U.S. Chamber Hails House Paperwork Reduction Vote

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States Chamber of Commerce hailed today's House passage of the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, which will provide real assistance for small businesses to cope with burdensome government regulations and paperwork requirements.

"Reducing the mountain of paperwork government regulators require will ease the burden on small businesses that may lack the manpower and capital to comply," said Bruce Josten, U.S. Chamber executive vice president. "This bill is a great first step in requiring agencies to provide needed relief from spiraling federal mandates."

As the number of regulatory mandates grows to unpredicted levels, so does the prodigious task of filling out the paperwork. U.S. businesses spent approximately 7 billion hours filling out federal forms in 1998, according to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The cost associated with this paperwork burden is estimated at $229 billion and that does not take into account state and local requirements.

The "Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002" provisions include easier access to assistance resources for small businesses, a point person at each federal agency to deal with small business concerns, and greater emphasis on reducing paperwork requirements for businesses with fewer than 25 employees. The legislation also calls for a task force to study the feasibility of streamlining information collection and creating an online network of requirements by industry sector.

As a longstanding advocate for reducing the paperwork burden for small businesses, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce identified votes surrounding the Senate and House version of this legislation as key votes that could be used in its annual "How They Voted" scorecard.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation, representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.

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