Since coming to Washington, I have remained committed to my top priorities of putting forth policies that will promote job creation and economic growth. For too long, Northeast Ohioans have suffered from a stagnant economy and an unemployment rate that is unacceptably high.

Burdensome regulations handed down from Washington, economic uncertainty, and higher taxes are making it harder for our businesses to expand and hire. Furthermore, the President’s health care law is forcing many businesses to reduce employee hours in order to comply with the law’s mandates, turning full-time work into part-time work at a time when we can least afford it. An independent analysis has documented hundreds of employers across the country, including more than 100 school districts, where employee hours have been cut as a direct result of the President’s health care law. Additionally, many businesses are reporting that they are not hiring due to the health care law’s penalties.

I will continue to advance solutions that will reduce overregulation that inhibits our job creators from hiring and expanding, put an end to the federal government’s excessive spending spree, and pay down our growing $17 trillion debt.

Recently, I introduced the Flexibility to Promote Reemployment Act, a bipartisan bill that would encourage job creation by providing states with more flexibility to help unemployed individuals collect paychecks instead of benefit checks. This legislation is similar to the EMPLOY Act, a bill that I introduced last Congress which sought to create an employment incentive program to encourage employers to hire individuals eligible for unemployment compensation. The premise of the EMPLOY Act was included in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012.

We in the House of Representatives have passed dozens of jobs bills this Congress, and I remain committed to putting forth bipartisan, commonsense legislation that will grow our workforce.