I
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 3310
To amend chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code, for the purpose
of facilitating compliance by small businesses with certain Federal paper-
work requirements, and to establish a task force to examine the feasibility
of streamlining paperwork requirements applicable to small businesses.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 3, 1998
Mr. MCINTOSH (for himself, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. FROST, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr.
GORDON, Mr. HAMILTON, Mr. HASTERT, Mr. SCARBOROUGH, Mr.
SUNUNU, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. MCHUGH, Mr. DAVIS of Vir-
ginia, Mr. MILLER of Florida, Mr. LIVINGSTON, Mr. DELAY, Mr. ARMEY,
Mr. BOEHNER, Mr. THORNBERRY, Mr. BARR of Georgia, Ms. DUNN, and
Mr. SNOWBARGER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, and in addition to
the Committee on Small Business, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To amend chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code, for
the purpose of facilitating compliance by small businesses
with certain Federal paperwork requirements, and to es-
tablish a task force to examine the feasibility of stream-
lining paperwork requirements applicable to small busi-
nesses.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Small Business Paper-
work Reduction Act Amendments of 1998’’.
SEC. 2. FACILITATION OF COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL PA-
PERWORK REQUIREMENTS.
(a) ANNUAL PUBLICATION
OF PAPERWORK RE-
QUIREMENTS.—Section 3504(c) of chapter 35 of title 44,
United States Code (commonly referred to as the ‘‘Paper-
work Reduction Act’’), is amended—
(1) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and
inserting a semicolon;
(2) in paragraph (5), by striking the period and
inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
‘‘(6) publish in the Federal Register on an an-
nual basis a list of the requirements applicable to
small-business concerns (within the meaning of sec-
tion 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et
seq.)) with respect to collection of information by
agencies.’’.
(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF AGENCY POINT OF CON-
TACT; SUSPENSION OF FINES FOR FIRST-TIME PAPER-
WORK VIOLATIONS.—Section 3506 of such chapter is
amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section:
‘‘(i)(1) In addition to the requirements described in
subsection (c), each agency shall, with respect to the col-
lection of information and the control of paperwork—
‘‘(A) establish one point of contact in the agen-
cy to act as a liaison between the agency and small-
business concerns (within the meaning of section 3
of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.));
and
‘‘(B) in any case of a first-time violation by a
small-business concern of a requirement regarding
collection of information by the agency in which the
head of the agency determines that the violation has
not caused actual serious harm to the public health
or safety—
‘‘(i) provide that, except as provided in
clause (ii), no civil fine shall be imposed by the
agency on the small-business concern if the
small-business concern corrects the violation on
or before the date that is six months after the
date of receipt by the small-business concern of
notification of the violation in writing from the
agency; and
‘‘(ii) if the violation presents an imminent
and substantial danger to the public health or
safety, provide that, except as provided in para-
graph (2), no civil fine shall be imposed by the
agency on the small-business concern if the
small-business concern corrects the violation
during the 24-hour period immediately follow-
ing receipt by the small-business concern of no-
tification of the violation in writing from the
agency.
‘‘(2) In a case described in paragraph (1)(B)(ii), the
head of the agency may waive the suspension of imposition
of a civil fine provided in that paragraph. The head of
the agency shall notify Congress of any such waiver not
later than 60 days after the date that the suspension is
waived.
‘‘(3) For purposes of paragraph (1)(B), the term
‘agency’ does not include the Internal Revenue Service.’’.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF TASK FORCE TO STUDY
STREAMLINING OF PAPERWORK REQUIRE-
MENTS FOR SMALL-BUSINESS CONCERNS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 35 of title 44, United
States Code, is further amended by adding at the end the
following new section:
‘‘§ 3521. Establishment of task force on feasibility of
streamlining information collection re-
quirements
‘‘(a) There is hereby established a task force to study
the feasibility of streamlining requirements with respect
to small-business concerns regarding collection of informa-
tion (in this section referred to as the ‘task force’).
‘‘(b) The members of the task force shall be ap-
pointed by the Director, and shall include the following:
‘‘(1) At least two representatives of the Depart-
ment of Labor, including one representative of the
Bureau of Labor Statistics and one representative of
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
‘‘(2) At least one representative of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency.
‘‘(3) At least one representative of the Depart-
ment of Transportation.
‘‘(4) At least one representative of the Office of
Advocacy of the Small Business Administration.
‘‘(5) At least one representative of each of two
agencies other than the Department of Labor, the
Environmental Protection Agency, the Department
of Transportation, and the Small Business Adminis-
tration.
‘‘(c) The task force shall examine the feasibility of
requiring each agency to consolidate requirements regard-
ing collections of information with respect to small-busi-
ness concerns, in order that each small-business concern
may submit all information required by the agency—
‘‘(1) to one point of contact in the agency;
‘‘(2) in a single format, or using a single elec-
tronic reporting system, with respect to the agency;
and
‘‘(3) on the same date.
‘‘(d) Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of the Small Business Paperwork Reduction
Act Amendments of 1998, the task force shall submit a
report of its findings under subsection (c) to the chairmen
and ranking minority members of the Committee on Gov-
ernment Reform and Oversight and the Committee on
Small Business of the House of Representatives, and the
Committee on Governmental Affairs and the Committee
on Small Business of the Senate.
‘‘(e) As used in this section, the term ‘small-business
concern’ has the meaning given that term under section
3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.).’’.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions at the beginning of such chapter is amended by add-
ing at the end the following new item:
‘‘3521. Establishment of task force on feasibility of streamlining information
collection requirements.’’.
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