With the new year right around the corner, I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about pieces of legislation that I am excited to reintroduce and regulations that I will continue to monitor and combat that are coming down from the administration.
Since I've been in Congress, I have been a strong advocate for more transparency in the federal government.
So often I hear from you wondering what stage certain agencies are at in a particular rule-making process or you need clarification of what exactly a proposed rule means.
With the hundreds of proposed rules coming monthly out of the administration, I wanted to introduce legislation that would require agencies to create a plain language summary to provide more transparency and clarity.
Specifically, my legislation, the Providing Accountability through Transparency Act would require each government agency, in providing notice of a rule making, to include a link to a 100-word plain language summary of the proposed rule. Government agencies have a habit of creating long-winded rules that don't make sense unless you are an expert in that field.
My legislation would require a short summary and states the agency must provide a web link at regulations.gov to make it accessible so Americans can easily find and understand the proposed rule.
One rule in particular that I have closely monitored is out of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and would require costly new standards for wood burning stoves and heating systems that would effectively prohibit the manufacture and sale of 85 perfect of wood burning heaters currently on the market. Earlier this year, I introduced legislation that would halt this attempt by the EPA called the Wood Stove Regulatory Relief Act.
The final rule from the EPA is supposed to be announced early next year. With nearly 90 percent of wood stove manufacturers that operate as small businesses and with many homes in the 3rd District that use wood burning stoves as the primary source of heat, it is my hope this proposed rule is reversed.
Lastly, another piece of legislation that will help Americans in our rural areas is the Mobile Mammography Promotion Act. My legislation would increase access to breast cancer screening by providing relief from the federal fuel excise tax for "mammovans," vehicles designed exclusively to provide mobile mammography services that travel to underserved areas.
I have sponsored this legislation for the past two Congresses and it is my hope that in the 114th Congress, this bill will make it to the House floor so that regular mammography screenings become a reality for those many underserved individuals.
It is my hope the 114th Congress can put a halt to many of the regulations that are burdening our nation's small businesses and families and we can work together to address not only the topics just discussed but all of your priorities as well.
U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Missouri, represents the state's 3rd District, which includes Jefferson City. His local office can be reached at 573-635-7232.
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