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My top priority is getting people back to work across the country. It’s time that we take a hard look at our budget priorities and rein in the government overreach that is impeding private-sector job creation.
My top priority is getting people back to work across the country. During this time of economic uncertainty, it’s time that we take a hard look at our budget priorities and rein in the government overreach that is impeding private-sector job creation. By cutting out-of-control federal spending and reforming job-killing regulations, we can get government out of the way of the private sector and give businesses room to create jobs, drive economic recovery and move toward economic security for our families. I will continue to support measures that address our nation’s fiscal challenges.
Colorado’s energy portfolio includes renewable sources like wind, solar, biomass, geo-thermal and hydropower, as well as traditional energy resources like natural gas, oil and clean coal. Thousands of good-paying jobs are tied to energy production in the state, and any increases in responsible domestic production would mean new job opportunities for Coloradans.
I continue to work to responsibly increase domestic energy production to lower energy costs and foster economic growth and job creation. The House passed with bipartisan support the Domestic Energy and Jobs Act (H.R. 4480), which included my Planning for American Energy Act (H.R. 4381). This legislation would establish a true all-of-the-above domestic energy plan, putting into place common sense steps to create a framework for using federal lands to responsibly meet America’s energy needs without removing any existing environmental regulations. Increased domestic energy production would create thousands of jobs across the country, including many in Colorado.
Additionally, the House passed my Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act (H.R. 2842) with bipartisan support. Without removing any environmental regulations, this bill would help reduce needless red tape and expedite the approval process of clean renewable hydropower projects in existing canals and conduits. The end result will be new jobs in Colorado and in many western states, and more affordable power rates for consumers.
I am a steadfast advocate for all energy resources under an all-of-the-above plan which includes wind, The wind industry accounts for several thousand jobs in Colorado and I joined my Colorado colleagues in a letter to the chairmen of the conference committee negotiating the extension of the payroll tax credit in support of extending the wind PTC temporarily with a pay for.
The U.S. currently has the highest combined corporate income tax rate of any developed nation in the world which discourages foreign investment and drives jobs overseas. I sponsored H.R. 1074, to reduce the corporate income, capital gains and dividends tax rates to 10 percent to encourage capital investment and economic growth. I supports broad reform and simplification of the U.S. tax code to encourage job creation and economic growth.
One of the primary challenges facing small businesses is accessing capital to expand, invest and make upgrades to equipment and hire new employees. I have co-sponsored the Capital Access on Main Street Act (H.R. 1356) with Reps. Ed Perlmutter and Mike Coffman to increase access to lending capital for small businesses through community banks, providing the opportunities for businesses to invest, expand, and create new jobs.
Agriculture has been one of the bright spots in an otherwise struggling U.S. economy. Washington should be encouraging this type of growth rather than looking for new ways to impose unnecessary regulations and rules that hinder it. I was able to play a direct role in stopping one such rule—the Department of Labor’s proposed rule that would have prohibited youth from receiving on the job training and doing chores on family farms, additionally prohibiting them from participating in 4-H programs. I was one of the first in Congress to speak out on this proposed rule, and shortly after noticing a hearing in the House Small Business Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade (The Future of the Family Farm: The Effect of Proposed DOL Regulations on Small Business Producers), the DOL announced they would delay the proposed rule, eventually abandoning it altogether. This effort helped prevent a job-killing rule from going into effect that would have hurt family farms.
Furthermore, I took a stand for private property rights, rural jobs and Colorado water by urging the USDA to reconsider implementing a permit condition to require the transfer of privately held water rights to the federal government as a condition to utilize National Forest System lands. Ski areas and ranchers rely on these privately held water rights for their livelihoods—in the case of ranchers the rights are used for grazing, while ski areas use them to produce snow. Oftentimes these businesses have invested large sums of private capital into developing the water rights, and use them as collateral for loans to expand and create jobs. In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Vilsak, I urged that this job-killing permit condition be reconsidered, as well as requesting and participating in a Natural Resources Water and Power subcommittee hearing on the issue. Water is the lifeblood of rural communities, and reliable access to water is critical for agriculture producers, families and communities. To that end, I amended the 2012 Farm Bill (H.R. 6083) to direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture to “encourage, to the maximum extent practicable, private or cooperative lenders to finance rural water and waste disposal facilities” by utilizing loan guarantees. This would help the USDA to better meet the water system needs of rural communities, creating local construction jobs and improving the safety of drinking water for rural Colorado families.
With thousands of pages of new regulations added to the books every year, small businesses are forced to devote precious limited resources toward compliance with bureaucratic red tape, instead of adding new jobs and expanding. I was an original co-sponsor of H.R. 4, the Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act of 2011 (signed into law). This bill repealed the burdensome 1099 paperwork mandate that would have harmed small businesses and hampered job creation. I also co-sponsored H.R. 872, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act, a piece of bi-partisan legislation that removes duplicative regulatory requirements on agricultural producers, protecting critical jobs in our farming and ranching communities (passed the House). I am pushing for more extensive cost-benefit analyses of proposed regulations that may adversely affect small businesses. I have co-sponsored the REINS Act (Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act) to require congressional approval of rules that would have an economic impact of more than $100 million or cause a significant increase in costs or prices (passed the House). In addition to these measures, I have supported dozens of other efforts to repeal duplicative or unnecessary regulations that hurt job creation and economic growth.
As Chairman of the Agriculture, Energy and Trade House Small Business Subcommittee, I have held a number of hearings to uncover the drivers of our country’s economic challenges and find solutions to encourage job creation.
I have held the following hearings in the Agriculture, Energy and Trade House Small Business Subcommittee:
With abundant scenic natural beauty and many opportunities to view rare historic sites, Colorado is one of our country’s most popular tourist destinations. With that in mind, I sponsored legislation to establish a Chimney Rock National Monument (H.R. 2621), which passed the House with unanimous consent. In addition to preserving and protecting the site’s historical and cultural treasures, the national monument designation will give Chimney Rock the prestige and protection it deserves and elevate it to a status that will increase exposure to the region and generate tourism—creating a potential economic boost for the surrounding communities, generating needed jobs.
Increased trade opportunities translate to new jobs for much of rural Colorado. On October 12, 2011, I joined my House colleagues in passing three pending free trade agreements. The U.S. International Trade Commission estimates that the three trade agreements combined would increase U.S. exports by $13 billion — andh for every $1 billion in U.S. exports; an estimated 6,000 jobs are created, including 500 in Colorado.
Along with my staff, I continue to work with the Mexican Consulate to increase Colorado agriculture exports, most notably potatoes, into Mexico, which could lead to new jobs for Colorado. Additionally, I have held a number of Trade Expo events in the 3rd District to help Colorado small businesses navigate complex trade rules and regulations and increase exports, creating new job opportunities.
In addition to legislative efforts, I have sponsored tenpro-jobs events in the 3rd District, and held more than 49 town hall meetings.