Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I strongly support efforts to make sure that government regulations are not overly burdensome and do not needlessly harm business growth. In fact the very first piece of legislation I introduced--the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act--sought to help small businesses lower the costs of complying with federal regulations. But I am very concerned that H.R. 899 goes beyond well intentioned efforts to make the regulatory process more accessible to stakeholders, and instead seeks to give big businesses a voice so loud that it drowns out American consumers. In particular, Section 10 of the bill, which would allow the private sector exclusive early access to the rulemaking process, will give just one stakeholder unnecessary and unfair influence. Increasing stakeholder input in the rulemaking process is a worthy goal, and businesses should certainly be a part of that, but we can't govern only on behalf of one stakeholder. Our government should work for all Americans, not just some. And we have a responsibility to balance the priorities of our society as a whole with the interests of business. When we're talking about a rule that governs whether moms and dads in Illinois can have peace of mind that the food their children eat won't make them sick, or that a worker at a manufacturing facility in my district doesn't have to choose between a paycheck and their workplace safety--the stakes could not be higher.…”