House Oversight and Accountability Committee advances pro-transparency ALERT Act

The House Oversight and Accountability Committee today advanced H.R. 262, the All Economic Regulations are Transparent (ALERT) Act sponsored by Rep. Bob Good (R-VA). The ALERT ACT would require a monthly update from executive agencies with detailed information about any rules that they are working on. The bill would help to prevent the public from being blindsided by the regulatory pursuits of government bureaucrats and shed light on the often-opaque regulatory process.

The legislation would also require disclosure of the estimated cost of proposed regulations and certify whether or not rules were subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This is particularly important since OMB is the principal regulatory watchdog but has been weakened by President Biden through his “Modernizing Regulatory Review” executive order. The ALERT Act would restore some of OMB’s authority and accountability.

CEI Fred L. Smith Fellow in Regulatory Studies Wayne Crews said:

“The ALERT Act is vital to establishing better regulatory transparency and disclosure. It is a common-sense measure that can be used as the first step by lawmakers to go about restoring and asserting congressional power government accountably over the regulatory state.”

CEI Senior Economist Ryan Young said:

“Oversight is essential for getting an out-of-control regulatory system back on track. The ALERT Act would restore some of the transparency and accountability safeguards that the Biden administration has eroded.

“It would require more frequent and more accurate cost estimates for new regulations. Right now, required disclosures appear months late or not at all. New cost estimate guidelines from the White House are intended to justify new regulations, not give accurate information about them.

 “The ALERT Act’s six-month waiting period for new regulations would also help calm the haste-makes-waste approach regulators have taken in the post-COVID era.”

Read more here: Regulatory Reform in the 118th Congress – the ALERT Act