House Passes H.R. 327 "Small Business Paperwork
Relief Act of 2002"
On June 18, 2002, the House of Representatives agreed to the
Senate amendment and passed H.R. 327, the "Small Business Paperwork
Relief Act of 2002," by a vote of 418-0. The bill had passed the
Senate on May 22, 2002 by unanimous consent. The President is
expected to sign the legislation.
The legislation contains the following provisions:
Facilitation of Compliance with Federal Paperwork
Requirements
- Would require the Director of the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) to publish annually in the Federal Register, and make
available on the internet, a list of regulatory compliance
assistance resources available to small businesses.
- Would require Federal agencies to establish one agency point
of contact to act as a liaison with small businesses with respect
to collection of information and control of paperwork.
- Would require Federal agencies to make efforts to further
reduce the information collection burden for small businesses with
fewer than 25 employees.
Establishment of Task Force on Information Collection and
Dissemination
- Would establish a task force made up of representatives of
designated agencies and headed by the designee of the OMB Director
to:
- Identify ways to integrate the collection of information
across Federal agencies and programs;
- Examine the feasibility and benefits of publishing a list of
the collections of information applicable to small businesses;
- Recommend a plan for the development of an interactive
Government-wide system regarding the collection of information
as it applies to small business; and
- Report on its findings and recommendations
Regulatory Enforcement Reports
- Would require each agency with Federal regulatory authority to
submit an initial and final report on:
- The number of enforcement actions in which a civil penalty
is assessed;
- The number of such actions against a small entity;
- The number of actions in which the penalty is reduced or
waived; and
- The total monetary amount of the reductions/waivers.
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