This week, we in the House continued to address two of the most urgent priorities I hear about from Fifth District Virginians. First, we advanced legislation to cut off government funds from being used to carry out President Obama’s executive actions on immigration.
The legislation we adopted explicitly prevents the funding of the President’s recent executive actions and requires priority removal and deportation of illegal immigrants who have been convicted of crimes. Though the President has acknowledged time and time again that the Constitution limits the authority of the executive branch to act unilaterally to change the law, he has taken action contrary to his constitutional powers and without the consent of Congress by effectively granting legal status to millions of illegal immigrants through unilateral action.
The restrictions that passed the House this week are meaningful steps that will discourage, rather than encourage, illegal immigration and are essential to re-asserting the fundamental principle that Congress makes our laws and the President must enforce them – explicit duties outlined by our Constitution. It is my hope that the Senate moves expeditiously to pass this important legislation and send it to the White House. We in the House will continue to work to strengthen the security of our borders and to implement an immigration policy that is rooted in the rule of law.
House Passes Hurt Jobs Bill
The House also continued its work on the pressing issue of job creation by passing the Promoting Job Creation and Reducing Small Business Burdens Act with bipartisan support. While the country has begun to experience modest economic growth, unemployment remains too high in Virginia’s Fifth District, and wages are not growing enough to make working families feel that our economy has recovered. Small businesses also continue to be stifled by excessive federal regulation that stands in the way of more dynamic job creation across Virginia and our nation.
The legislation passed by the House on Wednesday combines the text of 11 bills, all of which address unnecessary or excessive federal regulations hindering our small businesses from accelerating job growth.
The Small Company Disclosure Simplification Act, which I introduced with my Democratic colleague Congresswoman Terri Sewell during the 113th Congress, was incorporated into the legislation. The provision we introduced removes burdensome regulations for small public companies and requires the SEC to perform a cost benefit analysis on the rule’s impact on these companies, offering a practical step forward to ensure that our regulatory structure does not disproportionately burden smaller companies and dis-incentivize start-ups from accessing the public markets. By streamlining these requirements, small companies will now be able focus on innovating, expanding, and creating jobs.
As the 114th Congress continues, we in the House will continue to advance bipartisan solutions like this one that get Washington out of the way and allow our small businesses and family farms to focus on succeeding and creating good-paying jobs. It is my hope that our colleagues in the Senate will now take up this bill and join us in advancing policies that will spur job creation and economic recovery.
If you need any additional information or if we may be of assistance to you, please visit my website at hurt.house.gov or call my Washington office: (202) 225-4711, Charlottesville office: (434) 973-9631, Danville office: (434) 791-2596, or Farmville office: (434) 395-0120.
Robert Hurt represents Virginia’s Fifth District in Congress.
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