Duval Times

Today, Senators Rick Scott and Eric Schmitt introduced the Expediting Reform and Stopping Excess Regulations (ERASER) Act in Washington, D.C. The proposed legislation aims to streamline government regulations by requiring agencies to eliminate three existing regulations for every new one they wish to implement.

Senator Rick Scott criticized the current regulatory environment under President Joe Biden, stating it has significantly impacted American businesses and taxpayers. "Joe Biden’s burdensome regulatory environment has strangled American businesses and cost taxpayers a whopping $1.7 trillion," he said. He emphasized his commitment to working with key figures like President Trump, Elon Musk, and Vivek Ramaswamy at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to address these issues. "As a founding member of the Senate DOGE Caucus, I am proud to join Senator Schmitt on the ERASER Act to rein in the administrative state," Scott added.

The ERASER Act outlines specific requirements for federal agencies regarding rule-making processes. It prohibits an agency from issuing new rules unless it repeals at least three related ones. Additionally, any major rule cannot be issued unless its costs are offset by repealing three or more existing rules as certified by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

Major rules are defined as those costing $100 million or more or having significant economic impacts on consumers or industries. The act also stipulates that repealed rules must have undergone a notice-and-comment process and cannot include interpretative rules or general policy statements.

Furthermore, the act provides limited exceptions for internal governance matters within agencies and mandates that the Government Accountability Office conduct a study on all existing regulations upon enactment of the bill.