Through a series if bills aimed at reducing the public’s exposure to the power and abuse of the federal government, Rep. Eric Cantor has announced there will be debate and votes on them next week. Not one of them will become law, mostly because liberals are using that corruption to further their agenda, but many will be embarrassed when the time comes to justify their votes. The republicans can pass them all in the House and even if by some miracle, enough democrats vote for it in the senate, Obama will never sign away the power he wields through corrupting the executive branch. Besides, Harry Reid can simply not allow the bills onto the senate floor.
- Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care –H.R. 2009, authored by Rep. Tom Price, prevents the IRS from implementing any portion of Obamacare.
- Keep Federal Bureaucrats from Ruining the Economy and Lowering Wages – H.R. 367, the Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, authored by Rep. Todd Young requires Congressional approval of regulations that cost over $100 million.
- Citizen Empowerment Act –The Citizen Empowerment Act, H.R. 2711 authored by Rep. Lynn Jenkins, creates an affirmative right for individuals to record their meetings and telephone exchanges with federal regulatory officials engaged in enforcement activities and requires that individuals be notified of such right.
- Government Employee Accountability Act –H.R. 2579, authored by Rep. Mike Kelly gives agencies the option to place employees on unpaid leave when they are under investigation for certain serious offenses.
- Government Customer Service Improvement Act –H.R. 1660 sponsored by Rep. Henry Cuellar requires agencies to adopt customer service standards and to use customer service feedback in agency and personnel reviews.
- Government Spending Accountability Act – H.R. 313, sponsored by Rep. Blake Farenthold, increases transparency with respect to taxpayer-funded conferences, places limits on federal conferences, and requires agency head approval for the most expensive conferences.
- Common Sense in Compensation Act –H.R. 1541, sponsored by Rep Mark Meadows would not only place limits on the size of bonuses but also limit the number of senior agency employees who may receive bonuses in any given year.
- Stop Targeting Our Politics IRS Act – H.R. 2565, sponsored by Rep. Jim Renacci would provide for the termination of employment of IRS employees who take official actions for political purposes
- Stop Playing on Citizen’s Cash Act –H.R. 2533, sponsored by Rep. Peter Roskam imposes a moratorium on IRS conference until the IG’s recommendations are implemented.
- The Taxpayer Bill of Rights – H.R. 2768, sponsored by Rep. Peter Roskam would specify the rights that citizens have when dealing with the IRS, including a right to privacy and confidentiality.
It is an exercise in futility, but remember that the consensus is that exercise is good for you. If nothing else it will provide some good commercials for the 2014 election. And if we gain the senate, we could do even more of this and dare senate democrats to vote no.
Steven Ahle is the Editor of Red Statements and a regular contributor to The D.C. Clothesline.
