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Dear Friend,
Thank you for the opportunity to update you on the work of the 112th Congress. I trust this finds you and your family well.
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This Week 9/9 - 9/15/12
This week, Congress returns from the August district work period to consider legislation to fund the federal government for the remainder of the calendar year, to require further clarity on the pending defense sequester cuts, and to ensure that the sacrifices of our veterans are rightly honored.
We also pause today to remember the terrible attacks of September 11, 2001. We each remember where we were when we heard the news, and we’ll never forget the awful feeling of realizing just how fragile life and liberty can be. I hope you’ll join me in remembering those we lost on that day, and in giving thanks for all of those who have sacrificed and served to keep our great republic free.
On the House Floor This Week
Continuing Appropriations Resolution
The House will consider a measure to fund the federal government for six months beyond Sept. 30, when current funding runs out.
Stolen Valor Act, H.R. 1775
This bill, of which I am a cosponsor, would make it a crime to intentionally misrepresent one’s military service to obtain anything of value. Like all Hoosiers, I respect the service of our current and former servicemen and women and believe we must protect their sacrifices.
National Security and Job Protection Act
This bill would require the President to submit to Congress proposals to account for the pending sequestration that is scheduled to take effect under the Budget Control Act.
For a full list of legislation likely to be considered, please see the Majority Leader’s Weekly Schedule.
At the Committee This Week
Committee on Education and the Workforce
The Committee’s Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) and the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training will hold a joint hearing titled “Expanding the Power of Big Labor: The NLRB’s Growing Intrusion into Higher Education” on Wednesday, September 12. The hearing will begin at 10:00 a.m.
Additionally, the full committee will hold a markup of a joint resolution for congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Administration for Children and Families allowing states to waive the work requirements under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The markup will occur on Thursday, September 13, at 10:00 a.m.
For more information on these hearings, and to watch a live webcast, please visit the hearings page of the committee website.
In Case You Missed It
1st Annual Red Tape Rollback Report
RAISE Act - Commentary: It's time for a new Labor Day
Hendricks County Flyer - Officials dedicate gas-to-energy plant
WRTV - Schrenker's Stunt Plan Sold To Benefit Fraud Victims
For additional news items, please visit my In the News page.
Rokita Readings
A clickable offering of books and articles that I've read recently and highly recommend, as we strive together to "Keep the Republic."
In the wake of the 2008 financial collapse, the role of regulation of our financial markets has been a widely discussed matter. Many have expressed widely diverging opinions about the operation of our financial markets and the role that the government should play in them.
I am no stranger to monitoring and regulating financial matters. As Indiana Secretary of State for eight years, part of my responsibility was security and investment regulations, as well as ensuring the prosecution of those who violated Indiana laws and defrauded Hoosiers. Through that time, it was clear that there is a proper role for government regulation, but it must be limited and not burdensome to economic growth. My motto then and now is: the regulatory regime has got to be one where we can go after the “bad apples” in laser-like fashion, while leaving the good ones alone to thrive
House Republican Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling, in a recent column for the Wall Street Journal titled “Dodd-Frank’s Unhappy Anniversary,” offered a thoughtful analysis of the impact of too much regulation. Hensarling makes the case, and I concur with his critique, that not only was the Dodd-Frank financial reform burdensome and a terrible knee-jerk reaction to our financial troubles, but the issues the bill attempted to address were not really the root cause of the crash. As he wrote in the piece, “Federal regulations were not the solution to the crisis but its principal cause.”
One example is the housing market, which was artificially inflated by federal government mandates and played a central role in the economic bubble and subsequent collapse. Yet under Dodd-Frank, the systemic risk posed by government-sponsored mortgage enterprises remains, along with a permanent safety net for financial institutions the federal government deems “too big to fail.” Despite all evidence to the contrary, certain folks in Washington refuse to acknowledge that when unencumbered by overly burdensome government regulations and mandates, free markets work.
Thank you for your continued interest in Congress and for supporting my efforts in Washington. Take care.
Sincerely,
Todd Rokita
Please do not reply to this message. This email address is not monitored. Visit rokita.house.gov/contact-me to contact me.
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