[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 35 (Friday, February 24, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E434]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 PASSAGE OF PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT AND MORATORIUM ON REGULATIONS WILL 
                            REDUCE RED TAPE

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                            HON. ROB PORTMAN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 24, 1995
  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, this week, the House of Representatives 
completed action on two important items which are a part of the 
Contract With America's Wage Enhancement and Job Creation Act, intended 
to relieve individuals and businesses of the burden of onerous Federal 
regulations, paperwork, and red tape.
  On Wednesday, the House passed H.R. 830, legislation to strengthen 
the Paperwork Reduction Act, which would reduce the volume of reports, 
forms, applications, and other paperwork required by the Federal 
Government.
  The House also passed the Regulatory Transition Act which prohibits 
Federal agencies from imposing any new rules until December 31, 1995, 
or the date Congress enacts reforms requiring cost/benefit analysis and 
scientific risk assessment as part of the process.
  American taxpayers, small business owners, ranchers, farmers, 
property owners, and local governments have waited too long for 
Congress to take common sense action to lift the burden of excessive 
and costly Government regulation and paperwork. That's why the Contract 
With America includes provisions which promote economic growth by 
forcing us to halt ill-conceived regulations and make Government 
bureaucrats accountable for the burdens they impose on American 
taxpayers and workers.
  Business owners spend millions of hours a year filling out Government 
forms at an annual cost of $100 billion. And it is not only businesses 
who are overwhelmed with paperwork, it is estimated that the American 
people spent more than 6.5 billion hours filling out forms and 
compiling records for the Federal Government in 1994.
  Why is this a problem? Because regulations, red tape, and excessive 
paperwork are essentially hidden taxes. Employers waste time and money 
complying with these burdens and cannot hire new employees or invest in 
machinery and equipment to make workers more productive. Onerous 
regulations and paperwork create jobs for lawyers but destroy jobs for 
business--especially small businesses that generate a vast majority of 
the new jobs in our economy. That is why it is imperative that we take 
action to stop this counter-productive trend now.
  The regulatory moratorium is necessary while we sort out what 
regulatory reforms are appropriate. It does, of course, exempt rules 
that are necessary to prevent an imminent threat to health or safety or 
to enforce criminal laws.
  I supported H.R. 830 and H.R. 450 because I believe these measures 
demonstrate a continuing commitment to the American people that 
Congress is finally willing to turn back the tide of paperwork and 
regulatory red tape burdening the American people.


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