House Judiciary Committee Approves Bill to Reduce Regulatory Burden
Washington, D.C. –The House Judiciary Committee today approved H.R. 4874, the Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome Act of 2014 (SCRUB Act), by a vote of 17-10. A member of the Judiciary Committee, Congressman Jason Smith (R-Mo.), serves as the chief sponsor of the bill.
The SCRUB Act institutes an independent regulatory review commission to examine regulatory programs that could be repealed to reduce unnecessary regulatory cost burdens. According to a recent estimate, the federal regulatory burden has reached $1.86 trillion, which adds up to approximately $15,000 annually per U.S. household.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Congressman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) praised today’s Committee vote:
Chairman Goodlatte: “Years after the recession, job creation and economic growth still fall short of what is needed for a real recovery in this country. Major contributors to this problem are the estimated $1.86 trillion in annual costs that federal regulation imposes on our economy and the continued flood of new, costly regulations emerging from Washington.
“The SCRUB Act approved by the Judiciary Committee today is a step forward in slimming down the government’s outdated, unnecessary federal regulations and cutting down the time it takes for America’s workers to finally see a real jobs recovery.
“By establishing an expert commission with the resources and authority to independently assess where and how regulations are outdated and unnecessarily burdensome, the SCRUB Act will take care of the biggest problems quickly without compromising needed regulatory objectives and clear the clutter of outdated and unnecessarily burdensome regulations that too often keep growth and job creation down.
“American taxpayers carrying the burden of federal regulations deserve better. The SCRUB Act is an important step toward increasing fiscal responsibility in our country and cutting unnecessary, costly federal regulations.”
Congressman Jason Smith: “Regulations from Washington are hurting job growth and keeping our economy from growing. Studies have estimated that every American household is burdened with $15,000 in regulatory costs each year. The SCRUB Act is designed to identify and eliminate outdated and ineffective regulations. The legislation puts a bipartisan, BRAC-style commission in place to review regulations and make recommendations to Congress for repeal.”