Huizenga Huddle: April 24, 2015
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U.S. Congressman Bill Huizenga
The Huizenga Huddle: April 24, 2015

The First 100 Days In The House

Last Thursday marked the first 100 days of the Republican-led Congress.  During this start, the House has made significant progress on advancing legislation that gets Washington working for West Michigan. 

  • The House has passed 62 bills, which more than doubled the 25 passed in the first 100 days of the 113th Congress and is twice as many as the 31 passed in the 112th Congress. 

  • Of these bills, 8 have gone on to pass the Senate thus far, and all 8 of those bills have been signed into law. These laws include improved suicide prevention treatment for veterans, reforming terrorism risk insurance, and enacting the first entitlement reform in nearly two decades

  • This marks the second most productive first 100 days where Republicans have been in control of the House in decades, behind only the 106th Congress (1999 – 2001) where 14 bills were enacted.

One of the major bills passed is the House budget, which balances in less than 10 years, doesn't raise taxes, and cuts $5.5 trillion in spending. The House and Senate are currently meeting in what is known as a conference committee to hammer out differences between the House passed budget and the budget passed by the Senate.

Another bill that has passed the House is my bipartisan legislation, the Mortgage Choice Act, which is designed to help low & middle income families attain a qualified mortgage.  A qualified mortgage is the gold standard of home loans, and because of technicalities in Dodd-Frank, people who can afford the home they are trying to attain a mortgage for are being denied access to this type of loan. To fix this problem, I reached out to some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and found a bipartisan solution.  This legislation was supported by nearly every Republican and 45 Democrats.  The Mortgage Choice Act now moves on to the Senate where I am hopeful a Republican-led senate will give the bill future consideration. You can read more about this important legislation here

On Tuesday morning, I spoke to Gene and Nancy on 1260 The Pledge about this bipartisan legislation.  You can listen to the interview here

​​​​Bipartisan Solutions​ To Boost West Michigan's Economy
                                    
Creating Jobs, Saving Taxpayer Dollars:
You may have seen something interesting in the Grand Rapids Press on April 12th.  Senator Gary Peters and I wrote an op-ed detailing how we are working together on a bipartisan piece of legislation to cut spending, save taxpayer dollars, and create jobs right here in West Michigan.  

The Federal Vehicle Repair Cost Savings Act of 2015 will save taxpayer dollars by encouraging federal agencies to use remanufactured vehicle components when they are available, such as engines, transmissions, alternators, and starters. Remanufactured parts are a responsible and cost effective alternative to maintain the fleets of vehicles across the federal government.  For more information on this Made in Michigan solution click here.

Enhancing The Great Lakes Economy: ​​Possibly as early as next week, the House will consider the FY 2016 Energy & Water Appropriations bill.  This legislation sets the spending parameters for water infrastructure projects, Department of Energy Programs, and some aspects of our national defense. Included in this bill is funding for the maintenance of coastal ports as well as harbors across the Great Lakes.

The Great Lakes are vital to Michigan's economy and ensuring our harbors are properly maintained and dredged is one of my top priorities.  Last year, Congress took an important step to make sure our harbors received the funding intended for them and when some in Washington said it was ok to let things slide, Rep. Janice Hahn (D-CA) worked across the aisle to make sure the federal government lived up to its word.

This year, Rep. Hahn and I are again preparing to take on those in Washington who don't understand the economic importance of our coastal ports and Great Lakes harbors. We penned a bipartisan op-ed in "The Hill" describing how Congress must be held accountable and must properly utilize the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. I am preparing a set of cuts to offset the spending for harbor maintenance.  We can make sure the Great Lakes harbors get dredged and we can do it without adding to the debt.  Washington needs to prioritize it's spending and I am working in a bipartisan manner to make sure the Great Lakes Economy is a priority.

On Wednesday, I spoke with Steve Ruba of News 98 WLDN about how I am working to make sure Michigan harbors get the dredging they need at no extra cost to the taxpayers.  You can listen to the interview here.

​How Washington's Red Tape Impacts West Michigan

Last month, Viktor Anderson of Structural Concepts in Norton Shores testified before the House Small Business Committee on the real world impact of regulations on West Michigan Manufacturers.  Bureaucrats in Washington just don't understand how duplicative regulation and contradictory rulemaking impacts job creation and hurts the economy.  Take a look at Viktor's testimony and see how even some of the most advanced manufacturing is being threated by Washington's sea of red tape.

​Attention Veterans

Tomorrow, my veterans specialist, Krista Umanos will be holding office hours at the VFW in Baldwin from noon until 2.  This is an opportunity for veterans in Lake County and the surrounding area to sit down with West Michigan's expert in dealing with issues pertaining to the VA.  If you know a veteran who is having trouble with the VA or is interested in receiving the medals they earned during their time in the service, encourage them to attend! For more information about Saturday's veteran workshop click here

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