Vote may be near on bill to curb regulation

Despite a recent Obama administration veto threat, supporters of a bill that seeks to limit future regulations plan a House of Representatives vote on it as soon as Thursday.

The bill, which would require more transparency in the regulatory process and that regulators select the least costly alternative to regulations when appropriate, drew a veto threat Tuesday because of Obama administration concerns that it would create “needless” hurdles to new regulations.

The bill “would replace the existing framework with layers of additional procedural requirements that would seriously undermine the ability of agencies to execute their statutory mandates,” said the written administration statement (PDF).

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), the bill's sponsor and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said in a written response that the bill would not stop federal agencies from issuing needed regulations, only those that impose “unjustified regulatory costs on America's job creators.”

The full House may vote on the measure as early as Thursday, according to a spokeswoman.

Such legislation could have a significant effect on future healthcare regulations, including the many additional rules needed to implement provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The bill targets regulations seen as imposing large costs on the private sector. Projected private sector costs from implementation of the 2010 healthcare law figured prominently in a July 25 report on regulatory burdens by the conservative Heritage Foundation.