The House Judiciary Committee recently approved four regulatory reform bills first considered by a subcommittee chaired by Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.).
Bachus advocated the legislation as a way to force the federal regulatory system to be more accountable, which in turn would give businesses more freedom to promote job creation.
“The regulatory overreach that we have been seeing from Washington is holding back the strong economic recovery that Americans need,” Bachus said. “The biggest impact is often felt by small businesses, which are less able to absorb extra regulatory costs and do not have the compliance staffs that exist in large companies. Federal agencies should consider all factors, including the effect on jobs and the economy, before they issue new rules. These bills will help to bring more accountability to the regulatory process and I am proud to support them.”
The first bill approved by the committee was The Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2013, which would establish a requirement that federal agencies consider the impact of regulations on small businesses and adjust final rules to minimize their impact. The legislation has received the endorsement of more than 100 organizations, including the National Federation of Independent Business, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Association of Home Builders and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Bachus successfully opposed an amendment to the bill that would have exempted from regulatory review the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
The Regulatory Accountability Act of 2013 would make the regulatory process more open, ensure that rules with a major economic impact receive an evidence-based review and increase use of cost-benefit analysis.
The Responsibility and Professionally Invigorating Development Act of 2013 would increase the efficiency of federal construction projects’ permitting and approval process and ensure that appropriate environmental reviews are performed
The Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2013 would make consent agreements, also known as “sue and settle” agreements, between federal agencies and outside parties more transparent and improve the ability of the public to comment on proposed settlements.