The Honorable Jason SmithUnited States House of Representatives2230 Rayburn House Office BuildingWashington, DC 20515
Dear Representative Smith:
On behalf of the 362,000-member National Taxpayers Union (NTU), I write to endorse H.R. 4874, the “Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome” (SCRUB) Act of 2014. This bill seeks to establish a new panel called the Retrospective Regulatory Review Commission, which would be empowered to inspect and repeal economically detrimental, ineffective, or obsolete business regulations.
The specifications for which regulations are rescinded are non-partisan and based on a common-sense approach. Regulations more than 15 years old are eligible to be cut if they are found to be irrelevant to current economic circumstances. Also prioritized for review would be rules that require more paperwork than is necessary to be effective, rules that heap unbearable costs on small businesses, and those regulations that could be re-drafted to maximize effectiveness and minimize costs. This legislation would also serve a valuable purpose in removing regulations that overlap, duplicate or even directly contradict each other.
The extra costs and fees placed upon small business owners by the 175,000-page Code of Federal Regulations add up to an outsized $1.86 trillion aggregate burden on the U.S. economy. The overall complexity of these rules and their myriad intricacies can slow or discourage private investment in the market. H.R. 4874 offers a means to remove some of the endless roadblocks businesses run into when trying to conduct their affairs. The Commission’s goal would be set at a 15 percent reduction of regulatory costs – an attainable milestone and an important first step in the fight against bureaucratic inefficiency.
The current regulatory regime creates drag on our already sluggish economy as businesses divert resources from investment and productive activities to regulatory compliance. If the SCRUB Act is successful, that load could lightened, helping to clear the way for more robust investment and job growth across many sectors of the economy. Rather than increase spending on dubious government-centered job creation schemes, Washington should work to reduce the regulatory hurdles that obstruct innovation and restrict the enormous potential of U.S. enterprise.
NTU is pleased to endorse H.R. 4874 and urges all Representatives to cosponsor this legislation as well as work toward its swift enactment.
Sincerely,
Nan SwiftFederal Affairs Manager