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This week, the House passed bipartisan regulatory transparency legislation sponsored by Representatives Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike McIntyre (D-NC), and Collin Peterson (D-MN). The Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act (H.R. 899) would strengthen the bipartisan regulatory Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA).

Representative Virginia Foxx – “The Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act bypasses the usual partisan debates about the size and  role of government and simply requires federal agencies to consider the costs of their actions. Democrats and Republicans worked together to pass the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act in 1995 because they believed Americans are better served when regulators are required to measure and consider the costs of rules they create. UMITA builds on and strengthens UMRA to ensure jobs and economic growth are not sacrificed due to bureaucratic ignorance and indifference. It’s my hope that  the strong bipartisan manner in which UMITA passed the House will pave the way for swift consideration and passage in the Senate.” 

Representative Loretta Sanchez –“This bill will help protect state and local governments from the burden of unfunded and often unnecessary mandates that waste time and money.  Our bill will hold federal agencies accountable by requiring public reporting on these mandates.”

Representative James Lankford – “I am proud to join Rep. Foxx in working this important bill through the legislative process and to the House floor for a vote. At several subcommittee hearings in 2011,  I examined how excessive federal rules and regulations circumvent existing law to increase the burden on states and business owners that struggle under the ever-growing weight of federal bureaucracy. The federal government must stop flippantly imposing costly regulations on states, cities, counties, tribes and local businesses. This necessary reform will force the federal government to consider the least burdensome and most effective means for any future regulation. The federal government is designed to serve the nation, not abuse its delegated power through overregulation and mandates.”

Representative Mike McIntyre – “Unfunded mandates place an unnecessary burden on the free market, our local governments, and the taxpayers at large! It’s a problem that must be addressed and today we take a strong step in the right direction, holding government accountable and providing greater transparency about the costs of unfunded mandates. The passage of this bill is a great victory for the American tax payer!”

Representative Collin Peterson – “It’s time to establish a more open and transparent process of federal mandates, providing our constituents with a complete assessment on the impact of government regulations. The Unfunded Mandates Information & Transparency Act modernizes the process and is a first step to the reforms I believe need to be made to the regulatory process.”

H.R. 899 expands the scope of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA), which was passed to ensure public awareness of the financial burden federal mandates place on employers and state and local governments. UMITA will ensure that regulatory agencies know exactly what they are asking the American people to pay, and whether the costs of compliance might make it harder for family businesses to meet payroll and stay afloat. H.R. 899 passed the House today on a bipartisan 234-176 vote.

More Information: /legislation/umita.htm

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx is currently in her fifth term as the Representative of North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District and is the elected Republican Conference Secretary. Dr. Foxx is the chair of the House Education & the Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and serves as Vice Chair of the House Rules Committee.

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CONTACT: Ross Groen (202) 225-2071