways to alleviate the pain on the American people with respect to this law, the so-called Affordable Care Act, I think it bears reminding the importance of continuing the argument, forcefully making the argument about all the pain that it is causing.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. That's what most Hoosiers think as well. I think I've traveled quite a bit, gotten to know people around the country. And I don't believe I've encountered, I reckon, anyone who thought that full-time was 30 hours. So where did this come from? Out of thin air, presumably.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Potentially, you, myself and so many other Members of this body agreed with the substance of the President's blog post, though one would question whether we were intended to be a Nation of laws or instead a Nation of blog posts. We could get into that separate conversation. I think fair-minded people agreed that the delay was appropriate. ObamaCare is not ready for prime time. The computer systems don't seem to be ready. Employers are confused about exactly how this law's going to work, exactly how it's going to impact them. Employees are confused. And something had to be done. But I think that recognition that something had to be done only occurred because there were people in Congress making arguments, as they continue to make arguments, with respect to the flaws in this legislation.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Well, kudos to the one of, what is it, six colleagues on the other side of the aisle that joined us in voting for your bill.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Thirty-five in total?

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 367, the REINS Act. Some of my Democrat friends want to characterize this bill as an antiregulation bill. But a vote for the REINS Act isn't a vote against regulations. It's a vote for better regulations. It's a vote in favor of a smarter regulatory system. It's a vote to balance broad economic interests against the narrow jurisdiction of individual Federal agencies. It's a vote to give the people most affected by regulations a louder voice in the democratic process. Yesterday, the White House threatened to veto this bill if it passes. In their veto threat, they wrote: Maintaining an appropriate allocation of responsibility between the two branches is essential to ensuring that the Nation's regulatory system effectively protects public health, welfare, safety, and our environment, while also promoting economic growth, innovation, competitiveness, and job creation. I couldn't agree more. That's exactly why I introduced this bill in January. For those, like me, who are truly concerned about maintaining an appropriate allocation of responsibility between the two branches, regardless of who occupies the White House, it's worth noting the executive branch only derives its power and only invokes its responsibility to issue a given legislation when the legislative branches authorize it to do so, and only in accordance with legislation passed by Congress. However, this ``allocation of responsibility'' has been thrown out of whack because Congress has taken to the habit of passing sweeping, ambiguous laws that leave it to Federal agencies to sort out the details. This is typically done for the purpose of rushing bills through Congress in order to meet a political timetable or because certain Members would prefer to avoid working through the controversial details. It's much easier to leave such decisions to unaccountable rulemakers, after all. ObamaCare is a great example of this phenomenon. As the minority leader said when she served as Speaker: We have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it. It turns out that's exactly the case. They had to pass the bill so HHS, the IRS, and our veritable alphabet soup of Federal agencies could tell us how the law would actually work. In fact, we still don't know exactly what's in the bill because we're still waiting on more regulations. If the REINS Act were in place, none of the major regulations that are issued for ObamaCare or other sweeping laws would take effect until Congress approved them. This would make our regulatory process smarter for a number of reasons--chiefly, because we currently regulate in silos. Now, when HHS employees are drafting a regulation about health insurance, for instance, they narrowly focus only on insurance. They aren't too worried about economic growth. If the IRS is drafting a regulation on tax collection, they are likely to focus narrowly on taxes. They don't take much into account job losses and income effects. We need a Congress that can comprehensively look at these things, a body that can, in the words of the White House, ``protect public health, welfare, safety, and our environment, while also promoting economic growth, innovation, competitiveness, and job creation,'' all at the same time. So as we learn what's actually in ObamaCare and other laws, why is it such a bad idea to ensure that individual, rank-and-file Americans get to weigh in, through their elected representatives, on the important details that impact their pocketbooks, consume their time, and govern countless aspects of their daily lives? The truth is it's not a bad idea. In fact, I predict Congress would take the time to more thoroughly and publicly deliberate about these large ambiguous bills if the regulators didn't get the final say. In the end, we would end up with better, clearer legislation in a diminished role for unelected rulemakers. More Americans could stay engaged in the entire lawmaking process and could voice their concerns in a meaningful way. And politicians would be unable to hide behind so- called ``unelected bureaucrats'' because the American people could ultimately hold Congress accountable for the rules coming out of Washington. I implore my colleagues to join me in restoring a measure of accountability to the democratic process. Support this bill.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the great work of the AbilityOne Program. As the largest single provider of employment for people who are blind or have significant disabilities, the AbilityOne Program puts more than 47,000 Americans to work by providing products and services to federal and commercial customers. In my home State of Indiana, I am pleased to have two AbilityOne centers, Bosma Enterprises and the First Chance Center, who help bring Hoosiers with disabilities into the workforce. Since 1915, Bosma Enterprises has been providing Hoosiers who are blind or visually impaired with job training, employment services, rehabilitation, and outreach programs, empowering Hoosiers to reach their own personal goals while giving them to tools to live independently. In the past year, Bosma has been able to change the lives of many blind and disabled Hoosiers as they navigated the complexities of finding meaningful employment. One of those individuals is Ray Montgomery who, at the age of 17, lost his sight as a victim of a violent crime. After rehabilitation, Mr. Montgomery graduated college and began searching for a job without much success. He then came to Bosma Enterprises where they looked beyond his disability and focused on his skills and potential. Ray now works in Bosma's production facility and is learning new skills to develop personally and professionally. The First Chance Center in Paoli, Indiana, has helped to provide sustainable gainful employment for Hoosiers with disabilities for the past 13 years. They promote the abilities of Hoosiers with disabilities and provide opportunities for these individuals to fully participate in their community. It is through these meaningful job opportunities that these Hoosiers have been able to gain marketable skills and confidence. The First Chance Center also provides a multitude of other support services, including day services for persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities and Tot-to-Tot playgroup for children with special needs. Mr. Speaker, I commend the efforts of Bosma Enterprises, the First Chance Center, and other AbilityOne organizations and am grateful for the work they do each day to open the doors of opportunity for Americans who are blind or have significant disabilities.

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, my home state of Indiana takes pride in its long tradition of Hoosier innovation and small business entrepreneurship. Hoosier businesses across Indiana's 9th District strive to offer quality products and services that become integral parts of their local communities. One such small business is BuffaLouie's, a popular restaurant in Bloomington, Indiana, which is known throughout the state for their amazing selection of buffalo-style chicken wings and homemade sauces. BuffaLouie's has been a mainstay in Bloomington since they first opened their doors in 1987. It is a popular hangout for Indiana University (IU) students and Bloomington residents alike, who come and enjoy great food in a comfortable atmosphere. In fact, BuffaLouie's has such a strong reputation that they earned national recognition from USA Today as one of the Top Ten Wing Joints in the country. Today, I commend BuffaLouie's on the success of their business, as well as their commitment to improving the local Bloomington community. As part of my commitment to acknowledge Hoosier small businesses and the critical role they play in my home state, I want to recognize BuffaLouie's as the first in a series titled the 9th District's Hoosier Small Business Spotlight. Jay Lieser, an IU student and native of Buffalo, New York, founded BuffaLouie's. His mother and father, Ed and Trudy--or Mr. and Mrs. Louie as they are often referred--joined their son in his venture, bringing their family recipes to BuffaLouie's. BuffaLouie's is truly a family business, getting its name and company logo from another member of the Lieser family, Jay's grandfather Lou. This tradition of family and service to the community has been carried on by the current owners, the husband and wife team of Ed and Jamie Schwartzman. The Schwartzman's have continued to build on the cornerstone of what makes BuffaLouie's great: working hard to ``serve quality food, prepared fresh and made to order using the finest ingredients in a family friendly atmosphere.'' It is not uncommon to see both Mr. and Mrs. Schwartzman at the restaurant helping serve customers and personally thanking patrons for their business. It is this philosophy and commitment that has garnered a loyal following of wing lovers in Bloomington. BuffaLouie's strengthened its local ties when it relocated from its 17th street location to the famous Gables building on Indiana Avenue. The Gables, once known as the ``Book Nook,'' often played host to the famous jazz musician and IU graduate Hoagy Carmichael. It is where the famous musician penned part of his immortal song ``Star Dust.'' In keeping with this tradition BuffaLouie's hosts musical performances that allow customers to enjoy the historic venue. BuffaLouie's has become a landmark in Bloomington, Indiana-- exemplifying the spirit of Hoosier small businesses across Indiana's 9th district. The family friendly atmosphere and nationally recognized wings continue to bring satisfied customers through the doors of the historic Gables building. I would like to congratulate BuffaLouie's on more than 25 successful years in business and thank them for the dedication they show their customers. I wish them continued success for many years to come.