United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2006-07-20 monographic deposited born digital 17 p. GA 1.13:GAO-06-998T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-998T P0b002ee1803947e1 f:d06998t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-998T machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-998T GAO-06-998T Federal agencies Federal regulations Nonprofit organizations Proposed legislation Small business Legislative interpretation Policies and procedures Public policy Testimony A57180 Federal regulation is one of the basic tools of government used to implement public policy. In 1980, the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) was enacted in response to concerns about the effect that regulations can have on small entities, including small businesses, small governmental jurisdictions, and certain small not-for-profit organizations. Congress amended RFA in 1996, and the President issued Executive Order 13272 in 2002, to strengthen requirements for agencies to consider the impact of their proposed rules on small entities. However, concerns about the regulatory burden on small entities persist, prompting legislative proposals such as H.R. 682, the Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act, which would amend RFA. At the request of Congress, GAO has prepared many reports and testimonies reviewing the implementation of RFA and related policies. On the basis of that body of work, this testimony (1) provides an overview of the basic purpose and requirements of RFA, (2) highlights the main impediments to the Act's implementation that GAO's reports identified, and (3) suggests elements of RFA that Congress might consider amending to improve the effectiveness of the Act. GAO's prior reports and testimonies contain recommendations to improve the implementation of RFA and related regulatory process requirements. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-998T/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-998T.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-998T/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-998T.pdf GAO-06-998T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-998T Testimony GAO-06-998T; Regulatory Flexibility Act: Congress Should Revisit and Clarify Elements of the Act to Improve Its Effectiveness; Federal agencies Federal regulations Nonprofit organizations Proposed legislation Small business Legislative interpretation Policies and procedures Public policy