Federal Regulations
When I visit with small business owners in my district, I consistently hear that economic uncertainty and costly and burdensome regulations are the biggest obstacles keeping them from hiring new workers and expanding their businesses. In 2011 alone, the Federal Register - where regulations are published - was 82, 350 pages. In 2012, the Federal Register was 77,186 pages. To track all 2013 Federal regulations, click here.
Regulations by the Numbers:
- $518 Billion: Amount of Regulatory Burden Since President Obama Took Office
- $236.7 Billion: Amount of Regulatory Burden in 2012
- 86.8 Million: Amount of Paperwork Burden Hours Imposed By Federal Government Regulations in 2012
- 1.65 Million: Jobs Forcasted to be Lost Due to New and Pending EPA Regulations
- $15,500: Annual Cost per Household from Federal Regulations
- 12,649: Pages of New Rules Added to the Federal Register during Obama's First Three Years in Office
- $10,585: Cost per Employee that Federal Regulations Place on Small Businesses
- 822: Number of Regulations in the Obama Administration Pipeline that would Impact Small Businesses
Congressman Schock Press Conference on Federal Regulations
Media Coverage by WEEK-TV in Peoria
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Media Coverage by WMBD-TV in Peoria
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Media Coverage by WHOI-TV in Peoria
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113th Congress Recent Activity
112th Congress Legislative Action
Review of Federal Regulations
H.Res. 72 - Passed by the House (391-28) on February 11, 2011
Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act
H.R. 872 - Senate has taken no action to date
Protecting Jobs from Government Interference Act
H.R. 2587 - Senate has taken no action to date
Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on The Nation Act
H.R. 2401 - Senate has taken no action to date
Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act
H.R. 2681 - Senate has taken no action to date
EPA Regulatory Relief Act
H.R. 2250 - Senate has taken no action to date
Regulatory Accountability Act
H.R. 3010 - Senate has taken no action to date
Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act
H.R. 527 - Senate has taken no action to date
REINS Act
H.R. 10 - Senate has taken no action to date
Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act
H.R. 1633 - Senate has taken no action to date
Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act
H.R. 4 - Signed into law by the President on April 14, 2011
On July 26th, 2012 the House approved H.R. 4078, the Red Tape Reduction and Small Business Job Creation Act, by a vote of 245-172. H.R. 4078 is a package of seven bills aimed at providing additional regulatory relief from the red tape that continues to burden our small businesses. The bill would impose a freeze on economically significant regulations that harm the economy until unemployment reaches 6% or below; permanently prevent “lame duck” administrations from issuing economically significant regulations (“midnight regs”); ensure that impacted parties have a right to intervene before federal agencies agree to binding legal settlements (“sue and settle”); require independent federal agencies to comply with the same regulatory review requirements as other agencies and requires increased transparency with respect to unfunded mandates; create a streamlined process for consideration of federal permits for construction projects; and require both the SEC and CFTC to conduct cost-benefit analyses of proposed regulations.
Red Tape and Impact on Small Businesses
The Small Business Administration (SBA) notes, “small businesses—which have created 64 percent of all new jobs in the past 15 years—face an annual regulatory cost of $10,585 per employee, which is 36 percent higher than the regulatory cost facing large firms.”
A 2010 report from the SBA estimated that total regulatory costs amount to $1.75 trillion annually—enough money for businesses to provide 35 million private sector jobs with an average salary of $50,000.
According to a Chamber of Commerce Small Business Outlook Survey, 78% of small businesses surveyed report the taxation, regulation and legislation from Washington make it harder for their business to hire more employees. And, 74% say the recent health care law makes it harder for their business to hire more employees.
- According to the same small business survey, eight out of ten say they would rather have Washington stay out of the way than provide a helping hand. Eighty-six percent say they would rather have more certainty from Washington than more assistance (6%) to deal with the economy.
(Click to Enlarge)
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American small businesses are hurting, and the world is noticing:
- According to the World Bank’s Doing Business 2012 report, the U.S. now ranks 13th in the world in the ease of starting a new business and has been steadily declining since President Obama took office. In 2011, the U.S. was 8th. In 2009, the U.S. was ranked 6th. It was 4th in 2008 and 3rd in 2007.
- The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012 has the U.S. ranked as the 5th most competitive economy in the world. When President Obama took office in 2009, the U.S. was ranked 2nd. The report notes the business community’s concerns “about the government’s ability to maintain arms-length relationships with the private sector” as well as “more burdensome” regulations.
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