POST IT Act of 2023

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4668, the Providing Opportunities to Show Transparency via Information Technology Act, also known simply as the POST IT Act.

It has been an honor to co-lead this bill with Congressman Molinaro to increase transparency in the small business space. Most Americans want more transparency from our government. This is an easy, straightforward, and bipartisan bill.

It is critical that Federal agencies produce smart, well-crafted regulations. I hear all the time from small business owners across different sectors in west Michigan that they want to comply and follow rules and regulations, but they need clear guidance. Far too often, it is hard to find.

Federal regulations can be a nightmare to navigate for small businesses who often serve as founder, CEO, president, store clerk, janitor, CPA, and attorney all in the same day. Most small businesses don't have attorneys, accountants, or compliance departments to learn and track all Federal regulations to make sure that they remain in compliance. That is why it is imperative on the agencies themselves that are setting the regulations to make sure that these regulations are open, available, and as easy as possible to follow and understand.

I am proud to cosponsor this bill with Congressman Molinaro. This bill will help small businesses stay in compliance with Federal regulations by making compliance information from the Federal agencies easier to locate.

Specifically, this bill requires that Federal agencies post guidance on the Small Business Administration's Office of the National Ombudsman's website for any rule that has a significant impact on a small business. It seems pretty easy, doesn't it?

Now more than ever, as our Nation's small businesses are recovering from a global pandemic and are dealing with widespread worker shortages and rising inflation, it is our duty as lawmakers to take unnecessary hurdles for small business owners out of the way, whether that is increasing access to capital, ensuring access to technical assistance for SBA programs, or making sure that Federal regulations are easy to understand.

I am working hard in the Small Business Committee to keep Main Street alive and thriving. It is great to partner with Congressman Molinaro in that effort.

Before I close, let me say a few words about another bill on suspension today, H.R. 4670, the Small Business Contracting Transparency Act, by Representative Houlahan, of which I am an original cosponsor and have been proud to help usher through the Small Business Committee, where I serve as the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure.

This bill would ensure that the SBA is acquiring up-to-date data on where Federal procurement dollars are going. In addition, this data will inform my committee's work to ensure that all small businesses are able to compete in the Federal procurement space.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership and yielding for this important bill. I also extend my appreciation to the ranking member, my colleague from the great State of New York, for her ongoing support. I am proud to speak to this bill this afternoon.

Small businesses know that, all too often, more than perhaps any other in this country, when it comes to Federal regulations and the Federal Government, the left hand not only doesn't know what the right hand is doing but the left hand doesn't know there is a right hand. Because of that, it creates a great deal of burden and confusion for small businesses.

My bill, H.R. 4668, the POST IT Act, is an important step to make it easier for small business owners to comply with Federal regulations that might otherwise be difficult for them to locate in the first place and then to understand.

I am grateful to Ms. Scholten for working together with me on this bill.

This bipartisan legislation simply requires Federal agencies to post follow-up guidance on the SBA's Office of the National Ombudsman's website for any regulation that will have a significant impact on small businesses.

While there are official guidance documents that are released when rules are initially finalized, over time, agencies often release additional materials related to compliance. This leads to updated policy statements and technical clarifications that ultimately lead to a labyrinth of regulatory confusion and oversight by enforcement.

The POST IT Act ensures these updates will be housed in a centralized location so small business owners can worry less about abiding by government regulations and focus more on running their businesses, employing our neighbors, and investing in our communities.

There are over 33 million small businesses in the United States of America, which, as we all know and celebrate often, serve as the backbone of the American economy.

The thousands of small businesses I represent in upstate New York are vitally important to our communities, supporting local services through their taxes paid, supporting employees and their families, and making an honest living for themselves.

If Federal agencies are going to create new regulations for small businesses to comply with, we should seek to make it easier for them to understand and follow those rules, to relieve them of that burden so they are not further burdened with confusing requirements. This commonsense bipartisan legislation will help small businesses avoid unnecessary headaches.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Ms. Scholten, for her leadership on this bill. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4668) to amend the Small Business Act to require the Small Business and Agriculture Regulatory Enforcement Ombudsman to publish guidance documents for certain rules, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in full support of H.R. 4668, also known as the POST IT Act, introduced by Representative Molinaro of the great State of New York.

Small business owners face some of the biggest challenges in understanding how to comply with Federal regulations. Oftentimes, small businesses are hiring compliance officers, which are a drag on their bottom lines, rather than focusing on their core business model and looking for growth opportunities.

This legislation would make it easier for small businesses to track the ever-changing agency guidelines on how to comply with any given regulation. The POST IT Act requires agencies to post their guidance, and all subsequent changes on how to comply, in a centralized location on the SBA's Office of the National Ombudsman's website.

Businesses should not have to search through many different websites to try to find all the latest information on how to comply with any given requirement. If an agency updates a regulation or puts out more information, it should be easily accessible for any business to look up.

I hope this bill is just the first step in much-needed regulation modernization efforts in the committee. We have seen far too many new requirements coming from government agencies that are hurting our Nation's job creators. As businesses continue to deal with high interest rates and elevated inflation, we should not be adding additional costs in the form of new regulations.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Molinaro for leading this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Molinaro).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

H.R. 4668 is a step in the right direction to lessening the regulatory burden placed on our Nation's small businesses.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Molinaro for his work on this crucial piece of legislation, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join us in creating a regulatory environment that allows Main Street America to thrive.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I lend my support to H.R. 4668, as amended, which requires the Office of the National Ombudsman to publish links to guidance documents for rules that have been certified to have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.

Guidance documents help inform small businesses of regulations, but they can be difficult to find. Having a centralized website with hyperlinks to these documents will save entrepreneurs time and resources.

This legislation builds off the One Stop Shop Act, which was enacted into law last Congress. The new law requires the Office of the National Ombudsman to create and maintain a centralized website with hyperlinks to small business compliance guides.

I am pleased the SBA has their website up and running. H.R. 4668 will add more useful links for small firms and give them tools to make it easier for them to comply with Federal rules and regulations.

Mr. Speaker, I commend Mr. Molinaro and Ms. Scholten for working together on the POST IT Act.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Scholten), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing.

I understand that complying with Federal, State, and local regulations can be onerous for small business owners. Small businesses do not always have the resources that larger companies do to monitor regulatory actions. That is why having a centralized website for them to access Federal guidance and learn more about their responsibilities under a rule is vitally important.

We shouldn't be fooled by antiregulation rhetoric. Federal regulations can and do benefit small businesses and boost our economy.

Our jobs reports over the past 2 years attest to that. The Biden administration is building an economy that is delivering for Americans, adding more than 14 million new jobs since taking office. The U.S. economy is experiencing a record small business boom, with more Americans launching a business than ever before.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Molinaro and Ms. Scholten for their bipartisan work in crafting a bill that we can all support.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.