On the recordFebruary 28, 2014
Mr. Chairman, I am offering this amendment to strike section 5 of H.R. 899. My amendment would preserve the integrity of independent agencies. The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act currently exempts independent agencies. The bill we are considering would remove that exemption. That would mean that these agencies would have to submit their rules to the Office of Management and Budget for review. Congress creates independent agencies to be just that, independent. Requiring these agencies to submit their rules for review by the White House, no matter who is President, would be inappropriate. Some of the agencies that would be impacted by this provision include the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Federal Communications Commission. This amendment simply maintains the exemption for independent agencies that is current in law. I urge every Member of this body to support my amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.
