WASHINGTON, D.C. – On May 22^nd, Congressman Roger Williams (TX-25), Chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, along with the Republican Members of the Committee, released a staff report detailing the Biden Administration’s failure to comply with the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA). The following three statements are from industry experts and stakeholders who applauded Chairman Williams and the Committee for releasing this staff report.

“The U.S. House Committee on Small Business’ Regulatory Flexibility Act report underlines a concerning trend in the current federal rulemaking process: The Biden administration is blatantly ignoring small business considerations when implementing its harmful regulatory agenda. The report details several key findings in which federal agencies have improperly conducted RFA analysis and moved forward with rules that fail to consider the direct costs to small businesses. ABC thanks the committee for conducting a thorough review of RFA compliance and urges the agencies to reexamine their rulemakings. ABC’s members stand ready to build and maintain America’s infrastructure in a regulatory environment crafted with their needs in mind,” said Kristen Swearingen, Vice President of Legislative and Political Affairs, Associated Builders and Contractors.

“ACT is happy to see the House Small Business Committee’s report on federal agency adherence to RFA requirements and appreciate the Committee staff’s careful work in this regard. Although the report doesn’t include the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) rule itself (as of today, it’s not yet final), the scrutiny is warranted and welcome. The fact that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) deemed the Regulatory Flexibility Act analysis unnecessary for the proposed rule, at a time when cash is tight, loan rates are high, and investors are wary, is a strong signal that agencies have fallen into a pattern of box-checking that must be second guessed. Whether or not the HSR proposal is finalized, we are hopeful that Congress’ scrutiny and interest in small business’ stake in rules directed at larger entities are fully understood before adding new peaks to the existing mountain range of regulation,” said The App Association.

“Americans for Small Business (ASB) is a new organization bringing voices of small business owners and their stories to Washington. Our thousands of members and recent research continue to highlight how regulatory burdens and confusion can hinder a small business owner's ability to succeed. The Regulatory Flexibility Act and other efforts to analyze the impact of proposed regulations on small businesses has been a pivotal process in developing public policy. ASB appreciates the efforts by the Committee to further investigate how this process may be failing small businesses. These new findings should concern all small business advocates and ASB looks forward to working with the Committee and administration officials to address these shortcomings. ASB will continue to advocate for a fair and efficient regulatory and policy making environment for our nation's small businesses,” said Americans for Small Business.

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Background:

The House Committee on Small Business conducted a 15-month long investigation into the Biden Administration’s failure to comply with the RFA. From day one, the Administration released an onslaught of regulations on Main Street. The numbers are staggering: over $1.6 trillion in regulation cost and over 312 million paperwork hours. While the report has been released, this does not signal the end of the Committee’s focus on this issue. With Chairman Williams at the helm, the Committee remains committed to ensuring that small firms across the country are not burdened with duplicative and unnecessary rules and regulations that hamper their ability to compete in the marketplace. The Committee hopes the Administration will alter its course and rescind the rules discussed in the report.

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