On Jan. 13, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan-supported bill that calls for increased accountability and transparency from legislators who wish to impose new regulations. The bill — HR 185: The Regulatory Accountability Act of 2015 — would require a thorough analysis of any new proposed regulation, including a cost-benefit analysis. It also calls for increased public participation throughout the regulatory process.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Virginia, and Congressman Collin Peterson, D-Minnesota, introduced the legislation in early January. “The effects of excessive government regulation are real for the American people,” Goodlatte said in a press release. “The bill passed by the House of Representatives reforms the executive branch and the problem of overreaching federal regulation. I applaud the House for passing this real and permanent regulatory reform for the American people.”