Congressman Denny Rehberg

WASHIGNTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, this week introduced an amendment to the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Bill that would have blocked funding for the enforcement of a particularly ominous new reporting requirement for American small businesses.  The provision – which will require companies to start issuing 1099 tax forms to all vendors  from whom they purchase more than $600 in goods and services – was intended to increase tax revenues to pay for the  health care benefits that don’t even begin until 2012 or later.  Currently, businesses  typically issue 1099 forms only to independent contractors and freelancers receive them each year from their clients.

“Before we even get to the mountains of health care-related paperwork that small businesses are  facing, this tax provision requires Montana small businesses to track every penny they spend over $600 in the course of a year,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriation Subcommittee.  “For example, if a company spends $600 on miscellaneous supplies from the local supermarket, they’ll now be required to submit a tax form reporting that expenditure to the IRS.  That’s time that you could be using building your business and creating jobs.”

A recent poll conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce indicated that 68% of small business owners say the government’s regulations hurt the economy and job creation.  Rehberg, who has long fought to reduce required government paperwork, has also co-sponsored H.R. 5141, the “Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act,” which repeals the burdensome new 1099 provision in the Health Care Bill.

“Congressman Rehberg’s effort to halt this egregious tax grab perfectly captures the frustration that Montana’s small business owners have been voicing,” said Riley Johnson, the Montana State Director for the National Federation of Independent Business. “They know this new health care law, with provisions like this, will bury them in paperwork and force them to spend even more money on tax compliance.  Those new costs mean less investment in their business and fewer jobs – the exact opposite of the kind of policies small businesses need to create jobs and jump start our economy.  We look forward to working with pro-small business members like Congressman Rehberg to repeal the 1099 reporting provision once and for all.”

Rehberg’s Amendment would have prevented any funds from being used to implement this provision.  It failed on a strictly party-line vote.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -  Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today released the following statement following his vote against the Wall Street Bailout Bill in the House.

“Instead of addressing the root cause of the collapse of America’s banking system, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, this disastrous bill saddles taxpayers with permanent bank bailouts and further perpetuates the idea that some industries are “too big to fail.”  Far from solving the financial crisis, this bill creates a huge new government bureaucracy and will lead to decreased credit availability for Montana’s small businesses.  It takes a special sort of delusion to think the solution to government problems is more government.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today released the following statement in response to an announcement of listening sessions held by staff from the Departments of Agriculture and Interior and the White House Council on Environmental Quality to discuss the President’s mysterious “America’s Great Outdoors Initiative.”

“Public meetings should be the first step in crafting policy, not the last.  While I’m glad the White House and its agencies are finally coming to listen to Montanans, I’m skeptical about how much good it will do this late in the game.  The fact is, they’ve been working for months in secret on policies impacting our state.  We only learned about it after portions of an internal memo was discovered.  Far from being open and transparent, the Department of Interior still refuses to release more than 2,000 pages of relevant information relating to their plans, including the missing pages of that memo.  Despite what they’re calling it, it’s not really a public event if you need tickets, and it’s not really a listening session if the agenda is fixed ahead of time.  At the 44 listening sessions I’ve held around Montana, anyone could come and talk about anything they wanted.  That’s what Montanans expect, and it’s what they deserve.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has issued a statement regarding the US Small Business Association’s National Small Business Week, recognized across the country this week.

“As I travel around Montana, I see first-hand the amazing work being done by Montana’s small business owners.  This nation’s greatness is built by the unheralded personal sacrifices, boundless ingenuity, and raw sweat of our small business owners.  The jobs that our economy so badly needs don’t come from Washington, D.C, they come from the hard work of these amazing entrepreneurs, and it’s those owners who are the backbone of our economy.  Although we celebrate small businesses for a week, I fight for them every day in Congress.  I fight to reduce their tax burdens so they can spend their money hiring new employees or investing it back into their businesses.  I fight to reduce the onerous federal regulations so they can spend their time doing what they do best.”

National Small Business Week recognizes entrepreneurs from around the country, this year between May 23rd and May 29th.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today joined House Republican colleagues in unveiling America Speaking Out.  By providing an online forum for Montanans to voice their opinions in setting priorities for a national agenda, this initiative mirrors the public input that Rehberg has solicited at 44 public listening sessions and through online social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

“Montanans are sick and tired of the vote-first-ask-questions-later approach to lawmaking that Speaker Pelosi has adopted.  It’s a recipe for bad laws, and worse, it’s a sign of an unresponsive government that serves its own interests before the interests of the people.  That’s why I hosted 44 public listening sessions.  That’s why I asked for 30 days to come back to Montana and listen before any vote on a health care bill.  That’s why, on a daily basis, I interact with thousands of Montanans on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.  It’s time Washington, D.C. listens to the people.  We want to know what you think.  And that’s what America Speaking Out is all about.”

America Speaking Out is the first legislative website of its kind.  Using modern online tools, it empowers users to submit their own ideas or weigh in on the ideas of others.  It creates a one-of-a-kind pipeline to Washington, D.C. that will help make Congress look a lot more like Montana.  Montanans can access America Speaking Out online at http://www.americaspeakingout.com.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has posted online 383 previously unreleased pages from the Department of Interior regarding ongoing plans to declare millions of acres as National Monuments.  Using email and social media, he asked Montanans to review the materials and report anything of interest that they found. 

“Transparency in government is the first principle of rule by the people,” said Rehberg, a member of the Congressional Western Caucus.  “While some have gone to great lengths to keep these documents secret, and others have suggested there was no reason to see them, I think we ought to let Montanans see for themselves what their government is doing.  It’s not going to be easy to sneak this one past almost a million Montanans.”

Although Rehberg posted the new pages – mostly emails – on his website, the DOI continues to withhold at least 2,016 pages, including the missing pages of the internal memo that was discovered earlier this year.  Rehberg has cosponsored a resolution that would compel all of these missing pages to be released.  He has also sponsored legislation that would require congressional approval of new National Monument designations in Montana.

“These documents clearly reveal that other DOI agencies including the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Reclamation have been involved,” said Rehberg in his email to Montanans.  “Powerful environmental interest groups have also been invited to the table.  The more we learn, the more urgent it becomes to pass legislation preventing a repeat of the gross abuse of power we saw in the waning days of the Clinton Administration.  I will do everything in my power to prevent the federalization of Montana land.”

The documents can be downloaded online from here: http://rehberg.house.gov/uploads/DeptofInterior.zip

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has been recognized for promoting “the principles of liberty and the strength of the Constitution,” by the American Conservative Union (ACU), the nation’s oldest and largest conservative grassroots organization.  Rehberg was named an “ACU Conservative” with a 92% percent rating in 2009 based on 25 votes covering government bailouts, wasteful spending, taxes, and health care reform.  Rehberg has a 90% lifetime rating with the ACU.

“I voted with Montanans who believe that government isn’t the solution to all our problems and that government is most effective when it empowers individuals with freedom and opportunity,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Liberty Caucus.  “It’s these ideals, shaped by the input from Montanans at 44 listening sessions that shape my voting record.”

The American Conservative Union was founded in 1964 as a grassroots organization promoting traditional values, a market economy, a strong national defense, and the doctrines of the Constitution.  The ACU has published an annual rating of Congress since 1971 based on 25 votes each in the House and Senate.  Key issues in the first session of the 111th Congress included the financial industry bailouts, stimulus spending, energy policy, federal abortion funding, and health care reform.  Rehberg is the only member of the Montana delegation to vote against every bailout and the $1 trillion so-called stimulus package.

“This award is a reflection of Representative Denny Rehberg’s consistent support of conservative principles on a wide range of issues of concern to grass roots conservatives in 2009,” said David A. Keene, Chairman of the American Conservative Union.  “At a challenging time when the fundamental principles on which the American system of government are being challenged, Representative Denny Rehberg stands with those who are trying to preserve those principles.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has introduced legislation, H.R. 5177, to help contractors in Montana by extending the deadline for compliance to a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule governing how contractors deal with lead in pre-1978 houses.

“I’m disappointed that, once again, the EPA chose to ignore the reality that rural states like Montana aren’t the same as urban states like California,” said Rehberg.  “If a Washington, D.C. bureaucrat won’t do the right thing by choice, then Congress needs to act and fix the problem.  And that’s what my bill will do.” 

The new EPA lead paint rule went into effect on April 22nd.  Under the rule, many renovations of facilities constructed before 1978 must follow new Lead Safe Work Practices that are supervised by an EPA certified renovator and performed by an EPA certified renovation firm.  Construction professionals have to receive training from an EPA-certified trainer which can cost as much as $250.  In addition to ensuring that their employees receive the training, firms have to register with the EPA and be “certified” to complete lead renovation work (at a cost of $300).

Rehberg’s legislation extends the deadline for implementation of the new rule to be one year after the first EPA-certified class was provided in the state.  Although this rule has been in place for 2 years, the EPA only started certifying trainers to provide the necessary classes 1 year ago.  The first training course was not held in Montana until October, 2009.  Montana has only a single certified trainer, and many of the state’s rural contractors have simply not had the necessary time to drive all the way to Bozeman for the necessary training.

Rehberg said he has no problems with the regulation itself, just the timing of the implementation because many rural contractors have not yet had the opportunity to be trained by an EPA-certified trainer.

“Giving Montana’s contracting businesses enough time to get certified would be extremely welcome,” said Dustin Stewart, the executive director of Montana Building Industry Association.  “Montana has suffered declining housing starts for 30 months straight, which means that our small businesses are surviving on remodels.  This rule is an economic wrecking ball for those businesses that are most impacted by the current economic decline.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today facilitated a meeting between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and representatives from the Montana Building Industry Association (MBIA) in his Washington, D.C. office.  The MBIA, along with other construction organizations, are concerned about the April 22 deadline for the implementation of the EPA’s Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule.

“Now is not the time for rigid federal regulation deadlines on an industry that’s already impacted by the economic downturn,” said Rehberg.  “Everyone wants to make sure that lead-based products are handled safely, but this is a matter of fairness.  Rural contractors simply need more time to get the training certification that is required.”

The new EPA lead paint rule goes into effect this Thursday, April 22nd.  Under the rule, many renovations of facilities constructed before 1978 must follow new Lead Safe Work Practices that are supervised by an EPA certified renovator and performed by an EPA certified renovation firm.  Construction professionals have to receive training from an EPA-certified trainer which can cost as much as $250.  In addition to ensuring that their employees receive the training, firms have to register with the EPA and be “certified” that they do lead renovation work (at a cost of $300).

Rehberg, who has no problems with the regulation itself, has spearheaded a broad effort in the House to delay the implementation of the rule because of the lack of opportunity contractors have had to be trained by an EPA-certified trainer.  This is especially true in rural states like Montana where there is only one certified trainer, at MSU in Bozeman. 

“We really appreciate Denny for arranging this totally unique and valuable opportunity for us to meet directly with the people who created this rule,” said Dustin Stewart, the executive director of MBIA who also estimates that at least half of the people who need to be trained in Montana will not have been by Thursday’s deadline.  “We still have significant disagreements about the timing of this implementation, and concerns about what it will mean for our industry, but the opportunity to put our faces to those concerns directly with the EPA was invaluable.”

Schedules Stops in Billings, Laurel, Livingston & Bozeman

BILLINGS, MT – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, will be talking jobs in four Montana cities over the next two days. On Wednesday, February 17 he will be in Billings and Laurel, and on Thursday, February 18 he will visit Livingston and Bozeman. At each stop, he will be meeting with local businesses and organizations to discuss the creation of new jobs.

“It’s been more than a year since the ‘so-called’ stimulus was signed into law, and unemployment remains the most pressing barrier to economic recovery,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, who supported a true stimulus that was timely, targeted, temporary and transparent. “Montanans understand that jobs don’t come from Washington, D.C. They come from the hard work of small businesses, which is why it’s so important for elected officials to put boots on the ground and learn directly from the horse’s mouth exactly what will stimulate job growth.”

Rehberg’s tour will include:

Wednesday, February 17

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. – Montana Chamber of Commerce Spirit of Enterprise Award ceremony at Wyo-Ben, Inc. (Billings)
10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. – Tour of the Northern Hotel Project (Billings)
1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. – Visit Beartooth Harley (Billings)
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Tour Cenex Refinery (Laurel)

Thursday, February 18

9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. – Tour of Printing for Less (Livingston)
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. – Visit Mystery Ranch (Bozeman)
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Visit the Bozeman Job Service and Workforce Center (Bozeman)

For press inquiries, please contact Tom Schultz:
tom.schultz@mail.house.gov, (406) 543-9550