[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4873 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4873

  To provide authority to executive departments and agencies to issue 
    rulings respecting application of laws under their jurisdiction.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 1, 1994

  Mr. McHale introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide authority to executive departments and agencies to issue 
    rulings respecting application of laws under their jurisdiction.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Regulatory Compliance Assistance 
Act''.

SEC. 2. RULINGS.

    Section 301 of title 5, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(a)'' before ``The head'',
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(b)(1) The head of each executive department and executive agency 
may, upon request, issue a ruling to any individual or entity 
respecting the application of the laws under the jurisdiction of such 
department or agency to such individual or entity on the basis of 
information provided by such individual or entity.
    ``(2)(A) The head of an executive department or executive agency 
shall establish a program requiring the payment of user fees for 
requests to the department or agency for a ruling under paragraph (1).
    ``(B) The program established under subparagraph (A) shall require 
that the amount of the fee charged shall be determined after taking 
into account the average time for, and difficulty of, complying with 
requests for rulings and shall be payable in advance. The program shall 
provide for such exemptions and reduced fees under the program as the 
head of the executive department or executive agency determines to be 
appropriate.'',
            (3) by inserting at the end of the section heading ``and 
        rulings'', and
            (4) in the item relating to section 301 in the table of 
        sections, by inserting at the end of the item ``and rulings''.
                                 <all>