Congressional Update

Howdy Texans!

Last week, Congress was in session and passed legislation related to Hurricane Sandy. The president put forth his proposals to address gun violence. Republican House Members also held a multi-day conference to plan our legislative agenda for 2013. This week’s e-newsletter will also talk about legislation that will deal with the federal government’s out-of-control spending which is damaging our nation’s economy and reducing job opportunities for American families.

Sandy Recovery Improvement Act
On Monday, the House passed the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act. This bill streamlines environmental review procedures, allows greater flexibility to reduce rebuilding time and lower costs, reduces debris removal costs, provides flexibility for less expensive housing options, improves dispute resolutions to avoid cost overruns, and provides recommendations for reducing costs of future disasters. It will help the communities impacted by Hurricane Sandy put their lives back together and provides FEMA with the tools necessary to streamline recovery efforts that slow down relief efforts and increase the costs of recovery. I voted for the passage of this bill.

Disaster Relief Appropriations
On Tuesday, the House passed the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act. This bill appropriates funding to aid in disaster relief from Hurricane Sandy. While relief for the victims of the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy is needed, this bill was full of pork spending that had nothing to do with providing near-term relief. I was successful in offering an amendment to the bill that removed $150 million for a Regional Ocean Partnership Program; more importantly, my amendment prevented spending on an effort by the president to regulate ocean activities in a manner not authorized by Congress. This amendment helped ensure that no funding went to this program, which had been inappropriately altered. The changed program would mainly provide grants to outside interest groups and non-governmental organizations that are not in the affected coastal states. While my amendment was successful in being adopted, the underlying bill still contained funding substantially higher than the true emergency and immediate needs of the region. Because of these latter concerns and the fact that the cost of the bill will substantially increase our deficit, I ultimately voted against passage of the bill.

President's Gun Proposals
On Wednesday, President Obama introduced his proposals for increased gun control. The president set forth an agenda that includes 23 Executive Orders and called for legislation that would ban so-called “assault weapons” and certain ammunition magazines. I believe that some of his proposals violate our Second Amendment rights, and I will work to stop or reverse any actions that do so. We must continue to preserve the constitutionally protected liberties of law-abiding gun owners.

I do believe that more could be done on background checks by letting agencies work together, but what should really be examined is what can be done to prevent violence. We need to address the underlying causes of these violent acts, including addressing mental illness. More should be done to look at the precursors into what causes someone to kill innocent individuals, whether that is with a gun, a knife, or any other weapon. We should work to prevent senseless tragedies, but at the same time continue to protect the freedoms of law-abiding citizens.

Reading of the Constitution
On Tuesday, for only the second time in our country’s history, the U.S. Constitution was read aloud in the House of Representatives. This reading serves as a reminder that Congress should adhere to the words of the Constitution and work to reaffirm and restore the limited set of powers for the federal government as originally envisioned by our nation’s Founders. I was honored to participate in this reading for the 113th Congress. I read a portion of Article III Section 2 and all of Section 3.

Click on the image above to view Congressman Flores read a portion of the U.S. Constitution on the House floor.

No Budget, No Pay; Debt Ceiling
Washington has a spending problem, which is harming our economy, killing jobs, and mounting up an unbearable mountain of debt on the backs of our children and grandchildren. In order to address the problem, both the House and Senate must pass a budget to cut spending. The Senate has not passed a budget in almost four years – 1,362 days to be exact. In that time span, the House has passed two transformative budgets to address deficit spending and federal debt in a manner that promotes economic growth and bigger paychecks for American families.

As we look for a path forward on our nation’s budget challenges, it is time that serious action be taken. Just as you set a budget to live by, it is time that the Senate prepares and passes a budget to address out-of-control federal spending and exploding debt. In order to force the Senate to finally pass a budget, this week the House will take up legislation that would require the House and the Senate to pass budgets or their pay will be withheld. Simply put: no budget, no pay. This legislation would also temporarily raise the debt ceiling for three to four months in order to allow the Senate and House to prepare their respective budgets. During this time, the House Budget Committee, of which I am a member, will construct a plan to balance the federal budget within 10 years and to set the country back on a path to prosperity. This bill is likely to include additional provisions such as a plan to prioritize payments for federal debt service, military pay, and Social Security in the event of future fiscal disruptions or debt ceiling limitations. Following passage of this bill and prior to any future long term debt ceiling increase, we will give the American people a chance to see the true impacts of the different visions that the House and Senate have for American families. If this bill is successful, it will finally force Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to have the Senate finally comply with current laws requiring the passage of a federal budget each year.

VA Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
As the Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, I would like to take the opportunity over the next few e-newsletters to inform you about the work that the subcommittee does, and the focus that it will have for the 113th Congress.

For this first installment, we will discuss Veterans Employment and Training – Our military men and women make many sacrifices on behalf of our nation. Upon completion of their service, it is important that we prepare them for meaningful careers and provide employment resources, expertise, and opportunities. In this regard, there are some issues that have arisen from the Department of Labor’s efforts to assist in state employment services that provide job development and placement of veterans. The subcommittee will be challenged with trying to set hiring performance standards for states and holding them accountable for the veterans placed.

One other area of the subcommittee's jurisdiction is Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment – it is imperative that we assist veterans with service-connected disabilities to improve their ability to live as independently as possible and to prepare for, find, and keep suitable jobs. The Department of Veterans Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program has run into some issues regarding their evaluation phase, program dropout rates, and time consuming red tape paperwork. The subcommittee will be working with the VA department to develop solutions to decrease dropouts and reduce the evaluation phase.

I am committed to assisting our veterans and look forward to delving into these issues as chair of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee.

Looking Forward
In the week ahead, the president will be sworn in for his second term. The House will be back in session to take up the “No Budget, No Pay” legislation.

As always, I encourage each of you to continue praying for our country during these challenging times, for our brave military men and women, and for our first responder personnel who selflessly serve to protect us each day.