Schrader Amends Bill To Ease Economic Impact on Small Businesses

Press Release

Congressman Kurt Schrader today announced his support for H.R. 527, Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2011, to ease the regulations and economic hardships impacting small businesses today. An amendment Schrader wrote to the bill, which passed in the House Small Business Committee, was included in the final bill.

H.R. 527 would amend the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) to expand the number of rules covered by the RFA and require agencies to perform additional analysis of regulations that affect small businesses. The legislation would also provide new authorities to the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy to intervene in agency rulemaking and mandates all agencies use advocacy review panels to consider the input of small businesses before issuing new regulations.

"I supported H.R. 527, because it commands our government to consider and recognize the economic effects that federal regulations have on America's small businesses," Schrader said. "Given the current economic climate, government should be doing their best to minimize the impact of regulations, so small businesses can use their time and money to expand and create jobs."

Twice a year, federal agencies are required to publish in the Federal Registrar and transmit to the Office of Advocacy a listing of rulemakings that will have an economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. Many small businesses are not familiar with the Federal Register and may not see the publication of the Regulatory Agenda. Schrader's amendment would require that information regarding rulemakings that will have an economic impact on small businesses is made publically available and prominently displayed by agencies on their websites on the date of submission to the Office of Advocacy.

"I was pleased that my amendment was accepted during mark-up in Small Business Committee. Americans should be able to easily access federal agency rulemakings that affect them," Schrader continued. "These documents should not be written in bureaucratic language, but plainly, so America's businesses can understand them."

Schrader's amendment would also require the Office of Advocacy to compile and regularly update such information, and make it publically available on its website in plain language, so that the affect of regulations are more accessible and readily understood.. Finally, the amendment would require that agencies indentify the specific industries and sectors that these rules affect, so that small businesses can better understand which regulations directly and indirectly impact them.

Source