Key Committee Approves Bipartisan Sinema Bill Aimed at Improving Regulations, Increasing Government Accountability

Feb 2, 2022

Sinema’s Smart Act requires federal agencies to consistently review regulations – improving outcomes, increasing accountability, and improving efficiency

WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s bipartisan SMART Act—legislation introduced with Republican Senator James Lankford (Okla.)—passed the Homeland Security Committee today with bipartisan support. Sinema’s bill requires that the most burdensome and costly regulations include a framework for retrospective review to ensure the regulation remains effective. 
 
“Requiring regular review of federal regulations will help improve outcomes, reducing burdens on Arizona employers and increasing the transparency and accountability in the federal government,” said Sinema, Chair of the Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management.
 
Sinema’s SMART Act requires regulations with the most impact include a framework for retrospectively reviewing whether the regulation is meeting its objective. The bipartisan bill will increase agency accountability, provide predictability and transparency for businesses, and improve the quality of regulatory protections for the American public. The legislation is supported by the Business Roundtable, and now heads for consideration before the full U.S. Senate.
 
Sinema has long championed commonsense, bipartisan efforts to improve regulatory outcomes for Arizonans. She successfully led a bipartisan effort in the U.S. House and the Senate to repeal the Health Insurance Tax, a harmful tax for small businesses that raises health care costs. As Chair of the Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management, Sinema recently reintroduced the bipartisan Providing Accountability Through Transparency Act with Ranking Member Republican Senator James Lankford (Okla.). The Senators’ legislation increases transparency by requiring each federal agency’s proposed regulation be accompanied with a 100-word plain language summary.