Earlier this year the House of Representatives approved legislation to overhaul Washington’s regulatory process. The ALERT Act (H.R. 1759) requires federal agencies to provide detailed information about the cost and impact a proposed regulation would have on American taxpayers and businesses– before the new regulation goes into effect. The bill was designed to increase federal accountability and minimize the risk that new regulations potentially pose to our entrepreneurs and small businesses’ ability to create, compete, and succeed. The ALERT Act seeks to accomplish these goals by:  

• Forcing federal agencies to give more detailed annual disclosures about planned regulations and their expected costs, final rules, and cumulative regulatory costs.
• Requiring monthly, public updates online regarding planned regulations and their expected costs so that those who will be affected know in real-time how they can better plan for the impacts on their budgets, operations, and hiring.
• Preventing new regulations from taking effect unless the required disclosures are made during the 6 months preceding the regulations’ issuance.

Congressman Forbes is a cosponsor of the ALERT Act and supported the bill when it was approved by the House as part of a suit of regulatory reform measures on a vote of 244-173.

Question of the Week: Do you support the ALERT Act to hold federal agencies accountable for the regulations they impose on taxpayers and small businesses?

(  ) Yes.
(  ) No.
(  ) I Don’t Know.
(  ) Other.

Take the poll here.

Find out the results of the last instapoll here.