00:00Seeing none, the question is now on the amendment in the nature of a substitute.
00:03All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye.
00:06All those opposed signify by saying no.
00:09In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it and the amendment is agreed to.
00:11The question is now favorably reporting H.R. 2096 as amended.
00:15All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye.
00:18All those opposed signify by saying no.
00:20No.
00:20In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it and the bill is ordered favorably reported.
00:24A recorded vote is ordered as previously announced.
00:27Further proceedings on the question will be postponed.
00:30Our next item for consideration is H.R. 580, the Unfunded Mandates Accountability and Transparency Act of 2025.
00:36Clerk, please report.
00:37H.R. 580, the Unfunded Mandates Accountability and Transparency Act of 2025.
00:43A bill to amend the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 to provide for regulatory impact analysis for certain rules and for other purposes.
00:50Without objection, the bill should be considered as read and open for amendment at any point.
00:52Without objection to order, the chair recognizes himself to offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
00:55Clerk, please aye. The amendment.
00:57An amendment in the nature of a substitute, H.R. 580, as offered by Mr. Comer of Kentucky.
01:01Without objection, the amendment is considered as read and the substitute be considered as original text for the purposes of further amendment.
01:05I now recognize myself for five minutes for a statement on the bill and the amendment.
01:09I support H.R. 580, the Unfunded Mandates Accountability and Transparency Act.
01:14First introduced several Congresses ago and still very much needed,
01:17the bill strengthens Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 or UMRA.
01:23UMRA attempts to bring the flood of unfunded mandates issued to states, localities, and tribal governments by the federal bureaucracy under control.
01:34It was later amended to help stem the flow of unregulably costly mandates imposed upon the private sector.
01:41But unfortunately, federal regulatory agencies have typically treated the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act compliance as a box-checking exercise and not a true constraint on their activities.
01:55Thus, the flood of unfunded mandates has continued.
01:58This was particularly true under the Biden-Harris administration.
02:00Last Congress, the committee received testimony that cost imposed by a new Biden administration regulations in 2021 and 2022 equaled $10,000 per household.
02:11In all, the Biden-Harris administration turned out nearly $2 trillion in new regulatory burdens.
02:16Thankfully, the Unfunded Mandates Accountability and Transparency Act provides a solution.
02:22It increases earlier stakeholder engagement on rules that may impose costly mandates.
02:30Better positioning stakeholders help agencies out of new ways to achieve goals at lower costs.
02:37HR 580 requires agencies to prepare regulatory impact analysis, including analysis of cost, benefits, alternatives, disproportionate impacts, and effects on jobs.
02:47For major rules that mandate economic impacts of $100 million or more, present major increases in cost or prices, or have significant adverse effects on competition, employment, or markets, it requires agencies to publish initial assessments in the federal register and receive public comment in response to notices proposed rulemaking.
03:03And it requires final agency regulatory impact analysis to accompany notices of final rulemaking.
03:08These and other provisions in the bill ensure agencies will better analyze the potential cost of newly proposed mandates.
03:14I want to thank Dr. Fox for unwavering efforts over several Congresses to enact this bill into law.
03:21I also want to thank Representatives Henry Cuellar and Gerald Golden for their bipartisan co-sponsorship.
03:26I urge my colleagues to support this critical bipartisan reform bill.
03:30I now recognize Ranking Member Lynch for his statement.
03:33Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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