|
|
| |
| Foxx Report |
|
|
This week President Trump delivered a joint address to Congress where he outlined a positive vision for our country, one that reflects the renewed hope and optimism many Americans now share about the future. For too long, government bureaucrats have pursued an extreme, partisan agenda that favored powerful special interests and left countless working families behind. Fortunately, under unified Republican leadership, those days are now over and our best days are once again ahead of us.
The president’s address also highlighted the need for bold solutions to help solve our nation’s toughest challenges. There is no shortage of ideas for how to better support working families, help all students receive an excellent education, create good-paying jobs and expand access to affordable health care coverage. In fact, Congress is already taking steps to tackle these and other national priorities.
As we look to the work that lies ahead, I urge my Democrat colleagues to become constructive partners in the process. The American people are looking for leadership that will help move the country in a better direction. As the president reaffirmed on Tuesday, it’s time to move forward as one nation with one common purpose: building a stronger, brighter future for our country and its citizens.
Examining Legislative Proposals to Improve Health Care Coverage
On Wednesday I held a hearing of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce that examined several legislative proposals to help promote greater access to affordable health care coverage. Since Obamacare was enacted, health insurance costs have continued to skyrocket, and patients have experienced fewer choices. At the same time, small businesses are facing costly mandates and new obstacles to offering their employees affordable health care coverage. That’s why Congress is working to repeal the failed health care law and replace it with free-market, patient-centered solutions. As part of a step-by-step process to provide the American people a better way on health care, committee members discussed several commonsense legislative proposals to expand coverage, lower costs and promote a healthy workforce.
On Thursday I introduced legislation to provide much-needed regulatory clarity to the rules surrounding popular employee wellness programs that help lead to lower insurance premiums and a healthier workforce. H.R. 1313, the Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act, will ensure employers have the legal certainty they need to offer this innovative benefit, which provides working families with greater control over their health care dollars. As we move forward with meaningful health care reform, promoting employee wellness programs must be part of the process to deliver the relief the American people need.
Providing Relief and Reforming the Regulatory Process
This week the House continued its efforts to halt the heavy-handed regulatory approach of the Obama administration and reform the regulatory process. On Wednesday the House passed H.R. 998, the Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome (SCRUB) Act, which establishes the Retrospective Regulatory Review Commission. The Commission is a bipartisan, fair mechanism for pulling back the layers of regulatory accumulation and getting rid of outdated, burdensome and unnecessary regulations. The House also passed H.R. 1009, the OIRA Insight, Reform and Accountability Act, which codifies the role of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs to ensure the longevity of centralized regulatory review and to demonstrate Congressional support for thoroughly vetted, thoughtful and well-designed regulations.
Additionally the House used the Congressional Review Act to overturn an unlawful power grab by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that unilaterally increases the time OSHA can target employers for record-keeping violations. Under Occupational Safety and Health Act regulations, employers are required to record injuries and illnesses and retain those records for five years. To ensure hazards are addressed in a timely manner, the law explicitly provides a six-month window under which an employer can be cited for failing to keep proper records. However, the Obama administration tried to rewrite the law through executive fiat, extending the threat of penalty from six months to five years. This rule does nothing to improve the health and safety of America’s workers. Instead of shaming employers, OSHA should collaborate with employers and develop a proactive approach that will keep workers safe.
On Thursday the House passed H.R. 1004, the Regulatory Integrity Act, which requires greater transparency into how agencies communicate with the public about proposed regulatory actions. The legislation also explicitly prohibits agencies from soliciting support in favor or against any proposal for regulatory action.
What’s Coming Up
Next week the House will consider legislation to reform our nation’s litigation practices to assure fairer and more efficient outcomes for both claimants and defendants, bring about greater attorney accountability and combat fraud in our judicial system. Furthermore, the House will begin debating legislation that will increase defense spending to support our Armed Force’s missions, support our allies, defeat terrorists, deter our adversaries and provide for our troops and their families.
Sincerely,
|
|
|
|
NOTE: Please DO NOT respond to this email as this inbox is unattended. To contact my office please click here
|
|
|
