House Judiciary Committee Approves Bill to Reduce Unnecessary Regulations on Small Businesses

Washington, D.C. – The House Judiciary Committee approved H.R. 2542, the Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2013 by a vote of 15-9. The Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act is one of several bills that the House Judiciary Committee has introduced to reform the United States’ regulatory system.

The Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act strengthens the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) enacted in 1980 and the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) enacted in 1996. The RFA and SBREFA require that federal agencies analyze the economic impact of their regulations on small businesses and consider less burdensome alternatives if the impact is significant – however, most agencies are not compliant with this requirement. The Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act improves the RFA and SBREFA by eliminating loopholes that have allowed federal agencies to avoid compliance. The bill will ensure that agencies fully analyze the effects of regulations on small businesses and consider ways to reduce unnecessarily burdensome rules. Strengthening the RFA and SBREFA will ensure that small businesses have more information about how regulations will affect them and a greater opportunity to participate in the rulemaking process.