WASHINGTON-Today, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform held a markup on the Guidance Clarity Act of 2021, (H.R. 1508) which was introduced by House Small Business Committee Ranking Member Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.) and Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine). This legislation provides more clarity to small businesses by requiring each agency guidance document to state explicitly it does not have the force and effect of law and is not binding. In his opening statement, Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) commended Ranking Member Luetkemeyer for his leadership and tireless efforts to advance the Guidance Clarity Act.
Below are the remarks as prepared.
Madame Chairwoman, thank you for bringing this bill to markup and for this amendment, which I fully support.
This Committee has led efforts for several Congresses to enact the Guidance Clarity Act.
And just last week our counterpart committee in the Senate favorably reported compromise bill text, which this amendment fully incorporates into the bipartisan House bill.
The compromise text assures that new agency guidance will include the kind of guidance-clarity statement this bill has always sought.
Small business owners and individuals across the country will be glad to know they will soon know for sure that agency guidance, however helpful and clarifying it often may be, is not legally binding upon them.
I thank the Chairwoman for her speedy efforts to make passage of this bill a bipartisan success.
I also thank Senator Lankford and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Peters for their efforts.
Finally, I thank the sponsor of the House bill, Small Business Committee Ranking Member Luetkemeyer, who has worked tirelessly on this bill since it was first introduced.
I urge all my colleagues to support this amendment and this bill, and I look forward to the prompt enactment of this very smart, bipartisan legislation.
