March 18, 2016

Environmental Legislation

On Tuesday the House considered H.R. 3979, the Satisfying Energy Needs and Saving the Environment (SENSE) Act. This legislation is another attempt to weaken the Clean Air Act by loosening two rules that regulate air pollution while pretending to act on the basis of “common sense”. The Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) and the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule govern the waste produced by coal burning power plants. Some electric utilities use this waste coal as fuel and these rules regulate the level of pollutants that can be produced by the utilities. H.R. 3979 allows these plants to discharge more pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide, which complicates efforts to improve air quality. The Administration has stated that H.R. 3979 will be vetoed. I voted NO. H.R. 3979 passed and the entire vote is recorded below:

Internet Service Providers

On Wednesday the House considered H.R. 4596, the Small Business Broadband Deployment Act. This legislation gives Internet Service Providers (ISPs) with 250,000 or fewer connections a temporary exemption from a 2015 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule requiring expanded transparency. In 2010 the FCC issued a series of transparency rules requiring ISPs to make publicly available information about their network practices and performances so that consumers have access to this information when choosing an ISP. Under H.R. 4596, smaller providers are still required to comply with the 2010 transparency rules. In 2015, the FCC increased transparency requirements but exempted ISPs with 100,000 or fewer connections from these enhanced regulations while the agency studied the impact they would have on smaller providers. H.R. 4596 expands the 2015 exemption while the FCC continues its review. I voted YES. H.R. 4596 passed and the entire vote is recorded below:

Immigration

Yesterday the House considered H. Res. 639, Authorizing the Speaker to appear as amicus curiae on behalf of the House of Representatives in the matter of the United States, et al. v. Texas, et al. This legislation gives the Speaker of the House the authority to submit an amicus brief on behalf of the entire House of Representatives regarding the immigration case United States v. Texas, which is currently pending before the Supreme Court. This case was filed by Texas and 25 other states asserting that President Obama’s establishment of the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and the expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) represent a violation of the Constitution and an inappropriate use of Executive Powers. House Democrats have already filed a brief with the court in support of the President’s action on immigration. H. Res. 639 gives Speaker Ryan the authority to submit a brief in opposition to the President’s actions, a brief that has not even been presented to the House for review. I voted NO. H. Res. 639 passed and the entire vote is recorded below:

What’s Up Next

The next House votes will take place on Monday March 21st. The House is expected to consider H.R. 2745, the SMARTER Act.