WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Boozman introduced the following amendments to the Senate Majority’s first budget proposal in nearly four years: 

Amendment #388 – An Amendment to strengthen and reform Federal offices of Inspectors General and reduce vacancies in offices of Inspectors General. IGs are responsible for saving billions of dollars every year, and they fight on the front lines against waste, fraud, criminal activity, violations of civil law and regulation, and other inappropriate activities within Federal Agencies while promoting transparency. 

“Inspectors General play a valuable role in the oversight of government work and how tax dollars are spent. Filling vacant IG positions are an important part of the President’s role in promoting government accountability. Having five cabinet-level departments currently without an IG is inexcusable,” Boozman said. 

Amendment #389 – Deficit-Neutral Reserve Fund to Address the Disproportionate Regulatory Burdens on Community Banks. The Boozman amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to address the disproportionate regulatory burdens on community banks. This amendment creates room in the budget for new policies that ease the many onerous regulations that have recently been imposed on our nation’s community banks. 

“Community banks play an important role in our financial system and are often seen as a pillar of the community. Maintaining an interest in the communities they serve is a vital service they offer. While we need regulations, the rules imposed on these institutions, particularly those resulting from the Dodd-Frank bill, make it difficult to serve their customers,” Boozman said. 

Amendment #527 –Private Property Rights Amendment The Boozman amendment establishes a Deficit Reduction Fund to protect private property rights by discouraging eminent domain abuse and protects the use for customary purposes, including to acquire property for public use, for public rights of way, to acquire abandoned property, or to remove immediate threats to public health and safety.

“We need to protect the right to private property ownership and encourage this investment instead of creating policies that threaten landowners. This is an effort to prevent government overreach,” Boozman said. 

Amendment #608 - To prevent the Administration from enacting regulations through the EPA so onerous that it would require the hiring of additional employees to carry them out. The Boozman amendment would prevent unilateral action by the EPA that could dramatically increase the cost of running our government by subjecting budgets that would enable the EPA to hire new employees to carry out onerous regulations, to a point of order.

“Since President Obama took office in 2009, Congress and the EPA have come up with many creative ways to expand the agency’s jurisdiction to regulate Farm Dust, Green House Gases and overreach of its authority in law. This is a commonsense plan that prevents an increase in heavy-handed agency regulations.”