Hank Johnson: “Today I rise in opposition to H.R. 527, the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act. I oppose this…”

“Today I rise in opposition to H.R. 527, the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act. I oppose this legislation, which would paralyze agency rulemaking through unworkable, complex requirements while aggrandizing the powers of the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy with broad authority to act as the gatekeeper of our Nation's regulatory system. H.R. 527 would allow for large, regulated industries to manipulate the regulatory system in their favor while delaying or blocking critical safeguards to safeguard our Nation's food supply, environment, and workforce. That is why the American Sustainable Business Council, a coalition of partner organizations representing over 200,000 businesses and more than 325,000 business professionals, opposes this legislation. This coalition notes that H.R. 527 would erode ``the operational capacity of regulatory agencies to do their jobs,'' allowing for ``the largest firms to further dominate the marketplace.'' In other words, H.R. 527 is a thinly-veiled handout to large corporations. Mr. Chairman, Americans support smart regulation across party lines but not deregulation. Over 70 percent of Americans support strong rules to ensure an open Internet. By a 2-1 margin, Americans across the political spectrum support rules to address climate change by limiting emissions from coal-fired plants.…”