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Congress Pursues Legislation to Restore Accountability to Federal Regulatory Process

The 115th Congress is off to a fast start, and its efforts are already bringing good news for the nation’s job creators. Last week, the U.S. House passed H.R. 5 (Regulatory Accountability Act of 2017) with a bipartisan vote of 238-183. If passed into law, this important legislation would bring additional balance back to the federal regulatory process and help mitigate the harmful impacts of agency overreach which has occurred all-too-often in recent years.

In December, the NC Chamber added our support to a joint letter coordinated by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce which was then sent to House leaders, encouraging them to act quickly to secure this important legislation. With broad backing from industry organizations across the U.S., that letter made it clear where America’s business community stands on this issue: “We believe that federal regulations should be narrowly tailored, supported by strong and credible data and evidence, and impose the least burden possible, while still implementing congressional intent.”

Simply put, the Regulatory Accountability Act would ensure our federal regulatory process is more accountable to both Congress and the American public by increasing transparency and public participation in the process, as well as by clarifying the guidelines federal agencies must follow when adopting new regulations (click on the letter above for more specific details). With the bill now moving to the U.S. Senate, Congressional leaders have the perfect opportunity to make sure the 115th Congress is able achieve a higher level of accountability in our regulatory process during 2017.

The NC Chamber will continue to update you as this issue advances. To learn about how your company could be impacted by changing environmental regulations at both the state and federal level, register today to attend our 2017 Environmental Compliance Conference on Tuesday, Jan. 31 at the Sheraton Imperial in RTP.

Gary J. Salamido
Vice President, Government Affairs
North Carolina Chamber