Marino Reintroduces Signature RAPID Act Legislation

Washington D.C.—Congressman Tom Marino, PA-10, Lycoming County reintroduced his signature legislation, H.R. 348, the Responsibly and Professionally Invigorating Development Act (RAPID) as a way to reform and expedite the approval and completion of critical energy and infrastructure projects.

Marino’s RAPID Act was featured as part of the Pillars of a Renewed Majority document which outlined a roadmap consisting of five pillars designed to grow our economy, create jobs and increase opportunity for upcoming generations of Americans. One of the pillars calls for enactment of multiple regulatory reform bills, two of which Congressman Marino has sponsored or originally cosponsored this week (see H.R. 185, the Regulatory Accountability Act (RAA)).

In the 113th Congress, the RAPID Act passed the House of Representatives with a bipartisan majority by a 229 to179 margin. It was received in the Senate where it remained without any further consideration or debate.

Congressman Marino said the following of his RAPID Act and its importance in the 114th Congress:

“Beyond the excitement of having a new Republican majority, I am determined to work as hard as possible to ensure this bill is passed in the House, passed in the Senate and arrives on the President’s desk with a giant ‘no-brainer’ sticker on it.

Everybody agrees that new or improved infrastructure is needed in nearly every corner of America. Everybody agrees lower energy costs mean more money in their pockets. And everybody agrees that approving critically important economic projects should be simple. This is exactly what my RAPID Act does.

It streamlines, it eliminates duplicative processes, it rewards good environmental stewardship and it aids our economy. My colleagues and I are serious about smart reforms to our immense and murky regulatory structures and this bill will help get projects moving, regulations working again and people across the country back to work.”

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Background

• January 8, 2015 - Rep. Marino sent a 'Dear Colleague' letter to his House colleagues asking for original cosponsors and support for the RAPID Act's passage.
• January 14, 2015 - The United States Chamber of Commerce endorsed Marino's RAPID Act. You can read their words of support here.