WASHINGTON, DC -- Congressman Collin Peterson (DFL-7th District) today was a featured speaker during the National Association of Home Builders Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. Peterson is the chairperson of THE COALITION's task force on regulatory reform, and was representing THE COALITION at the event
"THE COALITION's main goal is to work on common sense legislation on a non-partisan basis," Peterson said. "We don't care who gets the credit, we only care about passing legislation that is good for this country.
"The regulatory moratorium is just one example of this group coming to the middle and working on a piece of legislation that this country needs. The Republicans on the committee listened to us and worked with us, and because of that we improved the legislation.
"I started off not being a big believer in regulatory reform, but that was until I discovered that if you sat down to read every regulation that has been enacted by the Federal government, and read every day for eight hours a day, it would take you EIGHT years to read all of them. That fact alone convinced me that we had a problem.
"Regulators need to be hit with a 2x4 between their eyes, and that's what the House did when it passed the regulatory moratorium. But that was just the beginning. We then passed cost benefit/analysis legislation and private property owners rights legislation to show the regulators that we mean business.
"It is my hope that the Senate will quickly aim that 2x4 at the eyes of the regulators as well. We've got to keep the heat on the Senate and make sure they don't water any of the legislation down."
Peterson and Representative David McIntosh (R-IN), Chairman of the Government Reform and Oversight Committee, will be lobbying the Senate this week about the importance of the regulatory reform legislation.
"And after we get it through the Senate, we have to deal with the President. This could end up being the first big veto fight we have on our hands. While we had enough votes in the House to pass the legislation, the numbers aren't there right now to over-ride a veto. I hope we don't have to over-ride a veto, but if we do, we will work hard to get this legislation through.
"We just can't keep letting the regulators make rules that aren't needed. We've got to stop the rules that need to be stopped, and make the bureaucrats take the time to really study whether or not a regulation is needed. The regulatory moratorium sends a message to bureaucrats that business as usual is over."