Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. letter to Newt Gingrich, January 17, 1997

с Congress of tfje tlmteb States 5;ousc of EeprcSmtattocS MlaSljington, ЭС 20515-2002 J£cS2S5?42w£S!5. January 17, 1997 The Honorable Newt Gingrich Speaker of the House of Representatives H232, U. S. Capitol Washington, D. C. 20515 Dear Speaker Gingrich: The purpose of this letter is to request that you consider appointing me to the position of chairman of your Corrections Committee. As you know, I was honored to be a member of the Corrections Day team during the 1 05th Congress. Regulatory reform was the major issue on which I first ran for Congress back in 1994. Serving on this committee provided me with an excellent vehicle with which to keep my campaign promises. Moreover, I am proud of what my committee colleagues and I were able to accomplish. Working in a bipartisan manner, we eliminated a host of dumb laws and overburdensome regulations. In other words, we made the fledgling process work. I would like to serve as the panel's new chairman for three reasons. First, I feel strongly about the panel’s principal mission — bringing regulatory relief to business. As a private attorney, I helped many of my clients navigate the regulatory maze. As a Congressman, I have visited the strip malls of my district, listening to small business owners explain what overregulation has done to their businesses. The true consequence of overregulation is not lost profits, but fewer jobs and diminished opportunity for working Americans. The panel's next chairman needs to understand that point, and to convey the kind of passion which I bring to this issue. Second, I am committed to building upon the Correction Committee’s successes in the 104th Congress. Despite the importance of the panel’s mission, few businesses know it exists. Under my leadership, the Corrections Committee will reach out to businesses large and small, soliciting examples of costly and outmoded laws and regulations needing correction. Third, my decision to accept Chairman John Kasich’s call to serve on the Budget Committee required that I take a leave from the Government Reform and Oversight Committee and surrender two subcommittee vice chairmanships. Serving on the National Economic Growth, Natural Resources, and Regulatory Affairs subcommittee gave me an important forum in which to pursue regulatory reform issues. Allowing me to serve as chairman of your Corrections Committee would make up for the loss. C