House passes Bachus amendment to enhance USDA accountability

An amendment proposed by Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) to increase regulatory accountability at the Department of Agriculture was added to the FY2014 Farm Bill shortly before the bill ultimately failed in the House on Friday.

The Bachus amendment would have required the USDA to set up advisory committees to help it understand the impact that a proposed rule might have on small businesses.

Similar panels exist at several other federal agencies and have enhanced the regulatory process, according to the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy.

“All federal agencies should take special account of the effect that their regulations could have on small businesses,” Bachus said. “My amendment is intended to establish a better process for small business input at the Department of Agriculture. This is important because regulatory costs place a disproportionately high burden on small businesses, which are less able to absorb additional paperwork and compliance costs.”

The bill failed in a 234 to 195 vote in the House on Friday. Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), the chair of the Agriculture Committee said he was disappointed but has no doubt the House will finish the work in the near future.

“I’m obviously disappointed but the reforms in H.R. 1947 – $40 billion in deficit reduction, elimination of direct payments and the first reforms to SNAP since 1996 – are so important that we must continue to pursue them,” Lucas said.