Buck Votes for Increased Transparency

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Katherine Rosario, 202-226-8414

Washington – Today, the House voted to pass H.R. 50, the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act, which requires federal agencies to consult with state, local, and tribal governments while developing significant regulatory mandates and extends this requirement to the private sector.  Congressman Ken Buck (CO-04) released the following statement:

“I am proud of my vote for the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act.  This bill will protect the private sector and local communities from onerous, costly regulations and mandates. Requiring the federal government to consult the individuals who will be affected adversely by federal mandates before they are imposed on them makes perfect sense.  This bill closes loopholes that allow the federal government to impose unnecessary burdens on local governments and individuals in the private sector without accountability and transparency.  This solution is long overdue, and I hope that the Senate passes this bill and President Obama signs it into law.”

H.R. 50 seeks to close the loopholes in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA), which was enacted to promote informed and deliberate decision making by Congress and federal agencies. UMRA was found by the 112th Congress to be largely unsuccessful in living up to its original intent.  It failed to keep onerous mandates off the backs of local governments and the private sector due to loopholes, exemptions, and narrow coverage.  H.R. 50 requires independent regulatory agencies to comply with the UMRA and closes the loophole that currently allows any agency to forgo UMRA analysis if the agency never issued a notice of proposed rulemaking for a federal regulatory mandate.

Rep. Ken Buck (CO-04) serves on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.  He serves on the OGR Subcommittees on Government Operations and the Interior and is a member of the Judiciary Subcommittees on Immigration and Border Security and Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations.

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