Hank Johnson: “I thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of my amendment to H.R. 712. H.R. 712 would significantly delay and…”

“I thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of my amendment to H.R. 712. H.R. 712 would significantly delay and possibly stop the Federal rulemaking process by making it easier for regulated industries and well-funded antiregulatory entities to delay or prevent agency action and prohibiting any rule from being finalized until certain information is posted online for 6 months. This assault on the regulations is based on the false premise that Federal regulation stifles economic growth and job creation. My amendment confronts this fallacious assumption by excepting from H.R. 712 all rules that the Office of Management and Budget determines would result in net job creation. As with many other deregulatory bills we have considered this Congress, the proponents of H.R. 712 argue that it will grow the economy, create jobs, and increase America's competitiveness internationally, but we cannot pretend that this politicized legislation is about economic growth or American prosperity. As I have noted during the consideration of each of the antiregulatory bills that we have considered in the 114th Congress, there is simply no credible evidence in support of the reiteration of so-called job-killing regulations undermining economic growth. Zero. The latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that unemployment has fallen to 5 percent despite Republican obstruction of everything that Democrats have put forward that would grow the economy.…”