Forgotten 15 Job Creating Bills Passed by House, Ignored by Senate

The recurring slogan du jour from Team Obama, in particular the campaigner-in-chief himself, is We Can't Wait. As in, he can't wait for the Congress to do its job in legislating us out of this economic mess. It is a false charge, especially in light of the fact that the Republican-led House of Representatives has passed job creating bills that lay unattended in the Democratically controlled Senate. Why doesn't President Obama talk to Senate Majority Leader Reid about bringing those bills up for debate and votes?

There are currently 15 "forgotten" job creating bills referenced by Speaker of the House Boehner and his leadership team that should be taken up in the Senate. And, Thursday the House passed a rare bi-partisan agreement in the form of a bill that eliminates the withholding of 3% of payments to government contractors. It is a minor victory, to be sure, but a victory for those seeking common ground to move forward. The bill was passed orginally in 2006 yet has not been enacted. The purpose was to ensure that those companies doing business with the federal government paid their share of taxes.

The vote was 406-16. The President supports the action. The Senate Democrats blocked the action last week but plan to take it up again next week.
HERE is a list of the Forgotten 15.

I am particularly anxious for numbers 4 through 7 to be taken up in the Senate. Now.

4) Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act (H.R 1230) – Helps to reduce energy prices and promote job creation by expediting offshore oil and natural gas exploration in the Gulf of Mexico and the Virginia coast.
• Introduced by Rep. Doc Hastings (WA) on March 29, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 266-149 on May 5, 2011
5) Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act (H.R. 1229) – Promotes job creation and reduces energy prices by reinstating oil drilling permits in the Gulf Coast.
• Introduced by Rep. Doc Hastings (WA) on March 29, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 263-163 on May 11, 2011
6) Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act (H.R 1231) – Promotes lower energy costs and job creation by allowing drilling in at least 50 percent of the Outer Continental Shelf areas known to contain the most oil and gas.
• Introduced by Rep. Doc Hastings (WA) on March 29, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 243-179 on May 12, 2011
7) The Jobs and Energy Permitting Act H.R 2021) – Promotes job growth and reduces energy costs by expediting the process of obtaining an offshore drilling permit.
• Introduced by Rep. Cory Gardner (CO) on May 26, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 255-166 on June 22, 2011

As I wrote this week in an article for The Texas Conservative, energy independence will help turn our economy around. Energy exploration and production will create jobs immediately.

Here are some facts that counter the Obama administration's claim that the drilling permit process is moving along just fine and that the moratorium is lifted:

•Over the past five years, 73.4 percent of plans submitted to BOEMRE were approved. That number dropped to 52 percent in 2010 and stands at 37 percent in 2011.
•The federal government approved these plans in an average of 60.6 days over the past five years. That number increased to 67 days in 2010. But it skyrocketed to 115 days this year.
•So far in October, the government has issued just one deepwater drilling permit. The average over the past three years is seven new permit approvals per month.

Listen to the House leadership speak about the "Forgotten 15".



The President need only look to the Democratically controlled Senate to vote on these job creating bills and send them to him to sign.