Regulations
On a daily basis I hear from at least one constituent how regulations are affecting their life, and it’s not for the better. Since I took office in January, thousands of rules, several expected to have an impact on our economy in the billions of dollars, have been proposed and are on their way to becoming regulations. In 2011, there were more than 200 regulations in the works that combined will have an economic cost of over $100 billion annually. These regulations will contribute to even greater job loss than we are already experiencing.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been especially onerous in their regulations. The EPA has introduced some regulations as ridiculous as regulating spilled milk because it has “oil” in it, to very serious regulations such as the Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) Standard that would cause the cost of electricity to rise in Indiana because many of our power plants would be forced to close. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has also taken an unusual step of promulgating rules, something that has only been done a few times in the history of the board. They have a biased agenda which is detrimental to their historical neutrality on labor issues.
Regulations should not destroy jobs. They should provide structure so that Americans can open small businesses and existing businesses can expand and hire more workers. Each year, businesses spend over $1.75 trillion to comply with government regulations.
It is also time for regulations to be achievable standards. The tendency of this Administration’s agencies is to propose rules that science does not support. That is why I introduced the Transparency in Rule Making When Using Scientific Testing (TRUST) Act of 2011. This bill would require agencies promulgating rules under the Administrative Procedures Act to release the known scientific studies related to the rule prior to the public comment period. This will require Agencies to be open about where their supporting science comes from and allow it to be peer reviewed. They also are required to acknowledge conflicting studies and explain why they should continue to go forth with the rule. I was proud to vote for H.R. 3010, the Regulatory Accountability Act which achieved the same purposes as the TRUST Act did, as well as going a few steps further and making the regulatory process more streamlined, efficient, transparent and dependent on sound science.
To read more about the House's actions to roll back the red tape on America's job creators, please visit the Speaker's website by clicking here.