Hearings

Sep 27, 2018

Restoring Balance to Environmental Litigation

PURPOSE: To examine special-interest environmental litigation against federal agencies and identify reforms to curb excessive litigation and the abuse of fee shifting statutes such as the Equal Access to Justice Act. BACKGROUND: The Subcommittee on the Interior, Energy, and Environment has previously heard from a variety of witnesses about ...

Sep 27, 2018

The Benefits of a Deregulatory Agenda: Examples from Pioneering Governments

PURPOSE: To examine experiences of state and international governments engaged in regulatory reform and to discuss best practices that may be beneficial if implemented in the U.S. BACKGROUND: Beginning in October 2017, the Committee held a series of three hearings on the implementation of two executive ...

Sep 26, 2018

Examining Misconduct and Retaliation at TSA

PURPOSE: To examine the Committee's findings into senior level misconduct and whistleblower retaliation at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). BACKGROUND: For several years, the Committee has been investigating senior level misconduct, mismanagement, whistleblower retaliation, and lack of transparency at TSA. The investigation found senior-level misconduct and retaliation against ...

Sep 26, 2018

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Fraud

PURPOSE: To discuss how to combat Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fraud from both a federal and state perspective. To explore how Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) can more effectively assist states in the program's administration. BACKGROUND: SNAP is a federal aid program administered through the Department of ...

Sep 26, 2018

Countering China: Ensuring America Remains the World Leader in Advanced Technologies and Innovation

PURPOSE: To discuss the effects Chinese trade practices have on American companies working to enter Chinese markets and to examine how to protect American economic and security interests. BACKGROUND: China has aggressively acquired American intellectual property through legal and illegal means, including espionage, state-sponsored theft, forced ...

Sep 6, 2018

Permitting: Finding a Path Forward

PURPOSE: To examine the economic cost of delays and inefficiencies in the federal environmental review and permitting system for infrastructure projects. BACKGROUND: On average, it takes eight to ten years to obtain permit approval for large infrastructure construction projects in the United States. These delays increase the overall project costs and directly harm communities while they wait for vital projects like safe ...