Political Quotes

“I thank the chairman for yielding the time. Mr. Chairman, I add my voice to calling for the passage of H.R. 4078, the Red Tape Reduction and Small Business Job Creation Act. One of the key provisions of this bill is title III, the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act. Certain environmental advocacy groups sue Federal agencies to issue regulations, and then agencies settle these lawsuits behind closed doors, which is also known as ``sue and settle.'' Only after a settlement has been agreed to does the public have any chance to provide any comment. This is a pointless exercise because the damage has already been done. More troubling, these settlements often allow advocacy groups and agencies to effectively dictate major policy on their own by circumventing the protections that exist for public participation in a regulatory system. This provision, the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2012, promotes openness and transparency in the regulatory process, and it does that by requiring agencies to notify the public of these lawsuits before they're settled and giving the public meaningful voice in the process. As Chairman Issa knows from the field hearing he held on Great Bay in my district in the State of New Hampshire, my constituents and small businesses are facing this very issue.…”