Blaine Luetkemeyer: “I thank Chairman Goodlatte for working with us on this piece of legislation. If there is one thing that I hear most…”

“I thank Chairman Goodlatte for working with us on this piece of legislation. If there is one thing that I hear most often from my constituents, it is the onslaught of Federal regulations to keep up, let alone interpret. Our constituents should not need a law degree or employ an army of consultants and accountants to understand the rules they are required to follow. Unfortunately, they do, which is why I am pleased the legislation we consider today addresses the lack of regulatory transparency and accountability. Title III of H.R. 712, the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2015, includes language from a bill that I introduced earlier this Congress. That bill, the Providing Accountability Through Transparency Act, provides a bipartisan and commonsense reform to afford the American people straightforward and comprehensive access to rules proposed by our executive branch. Since enactment of the Administrative Procedure Act in 1946, Federal agencies have been required to keep the public informed of proposed rules and regulations. This law has provided an avenue for the public to access rules and regulations drafted across government agencies. Nevertheless, given their technical nature, it can be extremely difficult to fully understand proposals unless one is an expert in that field.…”