I’ve talked with many South Dakotans throughout the state who are tired of federal bureaucracy getting in the way of their everyday lives. From family health care decisions to business ones, federal regulations have become too complicated and redundant. I have made it a priority in the Senate to reduce unnecessary and excess regulations to make government more effective, efficient and accountable. That starts with reducing unnecessary federal regulations for Americans. In 2015, I introduced a resolution to permanently address overregulation in America. The bipartisan Regulation Sensibility Through Oversight Restoration (RESTORE) Resolution would establish a Joint Select Committee to conduct a comprehensive review of rules enacted by federal agencies and analyze the feasibility and options for creating a rules review process in congress. The committee would also hold hearings on the effects of these rules and recommend ways to reduce the regulatory burden on the American people. The RESTORE Resolution would create a Joint Select Committee consisting of members of both the Senate and House of Representatives. The committee would:

• Analyze the feasibility of a permanent joint rules review committee to
  • Review all rules causing an annual impact on the economy of $50 million or more before the rule is enacted; and
  • Delay the imposition of rules for review to the Permanent Joint Rules Review Committee.
• Analyze the feasibility of requiring each federal agency to submit each proposed rule over $50 million to the appropriate committees of Congress for review before the rule is enacted.
• Conduct a systematic review of rules enacted by federal agencies;
• Hold hearings on the effects of current rules and look for ways to reduce the regulatory overreach;
• Submit to Congress recommendations for a process to sunset overly burdensome and unnecessary rules, as well as a process for federal agencies to submit rules to Congress for review before they are enacted;
• Submit to Congress recommendations for ways to reduce the financial burden these regulations place on American families;
• Recommend whether Congress should overturn rules by enacting a joint resolution of disapproval; and
• Submit a list of rules that should be repealed.

We Want to Hear from You!

To help me best understand which federal agencies and regulations are in need of reform, I’m inviting South Dakotans to share their story of a federal regulation impacting their lives. Tell us about your red tape nightmare by emailing your story to Regulations_Story@rounds.senate.gov. Be sure to include your name and hometown in your submission.