Washington, DC - After raising significant objections today to a Republican bill to ban regulations if the national unemployment rate is higher than six percent, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney succeeded in forcing Committee Republicans to exempt from their ban regulations that combat discrimination against women and minorities.
“When we take away any ability to protect women and minorities, we are left with a system that continues to allow for mistreatment and inequality," Maloney said at the hearing. “It is clear that when we invest in the fair and equal treatment of women and minorities, we invest in our nation’s success."
HR 4078, the Regulatory Freeze for Jobs Act, was considered at a Committee mark-up today and would impose a broad prohibition on regulations issued by federal agencies if the national rate of unemployment is above six percent.
Maloney offered an amendment to exempt from this ban regulations that protect the equal treatment of women and minorities, including but not limited to actions related to pay parity, retaliatory discharge, hostile work environments, sexual harassment, voting rights, or access to education. In response, Committee Chairman Darrell Issa was compelled to offer his own similar amendment to address the underlying deficiencies raised by Maloney in his bill.
The Committee also adopted an amendment offered by Congressman John Yarmuth to exempt from the ban regulations that protect military servicemembers and veterans.
In contrast, however, Committee Republicans voted down an amendment offered by Ranking Member Elijah E. Cummings that would have allowed regulations to protect the health and safety of children, a vote that was particularly ironic given that several children were present in the Committee hearing room for Bring Your Daughter to Work Day.
Republicans also opposed a similar amendment offered by Congressman Danny K. Davis to protect seniors, as well as an amendment offered by Congressman Dennis Kucinich to combat illegal oil speculation.
