[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 18418-18419]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



           20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE REGULATORY FLEXIBILITY ACT

  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I speak today to make note of the 
anniversary of the signing into law of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. 
Twenty years ago today, the Reg Flex Act, as it is better known, was 
signed into law after its passage by the 96th Congress. This historic 
piece of legislation explicitly recognized the importance of small 
businesses to the economy and their

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contributions to innovation and competition.
  With the Reg Flex Act, Congress intended that no federal action taken 
in the name of good public policy would undermine the nation's equally 
important commitment to preserving competition and to maintaining a 
level playing field for small businesses. The law established an 
analytical framework in which regulatory agencies were directed to 
consider the impact on small businesses of their regulatory proposals 
and consider alternatives that would have a more equitable impact 
without compromising public policy objectives. The Reg Flex Act had 
bipartisan support, as well as the support of the small business 
community.
  In 1996 the Senate Small Business Committee led the effort to 
strengthen the Reg Flex Act with the passage of the Small Business 
Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act. Under SBREFA, for the first time, 
the courts were given jurisdiction to review agency compliance with the 
law and impose remedial action where necessary. This and other changes 
have truly altered the culture within regulatory agencies. Federal 
government agencies are learning that they must balance diverse public 
interest concerns when developing regulations and they must ensure that 
their actions do not adversely affect small businesses and competition. 
Nearly every regulation is now examined for its impact on small 
businesses. Although they may never know it, small businesses have 
saved billions of dollars and countless work hours thanks to agency 
compliance with the Reg Flex Act.
  Mr. President, the Reg Flex Act clearly helps small businesses every 
day by compelling agencies to reduce their compliance burdens. The 
Senate should take pride in the innovative Reg Flex Act, which has 
helped to create the best climate in the world for small business 
growth and prosperity. As the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on 
Small Business, I am pleased to have played a key role in strengthening 
this legislation and ensuring its effective application for the benefit 
of our nation's small businesses.

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