WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, in keeping with his campaign promise, has introduced his first bill of the new Congress -- sweeping legislation to fight overly burdensome regulations issued by the Obama Administration which hurt the nation’s struggling economy.

Roberts’ bill, S.168, the Regulatory Responsibility for our Economy Act, (RREA) would require all federal agencies to review their significant regulations, and propose a timeline to repeal those deemed burdensome, unnecessary or those that harm the economy or job creation.

Roberts first introduced the bill in 2011 following an Executive Order issued by the President to improve regulation and regulatory review. This Order was largely ignored by the agencies.

The RREA strengthens and codifies President Obama’s own directions to his agencies. The RREA ensures that regulations put forth by the Executive branch consider the economic burden on American businesses, account for stakeholder input, and promote innovation.  

The White House has threatened to veto a similar regulatory reform bill proposed in the House.

“It is interesting to me that the President is now threatening to veto his own ideas,” Roberts said. “Well, my bill takes the President’s own order, and enforces it. My bill would require that all regulations put forth by the current and future administrations consider the consequences for American businesses and families -- just like the President said in his order.

“I hope the President can realize that these regulations are slowing down our economic recovery, and I hope he will welcome our attempts to make his administration follow his own orders to address the problem. Or is it all just lip service?”

“As I visit communities across Kansas, there is one refrain echoed by nearly all small business owners, farmers, ranchers, home builders, community bankers, doctors, and pharmacists – the overly burdensome and costly regulations from the Obama Administration hurt job creation, stifle  growth, and generally make life more difficult on hard working Americans,” Senator Roberts said.

“The federal government has overstepped its bounds, and it is time we rein in the bureaucrats and free the American entrepreneurial spirit from the death grip of the Obama regulators. This legislation forces the Administration to review these regulations and become a partner in America’s success rather than an impediment to it,” Roberts concluded. (Audio/Video HERE)

Wayne Crews, Vice President for Policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, announced CEI’s support of the legislation saying, “When it comes to economic recovery, you don’t need to tell the grass to grow, you simply have to take the rocks off of it. And Senator Pat Roberts’ ‘Regulatory Responsibility for Our Economy Act’ would remove rocks from America’s economic lawn so it can flourish.” 

“Federal red tape and over-regulation are crushing our economic health and well-being, and Senator Roberts’ Regulatory Responsibility Act is a step in the right direction that will boost cost assessments of new rules and require independent retrospective analysis of old ones. The Act would also enhance public participation in the regulatory process, limit agency overuse of difficult-to-challenge ‘interim final rules,’ and allow flexibility to reduce economic burdens,” Crews said.

Under the RREA, the Administration would be required by law to review, modify, streamline, expand, or repeal any significant regulatory actions that are duplicative, unnecessary, burdensome, or would have significant economic impacts on Americans.

The bill also closes the loopholes that the Administration has been using to bypass stakeholder input on regulations, and allows for judicial review if the Administration fails to meet this self-imposed standard.

As Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Roberts is particularly concerned with the overly aggressive regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA is attempting to expand the definition of navigable waterways to include farm ponds, currently requires pesticide applicators to get two permits for the use of pesticides and, finally, has issued strict new emissions standards for coal and oil fired electric utilities costing billions annually.

The Regulatory Responsibility for our Economy Act has received letters of support from the Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business, and  the American Farm Bureau Federation.  The legislation is also supported by the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

The bill has 16 original cosponsors, including Senators Ayotte, Barrasso, Blunt, Coats, Crapo, Fischer, Grassley, Hatch, Isakson, Johnson, Murkowski, Rubio, Sessions, Tillis, Toomey and Wicker.

Senator Roberts is an outspoken advocate for the elimination of ridiculous and burdensome regulations issued by the agenda driven Obama Administration. From the School Lunch Program to healthcare, Roberts has fought executive overreach and won. Roberts is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and a senior member of the Senate Committee on Finance and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

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