Washington, DC--The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee today approved the Regulatory Improvement Act of 1998 (S. 981). The legislation (the Levin-Thompson bill) was approved by a bipartisan vote of 8-4.

"We need to promote the public's right to know how and why agencies make important regulatory decisions," Committee Chairman Fred Thompson (R-TN) said. "We need to increase government accountability to the people it is there to serve. And we need to improve the quality of government decision making. The Regulatory Improvement Act will do just that."

"The American people," said Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), "want regulations which protect our environment and the health and safety of our community while meeting the test of common sense. Far too many Americans have come to see federal regulation as arbitrary and inefficient. This bill is an effort to preserve the protections we rightfully expect from our government while curbing the excesses that undermine confidence in the regulatory process."

In addition, the Committee approved the Federal Reports Elimination Act (S. 1364) on a voice vote. This legislation helps to eliminate unnecessary and wasteful Federal reports.

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