Doug Ose: “I am troubled by various provisions in the Farm Security Act of 2002 (H.R. 2646). Today, I would like to mention one…”

“I am troubled by various provisions in the Farm Security Act of 2002 (H.R. 2646). Today, I would like to mention one specific provision, which appears in four titles in the bill--in Titles I, Commodity Programs (Sec. 1601); Title II, Conservation (Sec. 2702); Title VI, Rural Development (Sec. 6103); and Title X, Miscellaneous (Sec. 10105). As Chairman of the Government Reform Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs, I have responsibility for oversight over regulatory reform and paperwork reduction measures. This includes compliance with the due process notice and comment provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and the centralized review and approval provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). H.R. 2646 exempts certain Agriculture regulations both from the APA's due process protections for affected parties and the PRA's required review and approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Under the PRA, OMB is charged with assuring practical utility to all information collections imposed on the public. Also, the PRA includes a public protection clause, which assures that the public cannot be penalized for not providing information in unauthorized paperwork. The Department of Agriculture has one of the worst track records in terms of compliance with the PRA.”