This week, House Republicans are taking aim at the White House’s onslaught of job-destroying regulations by reining in unaccountable bureaucrats in Washington and protecting taxpayers with a series of bills to stop government abuse. Here’s a look at what they are and how they’ll help:
….CUTTING RED TAPE
- Unfunded Mandates Information & Transparency Act (H.R. 899) by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC): Increases transparency regarding the costs of unfunded federal mandates, and ensures that those affected have the opportunity to weigh in on new mandates. [READ THE BILL]
- Regulatory Accountability Act (H.R. 2122) by Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA): Requires agencies to undertake a thorough cost-benefit analysis of proposed rules and choose the lowest cost alternative, and improves agency transparency and fact finding. [READ THE BILL]
- Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees & Settlements Act (H.R. 1493) by Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA): Prevents government agencies and interest groups from circumventing the regulatory review process via “sue and settle” decrees that force agencies to impose new burdens on job creators without allowing those affected the opportunity to participate in the litigation process. [READ THE BILL]
- Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act (H.R. 2542) by Small Business Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) and Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL): Helps minimize the economic impact of new regulations on small businesses, and closes loopholes used by federal agencies to skirt compliance with the Regulatory Flexibility Act. [READ THE BILL]
- ALERT Act (H.R. 2804) by Rep. George Holding (R-NC): Requires agencies to provide more timely and detailed information regarding proposed regulations, and prevents new rules from taking effect if they fail to do so. [READ THE BILL]
… REINING IN GOVERNMENT OVERREACH & PROTECTING TAXPAYERS:
- Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act (H.R. 3865) by Ways & Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI): Prohibits the administration from implementing new rules that would legalize the targeting of conservative groups, and allows the House to continue its investigation into IRS targeting practices. [READ THE BILL]
- Private Property Rights Protection Act (H.R. 1944) by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI): Helps protect private property from unjust government seizure. [READ THE BILL]
- Taxpayer Transparency & Efficient Audit Act (H.R. 2530) by Deputy Whip Peter Roskam (R-IL): Requires the IRS to notify individuals when their information has been shared with other government agencies, and places time limits on IRS audits. [READ THE BILL]
- Protecting Taxpayers from Intrusive IRS Requests Act (H.R. 2531) by Rep. Roskam: Bars the IRS from asking about religious, political, or social beliefs. [READ THE BILL]
- Unlocking Consumer Choice & Wireless Competition Act (H.R. 1123) by Chairman Goodlatte: Protects consumer choice by allowing individuals to unlock their cell phones without approval from their carrier. [READ THE BILL]
… INCREASING TRANSPARENCY & PREVENTING WASTE:
- FOIA Act (H.R. 1211) by Oversight & Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA): Directs agencies to approach Freedom of Information Act requests with the presumption of openness, and requires agencies to justify withholding information. [READ THE BILL]
- Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (H.R. 1232) by Chairman Issa: Overhauls the procurement management process for government products and services to help address waste and duplication that costs taxpayer dollars. [READ THE BILL]
- Taxpayers Right To Know Act (H.R. 1423) by Rep. James Lankford (R-OK): Helps identify and prevent government waste by requiring each federal agency to provide detailed, annual reports on its programs. [READ THE BILL]
- Taxpayer Transparency Act (H.R. 3308) by Rep. Billy Long (R-MO): Requires executive branch agencies to indicate when certain advertising and education materials are produced at taxpayer expense. [READ THE BILL]
As Speaker Boehner has said, “Fixing broken government policies and reining in an out-of-control bureaucracy are key parts of the Republican jobs plan.” The bills on the House floor this week will not only protect taxpayers from a Washington bureaucracy run amok, they’ll protect our economy from more needless red tape that is holding back the private sector and making it harder to create jobs.
Learn more about the Republicans jobs plan at gop.gov/jobs, and weigh in on Twitter with the #stopgovtabuse hashtag.