Rep. Kelly Champions Package of Jobs Bills on House Floor
House considers major legislation to boost job creation
& increase American energy production
Rep. Kelly: “The greatest emerging economy the world has ever seen is sitting right here within our borders”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) – a member of the House Ways and Means Committee – delivered a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives today in support of H.R. 4, the Jobs for America Act, a package of 15 House-passed bills that will make various changes to federal law to improve the conditions necessary for economic growth and job creation. The speech took place ahead of the House’s consideration of H.R. 4 and H.R. 2, the American Energy Solutions for Lower Costs and More American Jobs Act, a compilation of 14 bills to improve America’s energy infrastructure passed by the House during the 113th Congress. Rep. Kelly will vote for both packages this evening.
Highlights from Rep. Kelly’s speech:
“The world is looking for the next great emerging economy, and you know where it is? It’s right here. It’s us. It sits here in this country. And we talk about the American people. What are they tired of? They’re tired of political talk and not policy change that will get them back to work. This morning, Mr. Speaker, 92 million Americans woke up—you know what they decided? That they weren’t even going to go look for a job today, because there is no hope in finding a job today.”
“The president of Ukraine came to the United States today to ask for help. He didn’t go anywhere else in the world. He came here. Why did he come to the United States? Why did he come to America? Why for centuries have people come to America? For opportunity, for jobs, to make their life better.”
“We have to sit and debate a jobs package? And we want to talk about politics. We don’t want to talk about the policy of it? We don’t want to talk about the opportunity that this country has always presented. Are you kidding me?”
“If there is dysfunction—there is, down in the Senate, where 360 pieces of legislation are on a table because one man – one man – stands in the way of this legislation, and it is the leader of the Senate [Harry Reid]. … Please, get away from the politics. We are sick of it as a people.”
“The opportunity is off the charts. A new day is dawning and the only thing holding it back right now is the cloud cover that comes from Washington, DC, where we refuse to create opportunity and instead create anger. And we create dissatisfaction. We create confusion, and the American people sit back and say, ‘Why me? Why Now? Why here?’ And that is the great question: ‘Why?’
“After six years of waiting to see this great country emerge again with all the assets we have been given – and they are gifts from God, but we haven’t capitalized on them – the American people want something done. This is a package of jobs bills, my friends. This gets America back to work, my friends. This makes America great again. This makes us who we are. This is the very fabric of who this country has always been: the greatest nation in the world, always a defender of personal freedoms and liberties. But we can only do it if we have a dynamic and robust economy.”
“It’s time to stop talking politics and start talking policy. It’s time to get America back to work. A new day is dawning. A new opportunity is waiting for us. And the greatest economy – the greatest emerging economy the world has ever seen – is sitting right here within our borders and the only thing it’s looking for right now is dynamic leadership and direction.”
NOTE: The American Energy Solutions for Lower Costs and More American Jobs Act (H.R. 2) includes the following 14 bills:
· H.R. 3, the Northern Route Approval Act, authored by Representative Lee Terry, which allows construction of the Keystone XL pipeline;
· H.R. 1963, theBureau of Reclamation Conduit Hydropower Development Equity and Jobs Act, authored by Representative Steve Daines, which streamlines the development of hydropower on federal lands;
· H.R. 2640, the Central Oregon Jobs and Water Security Act, authored by Representative Greg Walden, which allows for construction of a hydropower facility at the Bowman Dam;
· H.R. 2728, the Protecting States' Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act, authored by Representative Bill Flores, which protects American energy production by recognizing states’ authority to regulate hydraulic fracturing;
· H.R. 4801, Requiring the Secretary of Energy to prepare a thermal insulation report, authored by Representative Adam Kinzinger, which studies the impact and cost effectiveness of thermal insulation in federal buildings;
· H.R. 3301, theNorth American Energy Infrastructure Act, authored by Chairman Fred Upton, which strengthens our partnerships with Canada and Mexico in order to build a more secure and efficient North American energy market;
· H.R. 6, the Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act, authored by Representative Cory Gardner, which expedites the export of U.S. liquefied natural gas to our allies;
· H.R. 1582, the Energy Consumers Relief Act, authored by Representative Bill Cassidy, which ensures Congressional oversight of energy-related rules costing more than $1 billion;
· H.R. 1900, the Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act, authored by Representative Mike Pompeo, which modernizes the review process for natural gas pipeline permit applications;
· H.R. 2641, the Responsible And Professionally Invigorating Development Act, authored by Representative Tom Marino, which establishes a more streamlined and transparent federal permitting process for construction projects;
· H.R. 3826, the Electricity Security & Affordability Act, authored by Representative Ed Whitfield, which protects reliable and affordable electricity sources;
· H.R. 2824, thePreventing Government Waste & Protecting Coal Mining Jobs in America Act, authored by Representative Bill Johnson, which prevents the Administration from developing new, job-killing coal regulations; and
·H.R. 4899, the Lowering Gas Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act, authored by Chairman Doc Hastings, Representative Doug Lamborn, Representative Scott Tipton, and Representative Bill Johnson, which removes federal government barriers that block production of U.S. energy sources offshore and expands onshore American energy production by streamlining government red-tape and regulations.
The Jobs for America Act (H.R. 4) includes the following 15 bills:
· H.R. 2575, theSave American Workers Act, authored by Representative Todd Young, which repeals Obamacare’s 30-hour definition of full-time employment;
· H.R. 899, the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act, authored by Representative Virginia Foxx, which equips Congress and the public with tools to determine the true costs of regulations;
· H.R. 2804, the Achieving Less Excess in Regulation and Requiring Transparency (ALERRT) Act, authored by Representative George Holding, Chairman Bob Goodlatte, Representative Doug Collins, and Representative Spencer Bachus, which promotes jobs, better wages, and economic growth through regulatory reform;
· H.R. 367,Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, authored by Representative Todd Young, which ensures that Congress votes on all new major rules before they can be enforced;
· H.R. 1105, the Small Business Capital Access and Job Preservation Act, authored by Representative Robert Hurt, which prevents Dodd-Frank Act regulations from diverting capital from small- and medium-sized businesses;
· H.R. 2274, the Small Business Mergers, Acquisitions, Sales, and Brokerage Simplification Act, authored by Representative Bill Huizenga, which streamlines regulatory requirements to help facilitate capital formation to grow small- and medium-sized businesses;
· H.R. 3474, the Hire More Heroes Act, authored by Representative Rodney Davis, which incentivizes businesses to hire veterans by excluding them from Obamacare’s employer mandate threshold;
· H.R. 1526, Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act, authored by Chairman Doc Hastings, which will put Americans back to work by promoting responsible timber production;
· H.R. 761, the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act, authored by Representative Mark Amodei, which allows the U.S. to develop resources that are critical to our economic competiveness;
· H.R. 3086, the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act, authored by Chairman Bob Goodlatte, which protects internet access for all Americans and fosters growth in the digital economy;
· H.R. 4438, the American Research and Competitiveness Act, authored by Representative Kevin Brady, which makes the R&D Tax Credit permanent, paving the way for increased innovation and investment in the U.S.;
· H.R. 4457, the America's Small Business Tax Relief Act, authored by Representative Pat Tiberi, which makes section 179 expensing permanent ensuring that our small businesses have the certainty they need to grow their businesses and create jobs;
· H.R. 4453, the S Corporation Permanent Tax Relief Act, authored by Representative Dave Reichert, which provides the necessary flexibility for S corporations to access capital and make new investments; and
· H.R. 4718, Amending the Internal Revenue code of 1986, authored by Representative Pat Tiberi, making bonus depreciation permanent in order to lower the cost of capital for businesses.
ICYMI: Rep. Kelly is the lead sponsor of H.R. 4808, the Coal Country Protection Act, a bill he introduced in the House of Representatives on June 5, 2014, to protect jobs threatened by overreaching EPA regulations. On Monday, August 4, 2014, The Wall Street Journal published a guest op-ed written by Rep. Kelly on the economic danger of the EPA's coal regulations proposed under President Obama titled, “Pushing Back Against Obama's War on Coal.”
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