Summary: Today, Speaker Ryan spoke about work the House is doing this week to make the country’s economy even stronger, building on policies that have already created a healthier environment for working Americans. In particular, he discussed the financial reform bill the House will consider this afternoon, which will ease overly strict regulations on small banks, enabling them to better serve consumers and fuel economic growth.

Opening Statement:

“So this is, as Kevin just mentioned, a very, very busy week here in the House. We are sending the president a number of important bills.

“It starts with the financial services reforms that we’re going to pass today.

“This is a bill for the small banks that are the financial anchors of our communities.

“If you crisscross the country, you will find that community banks have been drying up.

“We’ve been losing them, and that means capital has been starved to businesses that need it to expand. This will help reverse that.

“It addresses some of Dodd-Frank’s biggest burdens to ease the regulatory costs on these smaller banks—costs which are ultimately transferred on to consumers.

“It encourages capital formation to ensure businesses have access to reliable financing.

“And it improves credit access for small businesses and Americans by making it a lot easier for these community banks to stay in business and lend.

“I want to thank Chairman Hensarling for being a consistent champion of these efforts. No one has been more committed to getting this done than our Financial Services Committee chairman.

“These reforms are yet just one other way that we are unlocking economic growth, so that we can make a real difference in people’s lives.

“We are never going to stop fighting to make this economy better, to make it deeper, and to make it so that everyone has a shot at their version of the American Idea.

“We are already seeing these policies working, by the way.

“Just yesterday, the Gallup poll released this: Sixty-seven percent of Americans believe that now is a good time to find a quality job in the United States. That is a record high.

“Two-thirds of our fellow citizens in this country now believe it is a good time to find a quality job in the United States.

“This means Americans looking for work, they’re encouraged by the opportunities that they’re seeing.

“It means students coming out of college or coming out of technical school can feel optimistic about the job market they’re about to enter.

“And it means workers who may have been unsure about taking that leap forward in their careers now feel more confident that they can do that.

“This good news does not just stop there.

“Utility bills are coming down; wages are going up.

“And business investment is up and set to increase even more. That leads to higher wages, more productivity—a sounder, firmer, healthier economy.

“All of this means Americans are truly seeing the benefits of our country’s economic momentum.

“We want to keep it going, and that is why these bills are so important and this is such a productive week.”

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