Reducing Federal Regulations

Press Release

Today Congressman Scott Rigell (VA-02) supported two regulatory reform bills to curb the amount of unnecessary and costly regulations being imposed on American small business owners by the federal government. The bills would enhance transparency regarding any newly proposed regulation and reform outdated existing regulations. H.R. 1155, the Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome Act (SCRUB Act), and H.R. 712, the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act, now go to the Senate for consideration.

"Small business owners in my district have overwhelmingly conveyed to me that burdensome federal regulations are hurting their companies and slowing hiring," said Congressman Rigell, who noted that regulatory burdens have reached at least an estimated $1.86 trillion, which adds up to approximately $15,000 annually per U.S. household.

According to the American Action Forum, the U.S. government created nearly 80,000 pages of new regulations in the federal register, with a total cost of $98.9 billion in regulatory costs in 2015 alone. Rigell continued: "Reducing federal regulations is essential to job creation. I urge the Senate to pass, and the President to sign, these two important pieces of legislation."

About the bills:

H.R. 1155, the Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome Act (SCRUB Act), establishes a Retrospective Regulatory Review Commission to identify existing federal regulations that should be repealed to reduce unnecessary costs to the U.S. economy. The bill also requires agencies to review new major regulations within 10 years of their issuance in a manner substantially similar to the Commission review process established by the bill. Click here to learn more.

H.R. 712, the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act, increases accountability and transparency in the federal regulatory process by providing increased scrutiny of sue-and-settle rulemakings cases, increased reporting requirements for planned rulemaking, and simplified summaries of proposed rules. Click here to learn more.

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