Rokita Report 3/15/14

Statement

Rokita Readings
A clickable offering of books and articles that I've read recently and highly recommend, as we strive together to "Keep the Republic."

Featured in this week's Rokita Readings is an article I read by Terry Miller titled "America's Dwindling Economic Freedom." For the first time since the Heritage Foundation and Wall Street Journal began measuring the economic freedom of countries, the United States has dropped out of the Top 10.

At number 12, the United States is placed between Estonia and Bahrain in the "mostly free" category. Although we have been slipping for quite some time, (see prior Rokita Readings for the reasons why) there has been a recent increase in this decline. The reason is the President's failed economic and regulatory policies. The President and his administration continue "to shackle entire sectors of the economy with regulations including health care, finance and energy. The intervention impedes both personal freedom and national prosperity."

This study demonstrates the tangible consequences of excessive regulation - the loss of our freedom.

To stop excessive regulations, I created the Red Tape Rollback program. Through this program we have secured victories against burdensome regulations and I have had the privilege to share these victories with you in past Rokita Reports.

Many of the countries making great strides are those that suffered under communism in Eastern Europe, or those like Denmark and Canada that have experimented with socialism and seen the disastrous results. As these countries recognize the errors of excessive government, I will continue to stand up to the President and his partners who want to drive our country over the same cliff at high speed.

Education and Workforce Committee Hearings

This week, the Education and Workforce Committee held two hearings that I participated in.

On Wednesday, the full committee held a hearing on "Raising the Bar: The Role of Charter Schools in K-12 Education." On Thursday, the Workforce Protections Committee held a hearing on "H.R. 3633, the Protecting Health Care Providers from Increased Administrative Burdens Act." Video from both of these hearings can be found on my YouTube page and in the Recent Videos section of this Rokita Report.

Raising the Bar: The Role of Charter Schools in K-12 Education

As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, I have heard about the success stories of charter schools. Charter schools receive public funding but are able to operate independently, without the intrusion of many bureaucrats and teachers' union leaders.

Many charter schools are producing better results than other schools, even though they receive 80 percent of the funding that those schools receive.

H.R. 3633, the Protecting Health Care Providers from Increased Administrative Burdens Act

The Workforce Protections Subcommittee held a hearing on "H.R. 3633, the Protecting Health Care Providers from Increased Administrative Burdens Act." This legislation would prevent the Department of Labor from continuing its unprecedented attempts to exert jurisdiction over health care providers.

This hearing and the question of whether or not health care providers can be considered federal contractors if they work for a program receiving federal funds have a heightened importance given President Obama's recent executive orders adding further rules and requirements on federal contractors.

Protecting Volunteer Firefighters from ObamaCare

This week, the House passed H.R. 3979, the Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act of 2014 by unanimous vote.

H.R. 3979 protects volunteer firefighters and emergency responders by ensuring certain emergency services volunteers are not counted when determining the number of full-time employees for the purposes of the employer mandate in ObamaCare.

Volunteer firefighters and emergency responders are part of our American Exceptionalism. The communities throughout Indiana, and our nation, who depend on volunteer fire departments and emergency services every day should not suffer due to ObamaCare's employer mandate that would prevent the many volunteers from continuing to provide lifesaving services. The need for this legislation is another indication that ObamaCare is an ill-advised and poorly conceived plan, and it should be repealed in its entirety and replaced with free market reforms to lower costs, improve access to health insurance, and give consumers more choices.

The ENFORCE the Laws Act

On Tuesday, I joined my colleagues in the House of Representatives in standing up to President Obama and passing H.R. 4138, the ENFORCE the Laws Act. This legislation would give Congress greater power to ensure that the President is enforcing existing laws.

President Obama routinely disregards the law by picking and choosing what parts of laws to enforce and what parts not to enforce. ObamaCare is a great example. According to the Galen Institute, the President has chosen to unilaterally delay portions of ObamaCare 37 times. The Constitution is very clear that the President is to implement the law, not pick and choose what laws, or what portions of laws, he will enforce. We live in a nation of laws, not a nation of men. To that end, this legislation provides Congress with another tool to hold the executive branch accountable for clear cut cases of ignoring the law.

Permanently Repealing the Sustainable Growth Rate

On Friday, March 14th I voted in favor of H.R. 4015, legislation which provides a permanent repeal to the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR). I supported this legislation because our doctors are the necessary ingredient in maintaining a quality health care system and the looming 24 percent cut to doctors' reimbursement rates is unacceptable. By passing H.R. 4015, the House preserves seniors' access to health care services and protects doctors so they can continue to treat patients who use the publicly assisted health care system called Medicare.

This bill permanently repeals the SGR and implements a 0.5 percent payment increase each year for the next five years while an alternative formula is developed to pay Medicare physicians. To prevent expanding the federal deficit and adding to our $17 trillion national debt, this legislation is fully paid for by delaying the implementation of ObamaCare's individual mandate tax through 2019.

Thank you for your continued interest in Congress and for supporting my efforts in Washington. Take care.

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