Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has signed on to legislation that would protect American workers by requiring the federal government to weigh the impact of its regulations and policies on jobs and the economy.
“With our national unemployment rate hovering around double-digits, the last thing we need is for unelected Washington bureaucrats to push even more job-killing mandates or regulations on Utahns and other Americans,” Hatch said. “This legislation would make federal agencies accountable by requiring them to study the impact of their decisions on the economy and jobs, similar to what they do with respect to the environment. We need to do everything we can to facilitate job growth, not hinder it as the Obama administration has done through onerous and excessive regulation.”
As introduced recently by Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) the Employment Impact Act (S. 1219) would require federal agencies to conduct a “Jobs Impact Statement” when a federal action could potentially cost jobs.
Some key provisions in the legislation would require the Jobs Impact Statement to:
- Assess the jobs that would be gained or lost due to a proposed action;
- Detail any unavoidable adverse effect on jobs and job opportunities should a proposal or regulation be implemented;
- List alternatives to the proposed action; and
- Include the relationship between any local short-term impacts on jobs and job opportunities and the maintenance or enhancement of long-term productivity.
The legislation would further require federal officials to account for the cumulative impact on jobs and job opportunities of pending concurrent proposals affecting a particular industry or sector of the economy.
Sens. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), David Vitter (R-La.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and James Risch (R-Idaho) also cosponsored the legislation.