Bipartisan Bill Cuts Government Red Tape
Washington, D.C. - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law Subcommittee Chairman Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) and Representative Colin Peterson (D-Minn.) were joined today by and Representatives Lamar Smith (R-Texas), William Owens (D-N.Y.), Howard Coble (R-N.C.), and Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) in reintroducing bipartisan legislation to reform the federal regulatory process. The Regulatory Accountability Act (H.R. 2122), which passed the House of Representatives in the 112th Congress, reforms the current federal rulemaking process to lower the costs and improve the quality of new regulations.
Chairman Goodlatte: “America’s job creators are being buried under an avalanche of federal regulations. When small business owners and entrepreneurs have to divert precious resources to manage costly new mandates that are coming down from Washington, they have fewer resources available to grow their business or create jobs and this has a devastating impact on our national economy. If we are to grow our economy and get more Americans back to work, Washington must get out of the way. The Regulatory Accountability Act solves the problem of overreaching and unnecessary regulation by providing greater transparency, cost-benefit analysis of new rules, and a more thorough process for high-impact rules.”
Subcommittee Chairman Bachus: “We keep seeing an ever-rising tide of new regulations out of Washington that is holding back job creation and making it hard for our small businesses to stay in business. The Regulatory Accountability Act will help restore some common sense to the byzantine federal regulatory process. Too often major rules are rushed out without proper study or thorough consideration of the costs along with the promised benefits.”
Representative Peterson: “While it is difficult to enact a new law, it’s even harder to get a regulation written correctly. In many cases, interest groups try to use regulation to interpret the law in their best interest, instead of following the intent of the law. By bringing transparency and accountability to the regulatory process, the American people will be allowed to have a voice in these policy decisions.”
Representative Smith: “Under President Obama, the regulatory system has become a barrier to economic growth and job creation. Federal regulations cost our economy $1.75 trillion each year. Employers are concerned about the costs these regulations will impose on their businesses. So they stop hiring, stop spending and start saving for a bill from Big Brother. But rather than burdening businesses with more regulations, we need to free up employers so they can create jobs for American workers. The Regulatory Accountability Act places permanent restrictions on regulatory agencies and restores transparency to the regulatory process.”
Representative Owens: “This legislation will help drive more transparent, accountable, and cost-effective regulatory activity that is based on sound science and robust public input. Eliminating unnecessary and overly burdensome regulations is one of my top priorities, and this bill is another step to ensuring we help make government work better for everyone.”
Representative Coble: “This bill will help ensure that future regulations are based on the best available scientific information and that they are efficient. Many of the regulations being issued are founded on a questionable basis and they disregard less costly alternatives. This legislation does not affect the what-is, it addresses the what-will-be and should be embraced by everyone.”
Representative Schrader: “I look forward to working with my colleagues to improve the regulatory environment by using serious cost benefit analysis on major regulations and those with high impacts.”
The Regulatory Accountability Act requires federal agencies to choose the lowest cost rulemaking alternative that meets statutory objectives, improves agency fact-gathering, fact-finding and identification of regulatory alternatives, requires advance notice of proposed major rulemakings to increase public input before costly agency positions are proposed, and fortifies judicial review of new agency regulations.
Companion legislation was also introduced today in the U.S. Senate by Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Bill Nelson (D- Fla.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), and John Cornyn (R-Texas).
A copy of the legislation can be found here.