Finding Relief for the Middle Class

Last week, I traveled to Chillicothe, Cameron, Trenton and Gallatin, talking with small business owners, farmers, and families. As part of my Small Business & Middle Class Relief Forum Tour, these events featured a productive dialogue about ways for the middle class to achieve relief from overbearing regulations. Blake Hurst, President of the Board of Directors for the Missouri Farm Bureau, also joined me at the events to offer his insight and perspective.

In all parts of the Sixth District, one thing I constantly hear from constituents is how frustrated they are with the Obama Administration's regulatory rampage. Over the past four years, the Administration has single-handedly issued major rules that added $70 billion in new costs to our economy. This atmosphere has created a lack of accountability, allowing agencies to issue rules that are costly, complex, and ineffective.

As Chairman of the House Small Business Committee, I have made scrutinizing federal regulations a top priority. One item in particular we've looked at is the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), which requires federal agencies to assess the economic impact of their regulations on small businesses, and if significant, consider less burdensome alternatives. Although the law has been on the books for more than three decades, agencies still fail to fully comply with the RFA's requirements.

To address this shortcoming, the Small Business Committee approved the Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act. The bill, which has since been passed by the House, would require agencies to consider indirect impacts of regulations, so the consequences on the economy are better understood.

It's time to pump the brakes on how this Administration has been doing business lately.