House Judiciary Committee to Hold Hearing on Regulatory Reform Legislation

Press Release

oday at 1:00 p.m. the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law will hold a hearing on the Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome Act of 2014 (SCRUB Act).

According to several estimates, the federal regulatory burden has reached $1.75-1.8 trillion or approximately $15,000 annually per U.S. household. The SCRUB Act would institute an independent regulatory review commission to examine regulations that could be repealed or amended to reduce unnecessary regulatory cost burdens on entrepreneurs and small businesses.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Subcommittee Chairman Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) released the statements below on today's hearing.

Chairman Goodlatte: "According to an Americans for Tax Reform study in 2011, Americans now must work 77 days a year to simply cover the cost of federal regulations. In our current economy, Americans do not need an increasing cost burden placed on them, especially when many of these federal regulations are outdated, unnecessary and in dire need of reform. The Judiciary Committee holds this hearing to examine the SCRUB Act, a piece of legislation that would lessen this burden by establishing an independent regulatory review commission to identify regulations to repeal or amend. American taxpayers who are carrying the burden of federal regulations deserve better, and the SCRUB Act will cut unnecessary, costly federal regulations, which will result in more jobs, better wage opportunities for workers and a more competitive America."

Subcommittee Chairman Bachus: "Ronald Reagan once said, "Nothing lasts longer than a temporary federal program.' He could have added "federal regulations' to that. No one who has studied the regulatory structure of the federal government would dispute that there are many outdated rules on the books that no longer pass a cost/benefit test and that in some cases just don't make sense. The enormous amount of time and money that employers devote to complying with antiquated regulations consume resources that could otherwise be used to hire more workers or reinvest in their businesses. If we removed just part of the immense regulatory burden on the private sector, we would see immediate economic growth. This hearing will continue the Committee's ongoing efforts to achieve needed reforms in the federal regulatory system."

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