Providing Accountability Through Transparency Act of 2023

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 111, the Providing Accountability Through Transparency Act of 2023.

This simple but important legislation would require our regulatory agencies to provide a summary in no more than 100 words and in plain language of proposed rules on Regulations.gov, thus providing the American public with more transparency and easy understanding of new rules and regulations.

The Administrative Procedure Act already requires that the public be informed and have the chance to provide feedback to our agencies on the rules that they are contemplating.

This bill, though, would bring a new level of transparency to our agencies' hard work by giving the public a simple and easy-to- understand summary of possible new rules that might affect them or their business.

I also commend this bill's sponsors for requiring that the summary is made available online. Transparency and accessibility must go hand in hand.

This legislation has already passed the Senate. I urge my colleagues to support it and send it to the President for his signature.

Mr. VAN DREW. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, this is good legislation that will provide transparency to the regulatory process. I urge all Members to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. VAN DREW. Mr. Speaker, I reiterate my strong support for S. 111, the Providing Accountability Through Transparency Act.

The rules that agencies impose have real-world consequences. Americans should be easily able to understand what a proposed rule does. Instead, they are often left trying to interpret pages of technical and bureaucratic jargon.

This bill is a simple measure that will make Americans' lives easier.

Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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