Milwaukee City Wire

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has joined forces with Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and seven other GOP colleagues to reintroduce the Unnecessary Agency Regulations Reduction Act. The purpose of this legislation is to alleviate taxpayers from burdensome and outdated government regulations and streamline the disposal process for unnecessary agency regulations.

The Unnecessary Agency Regulations Reduction Act aims to create a mechanism that will eliminate multiple regulations originating from federal executive branch agencies through a joint resolution.

This legislation has gained the support of various organizations including Heritage Action, FreedomWorks, Americans for Prosperity, the National Taxpayers Union, the R Street Institute, and the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

Sen. Johnson expressed his views on the matter, stating, “The Unnecessary Agency Regulations Reduction Act will afford taxpayers relief from burdensome and outdated regulations. This legislation is a great step towards reducing regulatory burden and limiting the explosive growth of government.”

The Unnecessary Agency Regulations Reduction Act will establish the following process:

• Starting two years after enactment, the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) will annually:

• Compile and maintain a list of all planned agency major rules or sets of major rules for the relevant period; and
• Compile a list of outdated, duplicative, or burdensome agency regulations to consolidate or repeal.

• OIRA will also consider the annual audit of programs conducted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to identify any duplicative, outdated, or burdensome regulations associated with the programs, agencies, offices, and initiatives mentioned in their report.
• The OIRA Administrator will include the list of major rules in each of the President’s Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions reports.
• No later than 30 days after the submission of the list of major rules to Congress by the OIRA Administrator, each appropriate congressional committee shall review and compile the final list of regulations to consolidate or repeal into a single joint resolution.
• This legislation is tied to the Congressional Review Act, ensuring that the measure receives expedited consideration in both houses of Congress.

In addition to Sen. Johnson and Sen. Scott, the Unnecessary Agency Regulations Reduction Act is co-sponsored by Senators Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), James Risch (R-Idaho.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.).

To read the full text of the bill, click here.

For more information on the Unnecessary Agency Regulations Reduction Act, please visit the official website of U.S. Senator Ron Johnson.