Congress is bristling with activity aimed at bringing much-needed accountability and transparency to the nation's suffocating regulatory apparatus. While Washington bureaucrats may not like the increased public scrutiny headed their way, the people who pay the regulators' salaries will welcome the change. Eliminating the costly mandate would require a simple majority vote.
Hidden mandates are an unfair tax on American consumers.
Backing the bill is an impressive array of organizations, including the National Governors' Association, U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, and the National Conference of State Legislatures. After declaring war on hidden taxes, the House set its sights on the reams of paperwork Washington bureaucrats dump on unsuspecting small businesses. Unlike large corporations, most of America's 22 million small businesses lack the legal expertise that can keep them from making mistakes when filling out the mountains of paperwork thrust upon them. Fines for such errors can be stiff, forcing many small businesses into bankruptcy. Requiring federal agencies to create a hotline for small businesses that need answers and guidance when filling out federal paperwork.