National Restaurant Association Leads Coalition In Support Of Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act

The National Restaurant Association, together with more than 160 organizations, sent a letter to all members of the U.S. House of Representatives today to vote for the "Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2011," H.R. 527. The legislation, scheduled for a vote today, would improve the regulatory process by strengthening agency analysis of a rule's impact on small businesses.

"The restaurant industry is the nation's second-largest private-sector employer, providing jobs to nearly one in every 10 workers," said Scott DeFife, Executive Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs for the National Restaurant Association. "Despite our size, small businesses dominate the industry - even larger chains are often collections of smaller franchised businesses. As a critical partner in our nation's economic recovery, small businesses must be able to operate efficiently and free of unnecessary regulatory burdens."

H.R. 527 would protect small businesses by strengthening existing law, known as the Regulatory Flexibility Act. Specifically, the bill gives the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy additional authorities and requires the office to establish standards for conducting a "regulatory flexibility analysis" during the rulemaking process. It improves transparency and ensures that agencies thoughtfully consider the impact of regulations on small businesses.

The legislation would also improve the accuracy of benefit-cost analysis by requiring agencies to consider the indirect impact of regulations on small business. The legislation's provisions on periodic review of rules are in line with President Obama's Executive Order 13563, which requires agencies to conduct a retrospective analysis of existing rules to identify and modify rules in need of reform.

The National Restaurant Association has worked to garner support for H.R. 527 throughout the legislative process. The Association sent letters of support to members of the two House committees of jurisdiction, Judiciary and Small Business, which approved the bill earlier this year. The Association also called for cosponsorship of the legislation leading an earlier coalition letter.

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Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises 960,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of nearly 13 million employees. Together with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Association works to lead America's restaurant industry into a new era of prosperity, prominence, and participation, enhancing the quality of life for all we serve. For more information, visit our Web site at www.restaurant.org.