Blog

Working to get America Working

The biggest concerns I hear from Ohioans – families and businesses alike – are jobs and employment. Five years of economic uncertainty have left people worried about their family budgets, and what the future has to offer for them, their children, and their grandchildren.

I share these concerns, and am working hard to empower job-seekers and businesses to work and hire. Read what I’m doing and supporting, from reforming job-education programs to limiting government overreach, below:

What I’m Doing to Promote Job Growth

• Fighting for a Responsible Budget
• Empowering Ohioans to Work
• Improving Job-Education
• Cutting the Excesses of Government
• Protecting the Taxpayer from Government Abuse
• Fixing Health Care with Patient-Centered Solutions

Fighting for a Responsible Budget

A healthier economy and renewed job growth require a responsible plan to get our fiscal house in order. Just like your family does, Congress should have to make a budget and prioritize spending. And balancing our national budget simply means that Washington doesn't spend more than it takes in every year. I’ve also voted against budgets and debt ceiling increases that didn’t include any plan to put us on a path to balance.

• H.Con.Res. 25 – Path to Prosperity: Balanced Budget in 10 years
• H.R. 933 – Meaningful Spending Cuts - saves taxpayers $85 billion
• H.J.Res. 1 – A Balanced Budget Amendment
• H.R. 273 – Common sense reform eliminates the automatic pay raises, including for Members of Congress.
• H.R. 325 – No Budget, No Pay for Congress

Empowering Ohioans to Work
Ohioans want to work, and the government shouldn’t get in the way of those who are able and willing to work hard for an honest day’s pay.

• H.R. 3154 - RAISE Act: Allows employers to give merit-based bonuses, raises, or other increases to an individual employee above the level set by the employee's union contract.
• H.R. 946 - National Right-to-Work Act: Allow workers to be gainfully employed without being forced to join a labor union or pay union fees.
• H.R. 2575 - Save American Workers Act: Defines full-time employment under Obamacare as the traditional 40 hours a week.

Improving Job-Education
Ohioans want to get working again, and we need a 21^st century workforce equipped to build a 21^st economy. Ohio workers were the backbone of the 20^th century manufacturing revolution, and we have the workforce and human capital to lead this century’s economy.

• H.R. 803- the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)
  • streamlines and modernizes workforce development programs and gives greater flexibility to states and local agencies to address their region’s employment and workforce needs. H.R. 803 helps individuals with disabilities transition into employment.
  • H.R. 803 became law on July 22, 2014.

Cutting the Excesses of Government
Government programs and regulations often out-live their usefulness, but there are no mechanisms or incentives to end them, despite the billions that are continually spent year after year. I support two strong bills to review and rein-in these federal programs:

• H.R. 367 – Reins Act
  • Increases accountability for and transparency in the federal regulatory process by requiring Congress to approve all new major regulations.
• H.R. 309 – Regulatory Sunset and Review Act
  • Requires federal agencies to review their covered rules and modify, consolidate, or terminate such rules on a periodic basis. These include rules that are likely to result in an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more.

Protecting the Taxpayer from Government Abuse
Bureaucrats and regulations are one of the biggest impediments to unleashing our economy and the American worker. More and more, government red tape is wrapped around our economic potential and weighing down our recovery, burying Ohio families and businesses in mandated government compliance that costs time and money.

We’re losing our edge on innovation and entrepreneurship, because the federal government is getting in the way. The total federal regulatory burden now reaches up to an estimated $1.68 trillion.

That’s $14,678 per household – equal to 23.2% of a family's average income! Imagine if you had that back in your pocketbook

Sluggish job growth, higher health care costs, and an out-of-control government are not what hardworking Ohioans deserve. We must get Washington out of the way - whether at the doctor’s office, in the job market, or at the gas pump – to build an America that works.

Read the numerous bills I supported to end government abuse to foster job growth here: /StopGovtAbuse

Fixing Health Care with Patient-Centered Solutions
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports that the President’s Health Care Law, Obamacare, will reduce the full-time workforce by 2,500,000 jobs over the next ten years. The law has proven to be an unworkable exercise in unprecedented government growth and regulation.

That’s why I repeatedly voted to fully repeal the law and to delay the individual mandate.

• H.R. 45 - Repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
• H.R.1005 - Defund Obamacare Act
• H.R. 2667 - Authority for Mandate Delay Act (Delays the business mandate)
• H.R. 2668 - Fairness for American Families Act (Delays the individual mandate)

Read about the Health Care Solutions I support here