US Rep Bass: REINS Act Restores Accountability, Transparency in Regulatory Process

Will help to foster economic growth by reducing burdensome federal regulations

WASHINGTON – Congressman Charles F. Bass (NH-02) supported legislation in the House of Representatives today that will lessen the burdensome impact that federal regulations have on economic growth and job creation by requiring Congress to take an up-or-down, stand alone vote on any major rules with an economic impact over $100 million or more before they can be enforced.

The Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, which passed the House this afternoon by a bipartisan vote of 241 to 184, will increase transparency and accountability in the federal regulatory process and restore the authority to impose major regulations to Congress, who are directly accountable to their constituents.

Bass said:

“Excessive and overly burdensome regulations are hampering job creation and economic growth.  During my travels throughout the Second District, small business owners have told me time and again that onerous regulations from Washington are affecting their ability to expand and add new employees.

“Many on the other side of the aisle wrongly believe this legislation will weaken regulatory agencies and create duplication because nearly all regulations stem from Congress anyway.  But unelected bureaucrats – who cannot be held accountable by the American people – have been implementing rules and regulations at a breathtaking rate.  The Obama Administration’s December 2010 report on federal regulations listed more than 4,200 regulatory actions under development.  With thousands of new federal regulations on the way, it’s no wonder businesses continue to face a mountain of uncertainty and are hesitant to grow and create jobs.

“This legislation will promote a more transparent and accountable rulemaking process and ensure that costly federal regulations do not hinder our economic recovery and growth.”

The REINS Act would apply to all new major regulations proposed by the executive branch that the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs find will result in an impact of $100 million or more on the economy.  The bill also ensures timely consideration by requiring Congress and the President to approve a joint resolution within 70 legislative days.  If Congress and the President do not act within that time period, the regulation is deemed to be not approved. 

The Small Business Administration estimates that federal regulations cost our economy $1.75 trillion per year.

http://bass.house.gov

Watchdog.org - Phoenix Labor Union Targets Former Trustee Who Questioned How Taxpayer Money is Spent

Mark Flatten 
Goldwater Institute 

Natasha Nimer had a simple question: As a trustee in a local labor union representing City of Phoenix employees, did she have a duty to check the books of a taxpayer-funded insurance account it managed?

So she asked the executive board of AFSCME Local 2960. The response was an emphatic “no.”

She dropped the matter and thought it would end there.

She was wrong.

In the months that followed, union officials tried to strip Nimer of her duties as a trustee and steward. They tried twice to force her out of AFSCME, only to have the international headquarters order her reinstated.

Eventually union executives went after Nimer’s job as a civilian employee in the Phoenix Fire Department. They demanded her city phone records, personal and work-related emails, disciplinary files and performance evaluations; even a list of all of the Web sites she had visited. They wanted her computers seized and the hard drives searched for evidence she was doing something wrong.

The insurance fund Nimer asked about is one of many taxpayer-funded benefits worth millions of dollars that Phoenix provides to the seven labor unions that represent city workers with no accountability. The salaries of top union officials are paid by taxpayers. So are other cash benefits paid directly to the unions. Yet the city does not audit union accounts or require union officials to document how the time and money is spent.

Read More at Goldwater Institute 

U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta introduces bill to make government spending & performance info more transparent and accessible

(Washington – October 27, 2011)    Representative Frank Guinta (R, NH-01) has introduced a significant piece of legislation designed to make federal spending more transparent and accessible to all Americans.  He authored H.R. 3262, the Government Results Transparency Act (GRTA).   

Federal agencies have been required to track and publish their performance results for 18 years.  Last year, Congress also required them to publicly list all of their programs and explain how those programs contribute to overall goals.  But these laws do not require program-by-program performance data to be tracked against program-by-program spending data.

The GRTA builds a bridge between performance data and spending data.   Under GRTA, the government will publish all of its performance data and spending data for each program on a public website in a format that makes it easy for anyone to search, download and analyze. 

Representative Guinta released the following statement:

“All Americans have the right to know how their tax dollars are being spent, plus what results their money is –or isn’t– producing.  Under my bill, citizens and government officials alike can get complete information on spending and performance together in one location, and read it in plain, everyday English, too.  The saying goes ‘Knowledge is power.’  The more informed our citizens and public officials are, the better equipped we are to make thoughtful, intelligent decisions on which programs are effective and which are wasting hard-earned tax dollars, and that’s good for everyone.”

The bill is being sent to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for consideration.  Representative Guinta serves on that committee. 

NH Council of Churches - Announcing: Faithful Budget Accountability Project

NH Churches Launch 

State Budget Accountability Project

Religious Leaders to Monitor Impact of Budget 

on State's Most Vulnerable

CONCORD, June 23, 2011 - What will happen in New Hampshire communities as a result of deep state budget cuts to take effect July 1? A unique initiative gets underway next month that will help answer this question about the most vulnerable populations in the state, led by the NH Council of Churches.

The Council, whose over 600 NH churches include Protestant, Episcopal, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian traditions, will work with pastors, social ministry leaders, interfaith service leaders and others to gather data for the Faithful Budget Accountability Project.

"We heard repeatedly from legislative  budget writers and other policy makers throughout this session that churches and charities can and should provide all basic human services slashed from the state budget," said Tom Chininis, pastor at St. Philip's Church in Nashua who chairs the Public Policy Committee of the NH Council of Churches. "Unfortunately, that's not realistic; even in good economic times, funds are difficult to raise. Churches play a significant role in meeting human needs in our communities, but do so working  in tandem with government, not as replacements. We want to understand, quantify and communicate back to legislators at the next opportunity the human impact of budget cuts made in the name of efficiency and living within our means."

Local church participants in the Faithful Budget Accountability Project will receive a simple monthly electronic survey, asking about the types of requests for assistance they see in their community and whether the participating church or agency is able to meet those needs. Information will be collected about new programs that respond to needs, collaborative efforts going on among churches in communities, and in particular, data on unmet needs of individuals and families that church leaders see.

Joining the Council's ten member denominations in promoting participation in the Project are the NH Sisters of Mercy Justice Team, Lutheran Social Services and other faith-based providers.

Participation in the Faithful Budget Accountability Project is open to all religious and social service ministry leaders. More information is available at the Council's website, www.nhchurches.org.

About the New Hampshire Council of Churches: The New Hampshire Council of Churches, 10 member denominations, works together for peace, for the poor, and for the care of the planet. Rooted in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, the NHCC inspires congregations and people of faith to unite in good works that build a culture of justice, compassion and peace.

Bill Frist: The Private Sector Must Join the Fight Against Obesity

Obesity is a drag on our health, economy, and education. We all have a role to play. Please take a look at my op-ed today on the role of the private sector below.

More than one-fifth of preschool children are overweight or obese. That's 20 percent of kids 5 years old and younger who are already on track for chronic health problems such as cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease before their first day of kindergarten.

That's more than 4 million toddlers already queued up for health issues that will last them a lifetime. And of the heaviest youngsters - those who are obese - more than 160,000 live in Tennessee.

Our state's and our nation's obesity epidemic is well-documented, and childhood obesity continues to be an appropriate focus. We are learning more and more how nutrition and exercise at the very earliest stages of life can have a dramatic impact on our bodies as we age.

If the body mass index (or BMI, the ratio of height to weight that is typically used to determine a healthy weight) increases too soon or too rapidly for a young child - as young as 3 years old - research shows that child has a much higher risk of obesity later in life.

In short, too much fat produced too early sets the stage for a battle against obesity that will last a lifetime. Before most kids can add 1 plus 1 and get 2, their bodies are learning that being overweight is a way of life.

To start our children in life along this path is simply unacceptable.

There are plenty of statistics to cite, from economic - nearly $150 billion per year is being spent nationally to treat obesity-related medical conditions - to national security - more than 25 percent of all Americans ages 17-24 are unqualified for military service because they are too heavy. But those statistics shouldn't be necessary.

Being overweight doesn't necessarily equate to low self-esteem or an inability to achieve, but we cannot intentionally start toddlers out with a predisposition to type 2 diabetes and cancer and heart disease and expect things to be easier for them.

The next 15 years are going to be hard enough; we don't need to make things any more difficult.

Solving the problem, however, is more complex; there is no silver bullet. Private- and public-sector leaders all have a critical role to play.

Several mayors from across the country recently pledged to do more for those in early child-care education settings in their cities. Many private-sector companies are helping to curb this epidemic, too. Specifically, a recent commitment from the planet's largest retailers and food and beverage manufacturers to reduce calories in their products by 1.5 trillion by 2015 is laudable.

Parents, get kids moving

Parents also play a role. That's why we're calling on everyone to get our youngest kids more physically active. Whether that's taking a walk or playing a game, it's just as important for the 3-year-old in your life as it is for the 33-year-old in your life (or, in my case, older still). Cut out the sugar-sweetened beverages for kids under 5 and look to low-fat or nonfat milk for kids over 2 years old.

Equally, the private sector needs to continue to step up. Parents don't need more complexity and more costs; they need more answers and easier ways to provide a healthy lifestyle for their kids. We need the private sector to make healthy choices as easy and as economical as possible.

We're asking private industry to better serve their customers and communities by helping them access healthier products. This allows kids to have healthy childhoods. We can do better.

For a nation that prides itself on opportunity, we owe our youngest and most vulnerable at least that: the pledge to ensure their future is as healthy as possible.

And that means starting right from the beginning.

Bill Frist, M.D.
http://BillFrist.com

The Honorable William H. Frist, M.D., is vice chairman of the Partnership for a Healthier America, an organization working with the private sector to solve the nation’s childhood obesity crisis.