With Paul Ryan as speaker, the U.S. House will be more productive in 2016 than previous years, according to Rep. Richard Hudson, R-8.

“Having Paul Ryan as House speaker has given me a lot of good feelings about next year,” Hudson said in an interview with the Salisbury Post. “My hope is that we can get back to regular order.”

All members of the U.S. House are up for re-election this year, which poses potential to limit productivity at times. Hudson, however, said appropriations and spending discussions should get started notably earlier in 2016 than 2015. A bill to increase scrutiny on incoming Syrian and Iraqi refugees, initially drafted by Hudson, is also expected to be heard and voted on in the U.S. Senate.

Even with his optimism for the future, he said Congress passed a number of important policy measures this year. He talked about 2015 in Congress and the coming year during an interview this week with the Salisbury Post. Among topics discussed were: his Syrian and Iraqi refugee bill, an upcoming trade deal for Pacific Rim countries, a measure to replace No Child Left Behind and constituent services in 2015.

Refugee bill

If there’s anything Hudson regrets about the bill, he said it’s that the measure moved too quickly through Congress.

Because of brutal terrorist attacks in Paris, Hudson’s bill moved quickly through the committee process and onto the House floor, where it passed within a few days by a veto-proof margin. Hudson, however, had started working on the bill about a month earlier. The speedy process meant Hudson didn’t have time to work with Democrats in the House on the bill as much as he would’ve liked.

When he talked about his bill this week, one opinion remained constant — President Barack Obama announced his intentions to veto the bill too quickly.

“I don’t think he understood the will of the American people,” he said.

At one point, Hudson said there was talk of placing his refugee bill inside Congress’ Omnibus bill, which sets spending levels. For now, it sits in the Senate, where Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is expected to allow a vote on the measure in early 2016.

Trade deal

Earlier this year, Congress approved a measure — the Trade Promotion Authority — giving authority to Obama to negotiate a trade deal with a number of countries on or near the Pacific Ocean. One important measure included in the bill, Hudson said, was Congress’ ability to “reign in the administration when it comes to trade.” The Obama administration in an online summary of the bill also praised passage of the Trade Promotion Authority.

“I think we’ve created more transparency,” Hudson said about the potential for the final trade deal, called the Trans Pacific Partnership. “In the past, a lot of these trade deals have been held until it was time to have a vote.”

For example, the Trade Promotion Authority would require any final trade deal be posted online for 60 days before a final vote.

Hudson said he hasn’t been able to completely review the Trans Pacific Partnership. In reading it, however, Hudson said he’s noticed a provision that could harm the North Carolina tobacco industry.

No Child Left Behind replacement

Hudson said the Every Student Succeeds Act has been called the largest return of control to state government over education matters in a quarter century.

“Our goal is to try to return as much control back to the state as possible,” he said.

Local control is the most frequently cited provision of the Every Student Succeeds Act, which contains other provisions that decides how federally required tests should be weighed, provides rural school districts with more flexibility in using federal funding and requires school districts to consult stakeholders in planning and implementing safety, health and academic achievement programs.

Hudson said the bill would allow local school boards to make decisions over teaching policies in schools.

“Philosophically, a one-size-fits-all model never works,” he said. “Children in Granite Quarry may have different needs than in New York.”

Constituent Services

One final question the Salisbury Post asked Hudson included: If you were asked by a person on the street about what Congress has done in 2015, what would you say?

His response focused on constituent services performed by staff members of his office and Hudson himself. Hudson said his office has completed more than 4,500 cases for individuals, answered more than 2,300 piece of correspondence and given 1,500 capital tours. Hudson said he’s conducted more than 70 public meetings this year. He also mentioned his office’s work to give Granite Quarry residents the ability to list their town’s name on letters.

“These are the sort of issues that really impact people’s lives on a regular basis,” Hudson said about Granite Quarry mailing addresses.

Contact reporter Josh Bergeron at 704-797-4246.