Steve Daines: “I want to thank the gentlelady from Wyoming (Mrs. Lummis), as well as the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) for their…”

“I want to thank the gentlelady from Wyoming (Mrs. Lummis), as well as the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) for their bipartisan support in this most important bill. I rise in strong support of H.R. 2919, the Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act, which increases transparency and works to ensure that the Equal Access to Justice Act, or EAJA, does what it was always intended to do: protect citizens and small businesses against the limited resources of the Federal Government when they have to go to court. This law was written to give individuals like our veterans, seniors, and small businesses a way to dispute unfair treatment by the government. However, the original intent of EAJA has been lost in a sea of habitual litigation, especially when it involves the management of our natural resources and our public lands and projects that bring much-needed jobs and tax revenues to local communities. Much of this litigation is awarded with millions of hard-earned taxpayer dollars. That is unacceptable. In Montana, we have seen firsthand the consequences of some of this litigation. Montanans rely on healthy forests and rangelands for their livelihoods. Loggers, ranchers, miners, outfitters and guides, and others, rely on healthy land management to feed their families.…”