Last week, President Trump signed into law a resolution (H.J.Res.44) to overturn the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Resource Management Planning Rule, also known as Planning 2.0. This sweeping regulation impacted all future BLM Resource Management Plans, taking power away from the county commissioners and state field officers who know best how to manage these lands. H.J.Res.44 will put an end to federal overreach by returning power to the local communities most affected by federal land management decisions. I was pleased to support this initiative and see it signed into law by the President. This is great news for folks across the West.
Washington Visitors
It’s always nice to see familiar faces while I’m in Washington. Below are some of the Nevadans I met with last week:
Nevada 4-H Students
Nevada Restaurant Association
Nevada Cattleman's Association
Dean Daniel Hamilton - UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law
Washington Wrap-Up
AIPAC Meeting
I also had the opportunity last week to meet with members of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). We specifically discussed President Obama’s flawed Iran Deal and how it’s currently impacting Israel. Iran continues to defy the terms of deal – conducting at least 15 ballistic missile tests, committing horrific human rights abuses, and continuing support for terror groups. Israel remains concerned, but is hopeful that President Trump will put pressure on Iran to stop these actions. The United States has a responsibility to protect our citizens and Israel, our strongest ally in the region. Please know that I will continue to work alongside my colleagues in the House to ensure Iran is held accountable to the international community.
EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act
The EPA routinely imposes burdensome regulations on American workers and employers, all based on information the agency does not have to make publicly available. Last week, the House passed the EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2017, which will restore transparency and public participation to the EPA’s often secretive, backdoor approach to the regulatory process. This bill will ensure the EPA Science Advisory Board remains unbiased, collaborative, and accountable to the American people. I am pleased this bill passed the House, and I will continue to advocate for a transparent, fact-based approach to the regulatory process to protect the best interests of Nevada's workers and employers.
The FEMA Relief Improvement Act
As Nevada experienced devastating flooding recently in Washoe, Elko, Humboldt, and Douglas Counties, we know first-hand how important the work of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is when it comes to helping communities after major disasters strike. The House remains committed to ensuring communities across the nation receive the assistance they require, and I was pleased to support H.R. 1117, the FEMA Relief Improvement Act, which passed the House last week with a unanimous, bipartisan vote. This bill will improve disaster response efforts by increasing transparency and consistency in the recovery process to ensure communities like our own are protected.
In Case You Missed It
Recently, the House attempted to hold a vote on the American Health Care Act. As you may know, the House did not end up voting on this piece of legislation.
I have always said we need health care reform. After seven years of Obamacare, premiums are soaring, options are limited, and 18 out of the 23 original co-ops have failed. I would have gladly supported a bill that addressed these top-line issues, but at the end of the day, this bill was not what Nevada needed.
When you remove yourself from the politics and focus on the issue, there is plenty of work that can be done in a timely manner to get the job done. As is the case with any issue, I will continue to concentrate on the policy and not the politics. I am hopeful the House will go back to the drawing board on this and craft meaningful reforms through an open and collaborative legislative process.
If you would like more specifics on this issue, click here to follow a link to my website.
Thanking those who Assisted Throughout This Process
I would like to thank several individuals who treated my staff and myself with respect and were incredibly helpful throughout this process. A special thanks to Heather Korbulic, the Executive Director of the Silver State Health Exchange. Ms. Korbulic spent a great deal of time discussing this bill at length with us. I also would like to thank Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s staff for their assistance and Governor Sandoval’s Chief of Staff, Mike Willden, for being highly responsive to our requests for critical information as it pertains to Nevada Medicaid and insurance markets.
In other health care matters, the House did move two important bills last month that will offer meaningful reforms to our current health care system. Learn more about these two measures below:
H.R. 1101 - the Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2017
Obamacare’s expensive regulations are making it increasingly difficult for small businesses to afford to offer health care coverage to their employees. The Small Business Health Fairness Act is a common sense approach to help empower our small businesses by allowing them to join together when shopping for health care plans. Joining through association health plans (AHPs) will allow our nation’s small businesses to have the same strength in numbers as larger corporations, making it easier to provide their employees with affordable health care.
H.R. 372 - Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act of 2017
Finding responsible reforms to the health and insurance community is a top priority for me. Under current law, health insurance companies are exempt from the anti-trust laws governing all other business in our nation. H.R. 372 will restore the application of antitrust laws to the business of health insurance, ensuring fair competition that would in turn allow for more consumer access and fair pricing.
As always, thank you for subscribing to the Amodei Report. I look forward to continuing to keep you up to date on the issues you care about most.
For additional information, please visit my website at amodei.house.gov or call my Washington office: (202) 225-6155, Reno office: (775) 686-5760 or Elko office: (775) 777-7705. To receive updates on what I am doing in Washington and in Nevada’s 2nd District follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube.
