October 4, 2000
Thompson Announces Final Congressional Passage
of Truth in Regulating Act
Bill Encourages Better Rulemaking at Federal
Agencies
WASHINGTON, DC — Senate Governmental Affairs Committee
Chairman Fred Thompson (R-TN) announced that the House of
Representatives late yesterday passed on suspension the Truth in
Regulating Act, S. 1198, legislation to promote effective
Congressional oversight of federal regulations. Based on the
concept of congressional review of proposed agency regulations
championed by Representative Sue Kelly (R-NY), this legislation
would provide a process and resources for the General Accounting
Office (GAO) to review the scientific and economic analysis
underlying proposed major regulations. After the Senate passed S.
1198 by unanimous consent in May, Chairman Dan Burton (R-IN) of
the Committee on Government Reform advanced the bill through the
House. The bill will now go to the White House.
"In a real sense, this legislation not only gives people
the right to know; it gives them the right to see -- to see how
the government works, or doesn’t," Senator Thompson said.
"The Truth in Regulating Act creates the capability within
GAO to analyze the science and economics behind regulations
proposed by the executive branch. This will allow Congress to
weigh in effectively for the first time on proposed regulations.
S. 1198 will give us access to the important information that
federal agencies use to make regulatory decisions—before the
horse gets out of the barn.
"Congresswoman Sue Kelly deserves a lot of credit for her
innovative thinking and hard work on this legislation,"
Thompson added. "Thanks to her efforts, we can expect more
efficient and fair regulations, and we can improve important
programs that we all value."
Under the three-year pilot project established by the
"Truth in Regulating Act," a Committee from either House
of Congress may ask the GAO to review and report on proposed
economically significant regulations in no later than 180 days,
allowing Congress ample time to express its views on the proposed
regulation. GAO’s independent analysis of the rule would have to
include:
an analysis of the potential benefits of the rule;
the potential costs of the rule;
any alternatives and any regulatory analysis or federalism
assessment; and
a summary of the results of the evaluation and its
implications.
The Truth in Regulating Act was based on a bill sponsored by
Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) and a similar measure sponsored by
Senators Thompson and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR). Certain changes were
made to S. 1198 in collaboration with Senator Joe Lieberman,
Ranking Member of the Governmental Affairs Committee, before the
bill passed the Senate by unanimous consent. Representatives Kelly
and David McIntosh (R-IN) sponsored companion legislation in the
House.
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