Hill Letter to Rep. Walberg Supporting Introduction of H.R. 1004, the Regulatory Integrity Act

Dear Representative Walberg:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce applauds you, as the original sponsor of H.R. 1004, the “Regulatory Integrity Act of 2017,” for your leadership on regulatory reform issues. The Regulatory Integrity Act would prevent federal agencies from improperly lobbying the public to support regulatory actions designed to expand the scope of an agency’s own authority. Agencies must be transparent, accountable, and fair in their regulatory actions.

H.R. 1004 is a valuable component of the regulatory reform effort now underway in Congress. On January 11, 2017, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Donohue emphasized the need for regulatory reform in his annual State of American Business address. The federal rulemaking process, as governed by the Administrative Procedure Act, has been virtually unchanged since it was established seven decades ago. Highlighting increasing overregulation and the outdated regulatory process, Mr. Donohue stressed that regulatory reform should be a top priority in the 115th Congress and singled out passage of the Regulatory Accountability Act. The House passed the Regulatory Accountability Act on January 11 by a 238-183 vote.

We appreciate the strong work of you and your cosponsors for your proactive approach to regulatory reform, and for striving to keep this issue at the top of the congressional agenda.