The 112th Congress: a one-year report card.

• Author: Roberts, Tyler
• Position: WASHINGTON BEAT

This month, the United States will approach the one-year anniversary of the dramatic Republican takeover of the House of Representatives that was fueled by the leadership of the Tea Party movement. When the Democrats snatched power from Republicans in an equally historic takeover in 2006, political observers never dreamed that the power of Congress would swing back the other direction in just four short years, but it did in numbers not seen since the 1930s.

Over the last year, the 112th Congress has tried to run itself as the polar opposite of the 111th Congress. It has focused on: undoing what it considered onerous regulations, attempting to undue what it consdiered burdensome legislation, such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and trying to keep America's fiscal house in order. Has the Republican majority made the grade?

Repealing Regulations

The 112th Congress has done a fairly good job of repealing regulations that impact FEI's members. In its first few months, the 1099 reporting provision that would have required companies to file individual 1099s for any service over $600 was repealed.

At press time, the 112th Congress is working to repeal the 3 percent withholding mandate for government contractors. This wildly unpopular provision requires the government to withhold 3 percent of nearly all payments to government contractors. Legislation is moving its way through Congress and repeal will likely happen in the next few weeks.

Members of Congress in the current session have also focused on getting rid of some burdensome Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations, started planning the repeal of debit card caps that were part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and have pledged to repeal any regulation that is deemed a "job killer."

While much still needs to be done, Republicans and the 112th Congress have done an admirable job thus far.

Grade: B+

Undoing Legislation

When the House of Representatives convened in 2011 under the leadership of Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), the first act was to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law. The vote passed in the House and died in the Senate.

Republicans in Congress are handicapped by a Democratic Senate, which makes the repeal of legislation like the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Dodd-Frank Act unlikely this session. But Republicans are laying the groundwork for repeal of both the health care law and portions of the...