WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson recently voted to support H.R. 1633, the Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives vote of 268-150.
H.R. 1633, which prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating farm dust that is already regulated at the state or local level, is the fourth federal regulatory reform measure that has passed the House in the last two weeks.
“Farmers already comply with similar regulations on state and local levels, additional mandates to comply with Federal regulations are duplicative and will only add administrative costs and detract from the real business at hand – farming,” said Thompson.
“Passage of H.R. 1633 gives our family farmers the certainty they need to invest in the future without having to comply with an additional bureaucratic process. In this economy, we need to promote economic growth not subvert it with a web of costly mandates on farmers and small businesses.”
The House also recently passed H.R. 10, the Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, by a vote of 241-184, which amends the Congressional Review Act.
H.R. 10 would require congressional approval of every new major rule or regulation proposed by the executive branch with an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more, before it can be enforced.
“The recently enacted healthcare and financial reform laws have offered countless new rulemaking opportunities for federal regulators, and with it we’ve encountered a gross increase in burdensome mandates that are undermining small business expansion,” said Thompson.
“Passage of the REINS Act places a needed check on the Administration’s regulatory agenda and will dramatically improve transparency and accountability in the regulatory process, so we can expand opportunities for businesses to grow and hire more workers.”
Last week, the House passed H.R. 527, the Regulatory Flexibility Improvement Act of 2011, by a vote of 263-159, and H.R. 3010, the Regulatory Accountability Act, by a vote of 253-167. Both measures ensure more rigorous cost estimates of the potential impacts of federal agency rules and regulations on smaller businesses. With approval of these four proposals, the House has now passed 27 jobs bills that are awaiting a vote in the Senate.