Hank Johnson: “I oppose this amendment because it would add yet another onerous and unnecessary burden on agencies and will further…”

“I oppose this amendment because it would add yet another onerous and unnecessary burden on agencies and will further stifle agency rulemaking. Among other things, the REINS Act requires that an agency issuing a rule submit reports to Congress and the GAO containing a list of related regulatory actions intended to implement the same statutory provision or regulatory objective as the rule at issue, together with the individual and aggregate economic effects of those actions. This amendment would add to that list actions taken, or that will be taken, by Federal agencies other than the agency issuing the rule to meet the same objectives. Such a requirement means that an agency issuing a rule would now be obliged to survey the vast panoply of Federal agencies to determine what other actions are being taken by other agencies before it could issue a rule. Congress did not create agencies, Mr. Chairman, to keep tabs on other agencies. This amendment would only serve to divert already limited agency resources away from protecting the American people. This amendment is just a further effort to derail rulemaking. It's placing another burden on already limited agency resources and is really just busy work. So for those reasons I rise in opposition. I reserve the balance of my time.”