House Committee Approves Regulatory Transparency Bill

The House Government Reform and Oversight Committee on Tuesday passed Farm Bureau-supported legislation that would ensure both the public and Congress have increased access to federal agency communications beyond those published in the Federal Register.

The Regulatory Integrity Act of 2017 would require federal regulatory agencies to maintain written, electronic and social media information on pending regulatory actions. The bill would require federal agencies to maintain all public communications associated with guidance, policy statements, directives, rule making and adjudications for a period of no less than 5 years.

The measure also incorporates language that would prohibit agencies from advocating on behalf of their own proposed rules. The language comes from an amendment offered by Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) that was included in the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2017 (H.R. 5), which was passed by the House earlier this year.