Representative Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) voted this afternoon to help give Michigan small businesses greater economic certainty by providing much-needed relief from costly federal regulations. Among other things, the Red Tape Reduction and Small Business Job Creation Act (H.R. 4078) would freeze costly new regulations until the national unemployment rate drops to 6 percent or lower. The bipartisan package also includes measures to streamline the federal permitting approval process for construction projects as well as permanently prevent “lame duck” administrations from promulgating a tidal wave of new regulations before leaving office, as has been past practice. The onslaught of costly new federal regulations remains an obstacle to job creators who face the slowest economic recovery in memory. Left unchecked, the administration’s aggressive barrage of new rules will drive up costs for employers by billions of dollars per year, harm employee wages and benefits, increase energy costs, and force countless American jobs overseas. H.R. 4078 passed the House by a vote of 245 to 172 and now heads to the Senate for consideration.
“Small business owners are the risk takers leading our economic recovery here in Michigan and across the country,” said Upton. “But rather than encouraging our entrepreneurs and supporting local job creation, the Obama administration continues to propose new regulations on small business at an astounding rate. This bipartisan legislation brings this endless tide of costly regs to a halt, allowing our job creators to focus their time, money, and resources on the important task of putting our nation back to work.”
As Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Upton has helped lead the charge to protect Michigan families and businesses from unnecessary and overreaching regulations. Small businesses account for more than 90 percent of all Michigan employers and employ over half of the state’s private sector workforce.
In a January 18, 2011, Wall Street Journal op-ed, President Obama wrote: “[T]oday I am directing federal agencies to do more to account for – and reduce – the burdens regulations may place on small businesses. Small firms drive growth and create most new jobs in this country. We need to make sure nothing stands in their way.” But in the year and a half since, the regulations continue to pile up at an historic rate. Since first taking office, the Obama administration has proposed more than 3,100 new regulations, 167 of which would have an impact on the economy at or above $100 million.
