Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, this amendment would strike a key provision of H.R. 50, requiring independent agencies to comply with UMRA. The purpose of H.R. 50 is to require comprehensive analysis before agencies impose unfunded mandates on State, local, or Tribal governments and the private sector. Regulations must be fully analyzed and imposed only after impacted parties have been consulted. That should be the case whether the regulations come from a Cabinet department or an independent agency. From fiscal year 1997 to fiscal year 2016, independent agencies issued 275 major rules. Those rules imposed significant costs on our economy and often included mandates on State, local, and Tribal governments and the private sector, just the same as rules that came from non-independent agencies. Because independent agencies are excluded from UMRA, excluded from regulatory process requirements in Executive Order No. 12866, and excluded from review by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, few independent agencies conduct cost-benefit analyses. In FY 2016, independent agencies issued 18 major regulations, but only a third of those rules included monetized cost analysis and not one rule included any analysis of monetized benefits. The cost-benefit analyses required by UMRA are essential for a transparent and accountable regulatory system, and eliminating section 5 would be inconsistent with the intent of H.R. 50. This bill seeks to close loopholes, not preserve them. Mr.…”