Contacts
Regulations
Message to Congress - Federal regulators must comply with small business review procedures and honestly analyze how their rules impact the economy. Congress should work to block or repeal unnecessary, ineffective, and harmful regulations while working to reform and make transparent the regulatory process.
U.S. manufacturers are already at a 20% disadvantage compared to their overseas competitors, and complying with federal regulations adds significant costs and burdens to remaining competitive and growing their businesses. The regulatory compliance cost on average per employee is $10,585 for small businesses, while the cost is over $30,000 for small manufacturers.
The EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Power Plant Carbon Emissions proposal to cut emissions from existing plants will increase the price of electricity annually by 6-12% by the EPA’s estimates and 20% by industry data. The average One Voice member spends $150,000 each year on energy with 2/3 expecting an avg. price increase of 7% in 2016 – a combined 13-27% annual price increase.
Concurrently, an EPA proposal lowers the permissible Ground Level Ozone emissions rate from 75 parts per billion (ppb) to 70 ppb. This requires states to implement plans to reduce their ozone levels, in part by restricting economic activity and manufacturing expansion. While, some regulations may exempt small manufacturers from direct penalties and fines, when the cost of manufacturing in America increases for a key energy and material supplier or customer, then the cost also increases for small businesses.
The Department of Labor (DOL) is also targeting metalworking manufacturers and their facilities. The NLRB’s Persuader and Ambush Elections rules will undermine the local employer-employee relationship and deny workers access to vital information. In addition, OSHA plans to publish online all incidents/injuries at businesses without explanation, creating a false impression of unsafe work environments at a time when the government and employers are working together to attract more young people into manufacturing. The Administration’s efforts to increase the overtime exemption threshold by 113% virtually overnight will harm millions of workers who have earned salaried positions. It will also force many small businesses to change their classifications as they cannot keep up with the 10% threshold increase called for in the proposal. Most concerning of all, is an agreement signed by DOL calling on the Justice Department’s Environmental Criminal Division to enforce workplace law, an area with which they have no expertise.
To stimulate manufacturing in America:
- EPA should withdraw ozone, power plant and water rules;
- The Labor Department should reverse action on Ambush Elections, persuader, and overtime rules; and
- Regulators should comply with the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA), Administrative Procedures Act, and Regulatory Flexibility Act
For More info on Regulations from One Voice:
- One Voice Regulations One-Pager
- One Voice Comments on Delay of Electronic Recordkeeping Compliance Date
- Coalition Comments on OSHA Electronic Recordkeeping Supplemental Notice
- One Voice Comments on U.S. Census NAICS Changes for 2017
- Coalition Letter to Secretary of Labor on Persuader Rule
- U.S. Chamber One Pager on Sue and Settle Process
- Coalition Letter in Support of the Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act
- One Voice letter to House of Representatives Government Oversight and Reform Committee on Regulations
- Coalition for a Democratic Workplace letter to House of Representatives Appropriations Committee on labor rules
- "Red Tape Week" coalition letter of support to House of Representatives
- One Voice Letter to House of Representative on Repeal of Medical Device Tax
- One Voice testimony before House of Representatives Small Business Committee on expansion of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regulations