Small Business Legislation

Earlier this month I introduced H.R. 4332, the Maximizing Small Business Competition Act, and co-introduced H.R. 4329, the Transparency in Small Business Goaling Act. Both pieces of legislation were included in H.R. 4341, the Defending America’s Small Contractors Act, which the House Small Business Committee marked up and approved on Wednesday. For more information, please visit my website: Kelly Legislation Included in Contracting Reform Bill.

Sanctioned: North Korea

North Korea
Last week, in its fourth nuclear test, North Korea claimed to have tested a hydrogen nuclear weapon. In response, the House has passed legislation to strengthen and expand existing sanctions to further isolate North Korea from the international community. The United States and our allies cannot sit idly by and allow North Korea to conduct more tests and gather more data to perfect its nuclear weapons program. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to take up this legislation and send it to the president’s desk.

Executive Overreach: Environmental Regulations  

When it comes to energy policy, this administration believes the federal government should pick winners and losers. Since the president took office, one of his key missions has been to eliminate coal as an energy source, even though middle and lower income families, businesses, and communities rely on this affordable and reliable resource.

Stream Buffer Zone Rule
The House voted on legislation this week to address the administration’s war on coal by delaying the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) from issuing final rules related to coal mining activities near streams until the National Academy of Sciences submits a study on the existing rules in effect. No one wants anyone to drink unsafe water. Instead, it is common sense to evaluate the effectiveness of existing rules before arbitrarily passing new ones.  

WOTUS
The House also passed legislation to disapprove of the EPA’s Water of the United States (WOTUS) rule. The WOTUS rule seeks to redefine the scope of waters protected under the Clean Water Act, which determines which bodies of water are subject to federal jurisdiction. This especially is troubling for farmers, small businesses, and other private property owners whose land could possibly fall under federal jurisdiction and restrict or delay their ability to make decisions regarding their own property. Even though the president has threatened to veto this legislation, the WOTUS rule has also been held up in the courts. I will continue to monitor this issue closely.