EACH One Counts!

The House is set to take up Rep. Aaron Shrock's (R., IL) EACH (Equitable Access to Care and Health) Act. According to the official summary, the bill: 

Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to minimum essential health care coverage requirements added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to allow an additional religious exemption from such requirements for individuals whose sincerely held religious beliefs would cause them to object to medical health care provided under such coverage.

Administrative FUELS Bill

Rep. Eric A. Crawford (R., AR) has introduced the FUELS (Farmers Undertake Environmental Land Stewardship) Act. According to the official summary of the bill, it: 

Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in implementing the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure rule with respect to any farm, to require certification of compliance with such rule by: (1) a professional engineer for a farm with an individual tank with an above ground storage capacity greater than 10,000 gallons, an aggregate above ground storage capacity of at least 42,000 gallons, or a history that includes a spill, as determined by the Administrator; or (2) the owner or operator of the farm (via self-certification) for a farm with an aggregate above ground storage capacity greater than 10,000 gallons but less than 42,000 gallons and no history of spills. Directs the Administrator to exempt from all requirements of such rule any farm with an aggregate aboveground storage capacity of 10,000 gallons or less and no history of spills.

RAPID Alternate Acronymification

The House will soon be considering Rep. Tom Marino's  (R., PA) RAPID (Responsibly And Professionally Invigorating Development) Act of 2013. The bill is designed to "establish procedures to streamline, increase the efficiency of, and enhance coordination of agency administration of the regulatory review, environmental decision making, and permitting process for major actions that are construction activities undertaken, reviewed, or funded by federal agencies." The measure, however, seems somewhat similar to the ALERT Act this blog covered last week. 

The proposal has also been subject to alternate acronymification of its name by Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, who today mentioned that the House is likely to take up the "Regrettably Another Partisan Ideological Distraction (RAPID) Act."

Alternate acronymification has recently been on the rise in Congress, and this blog has noted other instances of such title modifications, or 'reframing' as some linguists and political scientists would call it. 

So SIMPLE, It's Difficult

Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R., KS) has introduced the SIMPLE (Suspending the Individual Mandate Penalty Law Equals) Fairness Act, which, perhaps unsurprisingly, is probably the most difficult thing to accomplish on Capitol Hill these days: suspension of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate. 

It didn't take long for the Obama Administration to issue a statement against the bill, which included a veto threat. It also noted the following: 

The Administration strongly opposes House passage of H.R. 4118, the Suspending the Individual Mandate Penalty Equals Fairness Act, because the bill would increase health insurance premiums, decrease tax credits, increase the number of uninsured, and shift costs to businesses, workers, and health care providers. Rather than attempting once again to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which the House has tried to do approximately 50 times, it is time for the Congress to stop fighting old political battles and join the President in an agenda focused on providing greater economic opportunity and security for middle class families and all those working to get into the middle class. ...

The HHEATT Is On!

Rep. Bill Schuster (R., PA) has introduced the HHEATT (Home Heating Emergency Assistance Through Transportation) Act of 2014, which would provide emergency relief to those in need of propane and other heating fuels, especially for those in Pennsylvania. 

Partial press release is given below the jump. 

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Shuster Introduces Legislation to Speed Propane Supplies to Pennsylvania Families

02/26/14

Washington, DC – Yesterday, Congressman Bill Shuster introduced legislation to help provide emergency relief to the ongoing propane and home heating fuels shortage throughout Pennsylvania. H.R. 4076, the Home Heating Emergency Assistance Through Transportation (HHEATT) Act of 2014 will help ensure that propane and fuel supplies are being delivered to consumers as fast as possible throughout the rest of the winter.

In the 9th District, over 9,000 homes directly rely on propane for home heating, but this winter's extreme cold has resulted in such a high level of demand that it has already outpaced supply. While an emergency declaration allowed the Department of Transportation to suspend certain Federal rules, including Hours of Service, this is only a temporary measure since each declaration can only last 30 days at a time.

“With supplies short and prices high, people are struggling to deal with the burden of such a major propane shortage. They need relief, and they need it now,” said Shuster. “This is why I am introducing H.R. 4076, the Home Heating Emergency Assistance Through Transportation Act of 2014. This bill guarantees an extension of the longer driving hours for tank truck operators carrying propane and other home heating fuels through May 31^st, bringing immediate certainty that these emergency measures will last through this already brutal winter.” ...

Taxpayers Right-to-Know what?

Rep. James Lankford (R., OK) has introduced H.R. 1423, the Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act, whose long title states that it would "provide taxpayers with an annual report disclosing the cost and performance of Government programs and areas of duplication among them, and for other purposes." The official Congress.gov summary notes that it (among other things): 

Requires the head of each federal agency, on an annual basis, to: (1) identify and describe every program administered by such agency; (2) determine the total administrative costs and expenditures for services for each program; (3) estimate the number of clients served by each program and the beneficiaries who received assistance under each program; (4) estimate the number of full-time federal and contract employees who administer each program; and (5) identify federal programs with duplicative or overlapping missions, services, and allowable uses of funds.

This bill has recently been reported out of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and has been placed on the House calendar.  

A Regulatory Amber ALERT

Rep. George Holding (R., NC) has introduced H.R. 2804, the All Economic Regulations are Transparent Act (ALERT) of 2013. The measure is basically a regulatory amber alert system. According to the official summary of the law, it (among other things): 

Requires the head of each federal agency to submit a monthly report to the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each rule which such agency expects to propose or finalize during the upcoming year. Sets forth the required content of such report, including: (1) a summary of the nature of the rule, (2) the objectives of and legal basis for the issuance of the rule, (3) the stage of the rule making as of the date of submission, (4) whether the rule is subject to periodic review as a rule with a significant economic impact, (5) an approximate schedule for completing action on the rule, and (6) an estimate of its cost. Requires the Administrator to post reports on the Internet.

Today in an official statement the White House came out against the measure, noting: 

The bill would impose unneeded and costly analytical and procedural requirements on agencies that would prevent them from performing their statutory responsibilities.  It would also create needless regulatory and legal uncertainty, increase costs for businesses and State, local and tribal governments, and impede common-sense protections for the American public.

Note: there appears to be some confusion as to what the actual name of the H.R. 2804 actually is. The White House notes that the acronym stands for Achieving Less Excess in Regulation and Requiring Transparency (ALERRT), while Congress.gov, THOMAS, the House Rules Committee, and the official press release by Rep. Holding state the title is: All Economic Regulations are Transparent Act (ALERT) of 2013. I have seen nothing besides the White House press release to suggest otherwise. 

Defending Marriage...Again

Today Senators Ted Cruz (R., TX) and Mike Lee (R., UT) introduced S. 2024, the State Marriage Defense Act. According to the press release the bill "respects the definition of marriage held by the people of each state and protects states from the federal government’s efforts to force any other definition upon them. The bill will ensure the federal government gives the same deference to the 33 states that define marriage as the union between one man and one woman as it does to the 17 states that have chosen to recognize same-sex unions." 

The measure is similar to one introduced last month by Rep. Randy Weber (R., TX), also called the State Marriage Defense Act. 

It's unclear why lawmakers would use the word "defense" in their titles, given that that particular word was used by the Supreme Court in U.S. v. Windsor to demonstrate evidence of moral disapproval. Thus, if lawmakers continue with these bills, they may want to think about changing the names...in case they ever reach the Supreme Court. 

Just want to BROWSE?

While "browsing" (sorry, couldn't resist) Rep. Sean Duffy's website for information on a previous post, I noticed he recently introduced the BROWSE Act, or the Before Registering for Obamacare, Window Shop Exchanges Act of 2014. The bill would allow potential customers on heathcare.gov to browse the website and the plans before putting in their personal information. Currently, visitors must first put in their personal information and are then allowed to peruse potential health care options. 

It appears that Rep. Duffy is putting a bit more effort into the naming of his legislation. While the the BROWSE Act certainly resonates, hopefully nobody actually refers to the bill by it's spelled-out short title, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense and appears to be hastily thrown together. These are the types of acronyms discussed in my forthcoming essay in the Stanford Law & Policy Review Online. 

Financial Freedom and Washington Accountability...you don't say!

Rep. Sean Duffy (R., WI) recently introduced H.R. 3193, the Consumer Financial Freedom and Washington Accountability Act, which seeks to increase review of any regulation passed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Obama Administration today provided a strong statement against the measure, saying that it would "undermine critical Wall Street reforms and weaken important consumer protections, potentially exposing the Nation's economy to systemic risks similar to those that led to the 2008 financial crisis."

Of note: it appears that the name of the measure was recently changed. When introduced the measure was known as the Consumer Financial Protection Safety and Soundness Improvement Act of 2013. This is still the way that it's represented on many official sites, such as Congress.gov. However, a Feb. 4 copy of the bill and a recently CBO memo note the new name of the bill. A name change such as this is very common in Congress, and especially as bills are traveling through the legislative process and looking to gain some traction. 

Time to SHARE?

Rep. Latta's (R., OH) Sportsmen's Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act of 2013 is set to be debated by the House. Essentially the measure enhances hunting, fishing and shooting opportunities on federal lands, but also takes particular powers away from federal authorities in the process. 

The Obama Administration has noted they support passing sportsman and recreation legislation, but are opposed to the bill as it's currently written, stating that: 

While the Administration strongly supports the goal of promoting recreational fishing, hunting, and shooting opportunities, and recognizes the economic and community benefits associated with hunting and fishing, it opposes this bill.  These important recreational opportunities abound on public lands and are valued by millions of Americans who hunt and fish on public lands, forests, parks, and refuges.  Accordingly, the Administration supports certain titles of H.R. 3590, but opposes others which include harmful provisions that impair Federal management of federally-owned lands and undermine important existing public land and environmental laws, rules, and processes. 

The full Administration statement can be found here.