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Press Release Published: Mar 2, 2017

Chaffetz on House Passage of Regulatory Reform Bill

Bipartisan legislation brings greater transparency to regulatory process

WASHINGTON – Today, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 1004, the Regulatory Integrity Act of 2017, sponsored by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI).

“Every year, agencies impose billions of dollars in new regulations on the backs of hard working taxpayers and American businesses. Even worse, these agencies tip the balance in their favor by actively campaigning for the support of certain rules. 

 
“Congressman Walberg’s bill corrects these problems by providing more transparency into agency communications and explicitly prohibits agencies from soliciting support in favor or against any proposed regulatory action. I appreciate Rep. Walberg’s tireless efforts and urge the Senate to approve this bipartisan, good government legislation.”
 
What the bill does:
  • Provides more transparency into agency communications during the proposed rule stage by explicitly prohibiting the agency from soliciting support in favor or against any proposal for regulatory action.
  • Requires that agencies post information online about public communications on pending regulatory actions and report to Congress on aggregate information on communications and messaging efforts.
  • Places restrictions on public communications about pending regulatory actions, such as prohibiting agencies from soliciting support for a proposed regulation and requiring agencies to identify themselves as the source of the information.
Background:
H.R. 1004, passed through committee in February 2017.
The Trump Administration shared support for H.R. 1004 in saying, “The Administration appreciates the efforts of the Congress to rationalize the regulatory system and looks forward to continuing to work together to reform the regulatory process.”