On the recordFebruary 10, 2011
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 72. It instructs the Committee on Ways and Means, as well as nine other committees, to review existing, pending, and proposed regulations and orders from Federal Government agencies and to focus on their impact on the Nation's economy. In listening to the stories I hear tonight from both sides, one thing that I would like to say for the record is that oftentimes our discussion about regulations gets caught up in unnecessary emotion and ideology. One point that I would like to make is that so much of what we address are process issues. When we increase complexity--and I'm speaking as an engineer, not as a Member of Congress--we can reduce effectiveness. I am not opposed to regulation, but I am a strong supporter of sensible regulation, of honestly looking at the secondary and tertiary effects of regulations that either come from poor legislation that was too broadly written or from compromises so great, so elastic that the bills were thrown over the wall to agencies that may or may not act within the intent of Congress and are not working closely with those who are regulated. I think it is of constitutional importance for our body to make sure that we work together with those who are regulated and with those who are the executive agencies that we oversee to ensure that there is a high-quality outcome and that our communities are not unreasonably burdened with the objective that is defined.
