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THE VOICE OF THE MERIT SHOP

ABC is the voice of the merit shop on Capitol Hill! Sending letters to Congress allows ABC to publicly advocate for the views and interests of our more than 23,000 members. By corresponding with U.S. House of Representatives and Senate members, ABC promotes fair and open competition in the construction industry and fights to protect merit shop contractors around the country.

ABC Supports Legislation to Protect Small Businesses from Harmful Regulations

On Sept. 10, the House Committee on Small Business held a full committee markup on several pieces of legislation that strengthen the Regulatory Flexibility Act and protect small businesses from harmful regulations. Ahead of the hearing, ABC sent a letter to the committee expressing support for the below bills and advocated for small business input throughout the rulemaking process.

  • H.R. 9085, the Regulatory Review Improvement Act of 2024, makes modifications to how agencies conduct periodic reviews of agency rules.
  • H.R. 7198, the Prove It Act of 2024, increases small business input in the regulatory process and ensures agencies are fully accounting for the impact of regulations on small businesses.
  • H.R. 9031, the Assurance for Small Business Act of 2024, requires federal agency heads to submit a report on the implementation of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.
  • H.R. 9032, the Enhanced Regulatory Flexibility Assessment Act, makes it mandatory for agencies to conduct studies and issue reports on the effects of new rules on small businesses.
  • H.R. 9030, the Regulatory Agenda Clarity Act, requires federal agencies to fully disclose how their regulations would impact small businesses and entrepreneurs.
  • H.R. 8033, the Regulatory Transparency for Small Business Act, forces federal agencies to identify an approximate number of small entities that will be affected by new regulations, the cost per small entity and the data used to make that determination.
  • H.R. 9033, the LABOR Act of 2024, requires regulatory flexibility analysis from the U.S. Department of Labor.

In defense of H.R. 7198, and small businesses in general, Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., said the legislation was “vital to reducing regulatory burdens and ensuring agencies consider the needs of small businesses when implementing new rules.” He went on to note that, “not one small business has said they need more regulations and this administration has put our over 700 regulations, punishing America’s small businesses.”

The aforementioned bills were all reported favorably by the committee and now await a full House vote.