Political Quotes

“Madam Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I and Regulatory Reform Subcommittee Chairman Marino offer this amendment to bridge the gap between two vital pieces of legislation: Chairman Marino's RAPID Act, H.R. 348, which the House passed on September 24, 2015, and Senators Portman and McCaskill's Federal Permitting Improvement Act, S. 280. These bills have been companions for multiple terms in our effort to streamline the process by which Federal agencies review and decide upon applications for federally funded and federally permitted construction projects. Permit streamlining reform is essential to create new, high- paying jobs and strengthen our economy. It is a priority of the House, the Senate, and the President. S. 280 was incorporated by a floor amendment into the Senate amendments to H.R. 22 and, so, is included in the base bill before us. In two of the three key respects, it substantially achieves the House goals embodied by the RAPID Act: to shorten the time it takes to conclude litigation over Federal permitting decisions, and require litigants first to present the substance of any claims before permitting agencies during their administrative reviews. The Senate text, however, falls short in the third key respect: reliably expediting the time agencies have to conclude their reviews before acting to approve or disapprove permits.…”