Benjamin Quayle

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank the people of the Third Congressional District of Arizona, who put their trust and faith in me to represent them in the 112th Congress. The people of our district are good, hardworking Americans. They value their family, their country, and their freedoms. It was an absolute honor to serve them in this Congress.

I would also like to thank my family and friends for their unwavering support throughout my life. Without them, I would not be here today.

Mr. Speaker, I'd also like to thank my tireless staff both here in Washington and back home in Arizona. Their dedication to our district and to our country was something that was amazing to watch. And over the course of 2 years, working day and night, they became a lot more than just people I work with. They became extended family. And I thank them for that.

Mr. Speaker, I want to finally thank, more importantly, my wife, Tiffany, who, a few years ago, made me the luckiest man on the face of the Earth when she said ``yes'' to be my wife. I want to thank her for all of the sacrifices that she has made so that I could be in this House. She has held down a full-time job, all the while playing both mom and dad to our daughter, Evie, when I was away from home. I can never thank her enough for all that she has done.

Mr. Speaker, the past 2 years have been an interesting ride, primarily because it was highly unlikely that I would ever speak on this floor. You see, Mr. Speaker, if you had asked me 5 years ago if I would ever run for public office, I would have said ``no.'' And not because I don't value and honor public service. I certainly do. But it's because the environment that I grew up in, I saw the bad side of politics and I didn't know if I wanted to put my family through the same trials and tribulations. However, that all changed as I witnessed our country continuing to stray from its founding principles, and if it didn't reverse course, we were going to lose countless generations because of lost opportunities.

So, Mr. Speaker, I ran for office not for a title, not for some unhealthy desire to be the center of attention, but to serve my fellow citizens and to be a part of a movement that would reestablish the belief that our country's greatness comes from its people and not from the government and to make sure that America remains the last great hope on Earth.

Two years ago, we sat out to accomplish those objectives. We didn't succeed--not for the lack of trying. We did take steps toward solving the biggest and most severe issues that we face. We must build on this and not shrink from solving the fiscal disaster that awaits us if we do nothing.

Mr. Speaker, as this Congress comes to a close in the next couple of weeks, I'm confident that the Members of the next Congress will rise to the occasion and provide the solutions to a worried Nation. However, my confidence is not limitless. If petty politics drives policy decisions, if one group is pitted against another for political gain, if personal destruction drowns out personal accountability, then, sadly, the legacy of our great Nation will be forever altered and the world will be a dimmer place.

I hope and pray this does not happen, Mr. Speaker. But as I said, my confidence is not limitless.

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week the House voted on H.R. 3803, the District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act that was introduced by my colleague from Arizona, Representative Trent Franks. This bill would generally prohibit abortions, except in cases where the mother is at risk, 20 weeks after fertilization, the point at which studies have shown an unborn child has the capacity to feel pain.

I strongly believe that we have a moral obligation to protect life and defend those who cannot defend themselves. Recognizing the gruesome nature of late stage abortions, nine states, including my home State of Arizona, have enacted laws to restrict this procedure.

While I'm disappointed that we failed to secure the two-thirds vote necessary to pass H.R. 3803 this week, I was heartened that a majority of my colleagues in the House stood to protect the unborn. This week's vote has only strengthened my resolve to continue to advocate for pro- life polices to hasten the day when all life is valued and treated as a gift.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Red Tape Reduction and Small Business Jobs Creation Act.

Now, time and time again, when I talk to small business owners in my district, they say that the number one challenge holding them back from expanding their business and hiring more workers is uncertainty in regulation and taxation.

The current pro-regulatory administration has issued nearly four times the number of regulations as the previous administration. The administration's own numbers show that U.S.

businesses spent over 8.8 billion hours complying with Federal paperwork requirements. To put this into perspective, this is equal to 1 million years of filling out government paperwork.

Mr. Chairman, one of these costly regulations that the EPA is currently imposing is the Regional Haze Rule that could close down power plants across the country, all for aesthetics. This regulation affects the Navajo generating station in Arizona, which could cost $1.1 billion in initial compliance costs, hundreds of Arizona jobs, and cost $90 million a year, increasing the cost of electricity and water across the State of Arizona.

And what does $90 million a year get us?

Well, according to the administration's own study, they found inconclusive evidence that these regulations would improve visibility at all.

Across the country, pro-regulatory environment groups are suing the EPA and forcing these haze requirements through settlement and consent decrees. In my home State of Arizona, the EPA entered into a consent decree with nine environmental groups, including the Sierra Club and the Environmental Defense Fund, which will affect the emission control technology at coal-fired power plants throughout the State.

Regulations have costly and job-killing implications, and it is important that the rulemaking process is not written behind closed doors by activist groups and regulatory agencies.

I am pleased that a bill that I have sponsored is included in this package, H.R. 3862, the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act. This legislation provides transparency to these sue-and-settle agreements and consent decrees, which are used by activist groups to dictate regulations behind closed doors, and often contrary to congressional intent, if an agency misses a statutory deadline.

My bill ensures that interested parties will have an opportunity to provide comments and requires courts to consider the impact on States and tribes. Additionally, my bill makes it easier for future administrations to modify consent decrees as circumstances and facts dictate.

This legislation is increasingly necessary as more statutory deadlines slip due to the large number of rulemakings that were mandated during the previous Congress, notably in ObamaCare and Dodd- Frank.

I urge my colleagues to support this pro-growth bill.