House Aims to Stop Government Abuse 3.1.15

Dear Friend,

This week the House of Representatives took action to stop government abuse that is threatening American's liberty and their hard-earned paychecks. During my short time in Washington I have been truly appalled by the power of federal agencies and the influence they have over every American. Chief among my goals in the House of Representatives is to give American families relief from unnecessary and ineffective regulatory burdens.

Regulations from Washington harm our liberties right here in rural Missouri. In August I was contacted by a pastor from our district. The pastor wanted me to know the National Park Service was requiring him to give 48 hours' notice and apply for a permit before he could perform baptism services in the Current River. Keep in mind that people do not need a permit to float on the river, swim or to have any other gathering. The permit was only required for baptism services. After I got involved, the Park Service did rescind the permit requirement. The permit requirement was ridiculous from the beginning, but it is even more ridiculous that it took action from a Member of Congress to get the requirement rescinded.

In addition to hurting our liberties, regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are killing Missouri jobs and hurting rural America. In December, new regulations from the EPA forced the closure of a lead smelter in Herculaneum. The Herculaneum smelter was the last remaining lead smelter in the entire United States. So now, we can still mine lead here in Missouri but we have to send the lead to China where it can be smelted down. I just hope China doesn't decide to stop sending lead back to the United States to be used in ammunition and batteries. Unfortunately, the EPA is also rejecting clean coal technology and issuing strict standards for new coal-fired electric generating plants. The new standards essentially guarantee no new coal-fired plants will be built. Over 84% of the folks in our district rely on coal-fired power plants. If we cannot use the reliable energy coal provides, lights across rural Missouri and all of rural America will be out. Most recently the EPA has decided the 12 million wood-burning stoves in America need to be regulated. New burn standards from the EPA would mean that nearly all of the wood-burning stove in America would need to be replaced.

During my short time in Washington I have become convinced that we must put an end to the unnecessary and ineffective regulations and the Obama executive actions that stifle creativity and limit our freedoms. In 1960 the Federal Register included 22,000 pages of regulations. Today there are over 174,000 pages of federal regulations. This week the House of Representatives voted to stop the government abuses that threaten our liberties and kill jobs. Conservatives in the House will continue fighting excessive regulatory burdens and overreach from the Obama Administration.

EIGHTH ANNUAL CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT ART CONTEST

The Congressional Art Contest is a great way to recognize talented high school students in our Eighth Congressional District. In addition to being recognized locally, the winner of the contest will also be invited to Washington D.C. to attend a recognition ceremony and see their art displayed on Capitol Hill. We hope to have participation from schools across our district. I encourage anyone who is interested in participating in the contest to contact my office.

Entrees must be submitted to one of Smith's offices by Friday, April 25th. Artwork can be dropped off at:

• Cape Girardeau Office: 2502 Tanner Drive, Suite 205, Cape Girardeau, MO 63703, 573-335-0101
• Farmington Office: 22 East Columbia Street, Farmington, MO 63640, 573-756-9755
• Poplar Bluff Office: 2911 North Westwood Blvd., Suite C, Poplar Bluff, MO 63907, 573-778-6679
• Rolla Office: 830A South Bishop, Rolla, MO 65401, Rolla, MO 573-364-2455
• West Plains Office: 35 Court Square, Suite 300, West Plains, MO 417-255-1515

For more information, students may contact Leslie Herbst at 573-335-0101 or email leslie.herbst@mail.house.gov. In addition, student can get more information by visiting: http://www.house.gov/content/educate/art_competition/

THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS

This week, I grilled Victor Knox, Associate Director for Park Planning, Facilities and Land for the National Park Service over proposed management changes for the Ozark National Scenic Riverways in Missouri's Eighth Congressional District. I pressed Knox over which officials in the Park Service have final authority of designating new management practices in ONSR and restated his opposition to any management changes in the ONSR.  Click HERE to watch my remarks in the House Natural Resources Committee Hearing.

I had the honor of touring the Kenny Rogers Children's Center in Sikeston with Dr. Ben Carson earlier this week.

I enjoyed being able to spend time in so many school across the Eighth District of Missouri this past week including Thayer High School, West Plains High School, and FFA students in Cabool. I met with teachers and administrators and spoke to students about my work in Washington on behalf of MO-08 families.

Thayer High School

West Plains High School

Cabool

This week I was honored to be given the True Blue Award from the Family Research Council for my strong Pro-Family and Pro-Life voting record in the first session of the 113th Congress.

Sincerely,

Jason Smith
Member of Congress