Dear Friends,
It is an honor to be your voice in Congress, and as we approach the New Year, I want to wish you and yours a safe and happy 2016.
I look forward to another year of representing your interests in Washington, and while we have much to do in the coming year, here are just some of our accomplishments from 2015:
1) Entitlement Reform -- For the first time in nearly two decades, the House and Senate passed, and the President signed into law, a major structural entitlement reform. H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 replaced the current Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula with a payment system that is more sustainable and would end the so-called annual “doc-fix,” which has cost the American taxpayers almost $170 billion over the last 12 years. With this bill, we cut approximately $2 trillion from Medicare's unfunded liability. We also made critical reforms to Social Security and Social Security Disability Insurance that will provide long-term savings for the taxpayers of $168 billion.
2) Fully Funding Our Military-- As part of H.R. 2029, Consolidated Appropriations Act, the spending bill that passed the House two weeks ago, we are fully funding our military for the first time since the budget caps were put in place under the Budget Sequestration of 2013. The Second Congressional District is home to both Little Rock Air Force Base and Camp Robinson, and this funding is crucial for ensuring military readiness and for supporting the men and women—and the families—of these two installations.
3) Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) -- Every President since Franklin Roosevelt has been given the power by Congress to facilitate favorable trade deals for the American people. By passing TPA, we increased congressional oversight in negotiating trade agreements, while providing a greater opportunity for America to thrive in today's global markets. With 95 percent of the world’s customers living outside of the United States, we need to structure favorable trade deals that pry open markets for American goods and services in other parts of the world. Bottom line: moving forward with TPA supports Arkansas’s farmers, manufacturers, and economy.
4) Lifting the Crude Oil Export Ban -- The 40-year-old ban on exporting crude oil from the United States was an outdated policy that is detrimental to both economic growth and national security. In the past four decades since we first enacted this self-imposed ban, oil and gas exploration technologies have greatly expanded the ability for the United States to increase our oil extraction and energy production. In the 1970's--when the ban was put in place--oil was scarce and the industry was dominated by OPEC. Today Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United States are the leading producers. Estimates show that this will be good long term for jobs and gas prices here at home. It also will provide increased energy options for our NATO and Asian allies abroad that are currently forced to rely on oil from conflict-driven and terror-centric states in the Persian Gulf. Lastly, we are also breaking OPEC’s grip on world energy resources.
5) Long-Term Highway Bill -- For the first time since George W. Bush was president, we will have a highway funding bill that gives us the flexibility to fund and finish our most crucial infrastructure projects without burdening hardworking American taxpayers. This legislation facilitates a plan to execute the road and bridge projects long-needed for Arkansas. Infrastructure work offers steady employment and enhances the economic profile of the Natural State.
6) Visa Waiver Improvement Act of 2015 -- The attacks on Paris and San Bernardino show the effect ISIS and their message of evil are having throughout the world. As the threat of attacks from ISIS and other terrorist groups increase, Congress needed to strengthen our borders—both actual and virtual—by passing meaningful, bipartisan legislation that addressed any holes in our national security. House-passed H.R. 158, the Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act of 2015, addresses a serious hole in our existing policy by restricting travel to the United States by non-U.S. citizens who have traveled to certain nations, including Syria and Iraq.
7) The Homebuyers Assistance Act -- H.R. 3192 is the first bill I sponsored that passed the House. While I am proud of the work done on this bill, I am frustrated that the Senate has not passed it yet. The bill was introduced to create a formal hold-harmless period for those making a good faith effort to comply with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Truth in Lending Act and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (TILA-RESPA) Integrated Disclosure (TRID) rule, which became effective on October 3, 2015. As a result of the rule's implementation, U.S. housing sales tanked for the month of November and caused major delays for Americans looking to buy a new home. CFPB has provided no guidance for the lending industry during the switch to the new closing regime. Pressing CFPB to fix this issue on their own will be a top priority of mine in 2016.
8) Golden Fleece Award -- Producing these on a monthly basis has been one of the more enjoyable aspects of my job. The submissions I receive from constituents are creative and helpful in my goal to highlight frivolous examples of government waste. While the Golden Fleece Award may be a lighthearted way to shine an intense light on how the government spends your money, in fact it’s been extremely successful in its first year—starting with the very first award that was given to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for their mismanagement of an $8 million solar panel project at the Little Rock VA Medical Center because immediately afterwards, the the VA Office of Inspector General agreed to investigate the entire project.
9) Blocking Executive Overreach -- Through the tentacles of Dodd-Frank, Obamacare, the EPA and many other unaccountable federal agencies, this Administration has shown time and time again that they adhere to the Washington mentality of one-size-fits all legislating. Over the past twelve months, the House has fought the President’s “wet blanket” of intrusive government regulation. We have cut the EPA budget to FY 10 spending levels, voted to block many of their unworkable rules, repealed failed provisions of Obamacare, and passed legislation that helps consumers in the face of unnecessary burdens created by Dodd-Frank.
10) Education Reform -- The House passed H.R. 5, the Student Success Act, which included important amendments to ensure states and parental rights, including allowing states to opt-out of Common Core and allow parents to opt their children out of federal testing requirements.
So far new-Speaker Paul Ryan's leadership has been a breath of fresh air in recognizing we must not only continue to move common-sense pro-growth legislation, but also begin to use regular order in the appropriations process. In doing this, Congress can effectively wield its "Power of the Purse" and fight this unaccountable President and his executive overreach.
Again, it is an honor to represent you in Congress, and I wish you and your family a very Happy New Year,
Representative French Hill
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