[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 111 (Tuesday, July 30, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S6074]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KING (for himself and Mr. Blunt):
  S. 1390. A bill to establish an independent advisory committee to 
review certain regulations, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
  Mr. KING. Mr. President, I would like to offer a few words on a bill 
that I am introducing today with my colleague and friend, Senator Roy 
Blunt of Missouri. Upon my arrival to the Senate, Senator Blunt and I 
shared a conversation in which we discovered our interest in proposing 
pragmatic legislation that would go about easing the ever-growing 
regulatory burden borne by businesses across the country. Since then, 
we have worked together to craft a bill that takes a reasonable 
approach toward thinning out older regulations that have outlived their 
utility, all while retaining essential congressional oversight. Today 
we introduce the Regulatory Improvement Act of 2013, which I believe 
will achieve this goal.
  The Regulatory Improvement Act will create an independent Regulatory 
Improvement Commission that will be tasked with reviewing outdated 
regulations with the goals of modifying, consolidating, or repealing 
regulations in order to reduce compliance costs, encourage growth and 
innovation, and improve competitiveness. The composition of the 
commission will be determined by congressional leadership and the 
President, and the commission will be tasked with identifying a single 
sector or area of regulations for consideration. After extensive review 
involving broad public and stakeholder input, the commission will 
submit to Congress a report containing regulations in need of 
streamlining, consolidation, or repeal. This report will enjoy 
expedited legislative procedures and will be subject to an up-or-down 
vote in both houses of Congress without amendment.
  Let me be clear: the intent of this bill is not to engage in a 
wholesale dismantling of the existing regulatory regime. In particular, 
I share some of my colleagues concerns that ``regulatory reform'' can 
be employed as a euphemism to disguise an undercurrent of efforts to 
completely undo significant legislation--from the Clean Air Act to the 
Affordable Care Act. I do not support such efforts. That said, I 
believe there is broad bipartisan consensus that regulations have a 
cumulative effect and that Congress has neither the expertise nor 
formal mechanisms through which it can effectively and expeditiously 
conduct retrospective analyses. A Regulatory Improvement Commission 
would provide a vehicle for the review of older regulations and 
provided much-needed relief to businesses struggling to comply with 
layers of competing or even duplicative regulations.
  In a larger sense, this bill seeks to reclaim some of the ground that 
Congress has ceded to executive agencies in recent years. From my 
vantage point, the current regulatory structure has become akin to a 
fourth, unchecked branch of government. As an institution, we must find 
ways to reverse this disturbing trend and reestablish an appropriate 
role of congressional oversight. Therefore, I am glad to introduce this 
bipartisan bill that offers a reasonable way to revisit older 
regulations, and I thank Senator Blunt for his interest and support of 
the proposal.
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