Henry Waxman: “Mr. Chairman, I think what we have before us today is a solution in search of a problem. If we listen to the gentleman…”

“Mr. Chairman, I think what we have before us today is a solution in search of a problem. If we listen to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. McIntosh), he is raising concerns that we have a paperwork problem for small business. We all are concerned about the paperwork burden on small businesses, and that is why the Congress responded just 2 years ago by adopting the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act or what is called SBREFA. This was passed with strong bipartisan support. We all heralded it as a way to reduce that paperwork burden. It called on the agencies to use discretion and not to impose a fine if there was some inadvertence in filing the necessary paperwork that was required by law. We have seen other reforms by both Democratic and Republican Congresses, and we have seen this administration attempt to reinvent government so that it would be more efficient and fairer. But what we have in this bill before us today is not a reduction in the amount of paperwork that would be imposed on small businesses but an excuse for small businesses not to file the paperwork required of them.”