Year in Review

As 2014 winds to a close it is a good time to review and reflect on what we have accomplished this year, and what remains to be done. While much of the work done in the House to advance positive solutions to put America on a better path was blocked by the Democrat controlled Senate, we did make progress on priorities for Nebraskans and in pushing back against overreaching and harmful red tape.

This year I launched the Regulation Rewind project to make it easier for Third District constituents to identify, and weigh in on the federal rules which hurt economic growth, limit opportunities for rural Americas, are inconsistent with the law, or are unfair. Based on your feedback we have selected a number of regulations and proposed rules, and posted what I am doing to fight back on my website at: https://adriansmith.house.gov/regulationrewind.

Together, we have made progress on several issues. After voicing your concerns, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration dropped plans to regulate small farms. The Internal Revenue Service decided to rethink rules which would limit First Amendment rights of political groups. And the economically disastrous Waters of the United States rule, which would allow the federal government to regulate small ponds and streams, was blocked for ag producers through September.

After hearing your concerns about the many flight cancelations at Nebraska airports, I worked to give small airports more flexibility in implementing new pilot regulations. I also introduced legislation to ensure small airports get the appropriate level of funding and are not double penalized by these new rules.

Access to health care remains a challenge for rural Americans. In February, I introduced the Critical Access Hospital Relief Act to repeal the burdensome 96-hour precertification requirement. This arbitrary regulation requires physicians at small remote hospitals to certify Medicare and Medicaid patients will not be there more than 96 hours. This legislation along with two other bills I sponsored was included in a draft legislative package to improve the Medicare. I am hopeful this proposal will be considered during the next Congress.

My staff and I have also helped a number of Nebraskans address individual problems and cut through the red tape of dealing with the federal government. We successfully closed hundreds of federal casework issues. I started the Caseworker in Your Community program to better serve constituents unable to make it to one of my offices, and we expanded our annual Senior Services Fair to Scottsbluff and Grand Island.

Clearly, there is much more to be done during the upcoming Congress. Even with Republican control of both the House and Senate, we will need to work to get bills to the President’s desk and signed into law. I am optimistic we can make progress by using the system designed by our founders.