U.S. Senator Susan Collins today called on Washington to reduce excessive government regulation that is hampering our economic recovery and the creation of new jobs. Senator Collins, who was joined by several Republican colleagues who have introduced legislation aimed at cutting red tape, spoke about legislation that she has introduced that would make it easier for the private sector to create jobs.
“No business owner I know questions the role of government in protecting the health, safety, and well-being of the public and employees,” said Senator Collins. “Far too often, however, our small businesses are buried under a mountain of paperwork, driving up costs and impeding growth and job creation. Rather than focusing on businesses that are “too big to fail,” Washington must do more to support those businesses that are too entrepreneurial to ignore.”
In March, Senator Collins introduced legislation, “The Clearing Unnecessary Regulatory Burdens,” or CURB, Act. This bill would require federal agencies to analyze the indirect costs of regulations, such as the impact on job creation, the cost of energy, and consumer prices. In addition, this legislation would obligate federal agencies to comply with public notice and comment requirements and prohibit them from circumventing these requirements by issuing unofficial rules as ‘‘guidance documents,” and it would allow the regional offices of the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy to provide assistance to small businesses seeking waivers from onerous penalties the first time they fail to comply with a paperwork requirement, as long as no harm comes from that failure.
“The 2010 Federal Register, the compilation of all federal regulations, exceeded 82,000 pages, and more than 3,573 new regulations were added just last year. One particularly troubling regulation, for example, is the EPA’s proposed boiler MACT rule, which would govern emissions from thousands of commercial, institutional, and industrial boilers. Since these rules were proposed, I have been very troubled about their impact and cost. Whether the initial regulations cost $10 billion, which EPA says, or $20 billion as industry estimates, there is no doubt that they would impose a tremendous burden on manufacturing at a time when that sector of our economy is struggling, putting many jobs at risk,” Senator Collins continued.
“The bottom line is—we simply must ease the regulatory burden on businesses to support the entrepreneurial spirit that drives innovation, economic growth, and most of all, creates new jobs.”
Video of Senator Collins’ remarks can be seen
here.
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