This morning, the Wall Street Journal published, “Red Tape Record Breakers”, analyzing the record number of costly regulations promulgated during President Obama’s administration.  Listed below are a few of the more alarming statistics from the Editorial detailing the recent explosion in federal regulations:

• The Code of Federal Regulations hit an all-time high of 174,545 in 2012, an increase of more than 21 percent during the last decade

• Last year, 4,062 regulations were at various stages of implementation from Washington, D.C.

• A recent study from the Competitive Enterprise Institute estimates regulatory costs averaging $14,768 per household, meaning red tape is the second largest item in the typical family budget after housing

As small businesses across America struggle with high levels of unemployment, an increasingly tough economic environment, and burdensome paperwork requirements, the last thing they need is added regulatory uncertainty.  The NFIB and the Small Businesses for Sensible Regulations Coalition understands that small businesses are the engine of the U.S. economy, and continues to work to make sure America’s entrepreneurs concerns are heard in Washington and across the country.

READ THE FULL WALL STREET JOURNAL EDITORIAL

Yesterday afternoon, The Hill reported on a new Congressional Research Service (CRS) study confirming that under President Obama, federal regulations have soared. The story notes: “From 2009 through last year, there were more than 13,000 final rules published in the Federal Register, while fewer than 12,400 were finalized from 2005-2008, the report found. That’s an increase of nearly five percent.”

The CRS study showing a spike in regulations comes as the administration is already under harsh scrutiny from federal and state lawmakers as well as outside groups for the economic price tag of the President’s intrusive regulatory policies. A recent report from the Heritage Foundation cited the price tag of Obama’s first-term regulations at $70 billion. Another article in The Hill yesterday noted the administration has failed to release its legally required “Unified Agenda” revealing plans and anticipated deadlines for federal regulations, “Obama officials have missed the spring deadline for the second year in a row, stoking anxiety for businesses that want to know what mandates and rules are coming down the pike.”

At a time when small businesses are already facing high levels of unemployment and a tough economic environment, the last thing they need is additional regulatory uncertainty. The Small Businesses for Sensible Regulations Coalition is focused on protecting small businesses and American jobs from the impacts of overly burdensome and costly regulations proposed by the Obama administration.

Last week, The Heritage Foundation released “Red Tape Rising: Regulations in Obama’s First Term,” which analyzes the number and cost of regulations under President Obama.

The report notes that “annual regulatory costs increased by more than $23.5 billion during President Barack Obama’s fourth year in office—and by a total of nearly $70 billion during the first term.”

The sheer number, cost, and complexity of regulations from this administration are too much for small business owners. Time and time again, small business owners are diverting money away from their business operations to comply with regulations. Sometimes, small business owners are spending money on and complying with a regulation that they don’t even understand what problem it was intended to fix.

As this study and other recent studies point out, America is in great need of regulatory reform. Our regulatory system should include small business owners in the process from the beginning, be transparent, have cost-benefit analysis, and use science and objective data when assessing risks. Making these changes will ensure that America’s small business owners are able to invest and hire, which will help to strengthen America’s economy.

Yesterday, Susan Dudley, Director of the GW Regulatory Studies Center, and Sofie Miller, Policy Analyst at the GW Regulatory Studies Center, published an important piece in The Washington Examiner. This opinion editorial analyzed whether or not President Obama’s claims of reducing regulatory burden are in fact true.

Dudley and Miller note:

However, upcoming research from the George Washington Regulatory Studies Center suggests that it is doubtful whether the savings that agencies claim from these reforms will materialize at all.

Dudley and Miller found that the Tier 3 vehicle and fuel standard regulation, that was featured in the “look back” regulatory review, will in fact cost $3.4 billion per year. While the agency claims there will be less paperwork for businesses, the economic cost will have a largely negative affect on consumers and the economy.

Hopefully, President Obama understands that this isn’t the kind of “regulatory reform” that America was hoping for. True regulatory reform will include: transparency during the regulatory process, cost-benefit analysis, and risk assessment. If these reforms are enacted, then our small businesses will be able to invest and hire, and as a result, our economy will grow.

This morning, The Washington Post published “The high cost of zero,” which analyzes the number of regulations promulgated during President Obama’s administration and of those, the EPA regulations which are costly to the economy without any proven health benefits.

The opinion editorial notes, “The EPA’s actions are forcing us to expend vast financial, human and technological resources to achieve minimal, or even zero, quantifiable health benefits. We need science-based standards and common-sense regulations.”

It is of the utmost importance for President Obama’s administration to start taking action on reforming our regulatory system to ensure that there is a need for the regulations being created and that those regulations are a balance between protecting the environment and our health, while making sure that the economic costs aren’t so high that it shuts down small businesses.

One of the best ways for the administration to ensure these regulations are balanced would be make sure every regulation is going through cost-benefit analysis, so that every major regulation is analyzed so that the costs are fully understood, and the benefits are significant enough to justify the costs. If these reforms are implemented, small business owners will have less regulatory compliance costs and regulatory uncertainty and will be able to invest their money into their business rather than regulatory related activities.

Read The Full Washington Post Opinion Editorial 

Yesterday’s News & Observer published a Letter to the Editor from Sheila Ogle, a Small Businesses for Sensible Regulations member and CEO of The Matthews House, on regulations have impacted her business and the big need for regulatory reform.

The LTE noted:

During these hard economic times, many things have financially affected my small business but in particular the costly effect of federal regulations. These regulations have made it increasingly hard to keep our doors open, hire new employees and make a profit. This administration and Congress need to stop promising to help small businesses and actually start reforming our regulatory system, which will alleviate a huge burden.

Today, the GW Regulatory Studies Center Director, Susan Dudley, released commentary on OMB’s new report to Congress on the costs and benefits of regulation. In particular, Dudley’s commentary finds that the rules the administration issued in FY 2012 imposed more costs on the economy than all the rules issued during the entire first terms of Presidents Bush and Clinton, combined. In addition, Dudley’s commentary also examines the many issues with how the administration computes regulatory benefits.

With this new analysis shedding light on the cost of regulation in 2012, it is important to focus on the very real need for reforming our regulatory system. Our current regulatory system imposes great costs, both in time and money, on America’s small business owners. It is imperative for America’s economic growth to help small business owners by making our regulatory system more efficient and effective. Good regulatory reform includes: risk assessment, cost-benefit analysis, peer review, and valuing compliance over enforcement. These necessary changes to our regulatory system will pave the way for economic growth by lessening the cost and burden on America’s small business owners.

This week’s Small Businesses “In the News” included the following stories:

GW Regulatory Studies Center: The Unbearable Lightness of Being Regulated
GW Regulatory Studies Center, 4/17/13, by GW Regulatory Studies Center Director Susan Dudley

Among the priorities highlighted in the introductory chapters of President Obama’s proposed 2014 Budget is a commitment to “a regulatory strategy that protects the safety and health of all Americans, while promoting continued economic growth and job creation.” The Budget claims that by carefully weighing the costs and benefits of new rules, “the net benefits of regulations issued through the third fiscal year of the first term have exceeded $91 billion. This amount, including not only monetary savings, but also lives saved and injuries prevented, is over 25 times the net benefits through the third fiscal year of the previous Administration.”

FY2014 Budget Claims Regulatory Benefits, While Small Businesses Continue to Face Regulatory Uncertainty
Small Businesses for Sensible Regulations, 4/15/13

Last week, President Obama released his 2014 budget proposal, which claims the regulations issued during his first term created $91 billion in benefits for the economy. In addition, the proposal noted that the Administration would continue to simplify existing regulations to ease regulatory burdens. Yet, small business owners across the nation continue to feel the negative consequences of regulations every day and are waiting patiently for this administration to take real regulatory reform action.

Small Business Confidence Falls
NFIB Small Business Optimism Index, 4/9/13

Earlier this month, NFIB announced that its small business optimism index fell 1.3 points to 89.5 last month. Overall, the tone of the survey was pessimistic with only two parts of the index increasing. This survey shows that small business owners are still hesitant to hire and invest – as they are uncertain what their economic future holds.

Last week, President Obama released his 2014 budget proposal, which claims the regulations issued during his first term created $91 billion in benefits for the economy. In addition, the proposal noted that the Administration would continue to simplify existing regulations to ease regulatory burdens. Yet, small business owners across the nation continue to feel the negative consequences of regulations every day and are waiting patiently for this administration to take real regulatory reform action.

While President Obama’s budget claims that his regulatory reforms have greatly benefited the private sector, small business owners across America still haven’t experienced these benefits. NFIB’s Small Business Economic Trends Report in February found that red tape, tied with taxes, to be the #1 most important problem facing small business owners. In addition, small business owners’ confidence fell in March due to the regulatory and economic uncertainty facing small business owners.

The administration notes in the budget that it is working to streamline and simply the regulatory system, yet it continues to propose and finalize regulations at an astounding rate. According to a recent report, the federal repository for regulatory changes (regulations.gov) posted 6,120 regulations and notices in the last 90 days of the President’s first term – an average of 68 a day. While the administration is touting the supposed benefits of these regulations, small business owners are left scrambling to understand how these regulations will impact them financially and operationally.

Small business owners want action on regulatory reform – and so far – this administration’s promises and claims haven’t changed anything for small business owners. According to a recent Gallup Poll, 65% of Americans predict 2013 will be a year of economic difficulty. This is one of the more negative responses to this question since Gallup first asked it in 1965.

Good reform should produce science-based, cost-effective regulations capable of withstanding objective scrutiny during formulation and after implementation. Reform should include: risk assessment, cost-benefit analysis, peer review, judicial review, and value compliance over enforcement. If implemented, these commonsense reforms will bring real benefits, not just claimed, estimated monetary benefits, to American small business owners.

This week’s Small Businesses “In the News” included the following stories:

Small Business Confidence Sags in March
FOX Business, 4/9/13

Confidence among U.S. small businesses fell in March, the latest indication that economic activity lost momentum as the first quarter ended. The National Federation of Independent Business said on Tuesday its optimism index fell 1.3 points to 89.5 last month. The overall tone of the survey was downbeat, with only two components of the index increasing.

NFIB Survey Finds Small Businesses Not Expecting to Grow
Small Businesses for Sensible Regulations Blog, 4/3/12

Last week, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) released a statement on March job numbers. The statement notes that while “actual job creation appears to be rising, plans to create jobs took a dive, falling 4 points to a net zero percent of small employers who plan to increase total employment. It seems that the stamina for growth is waning, even with decent reports on consumer spending at the macro level.”

Senator Ron Johnson supports less regulation on businesses
WQOQ, 4/9/13

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson says less is more.He’s pushing for fewer government regulations concerning small businesses. Senator Johnson says when agencies consider public input as bills are written it leads to fewer regulations and fees to taxpayers.