U.S. House Passes ISA-Endorsed Regulatory Reform
The sign and visual communications industry faces an extraordinary amount of federal regulations that have a direct impact on their bottom line. That’s why ISA recently joined with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other manufacturing groups to support regulatory reform legislation designed to make federal agencies more accountable to the American public and their elected representatives, to improve the transparency of agency actions, and to establish a level playing field for the sign companies that are regulated by federal agencies. The comprehensive regulatory reform bill, H.R. 2804, the Achieving Less Excess in Regulation and Requiring Transparency (ALERRT) Act, passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 236-179 on February 27. H.R. 2804 embodies several major principles of accountability, transparency, and fairness, drawn directly from the following individual bills:
- H.R. 2122 – Regulatory Accountability Act of 2013 (would modernize the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946 to ensure greater transparency during rule development, allowing the public greater access to the data relied on by the agency, and making agencies consider lower cost alternatives);
- H.R. 1493 – Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2013 (would bring more transparency and accountability to the “sue and settle” process by requiring agencies to give earlier notice and take public comment on proposed rulemaking action settlements);
- H.R. 2542 – Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act (would expand the scope of regulatory impact analyses under the Regulatory Flexibility Act, and give the SBA Office of Advocacy the authority to issue rules governing federal agency compliance with the RFA); and
- H.R. 2804 – ALERRT Act (would require agencies to submit monthly and annual reports of planned rules to OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), and OIRA would release information about these planned rules, including estimated costs and benefits, to the public).
It is reported that the U.S. Senate will be holding a general regulatory reform hearing on March 11, and ISA urges the Senate to also support H.R. 2804 and other regulatory reform measures that have already passed in the U.S. House. ISA will continue to support efforts to reduce the paperwork and financial burdens that come from regulations issued from Washington D.C. For more information, please contact ISA’s David Hickey.
