The Honorable Jon Tester
Chairman
Subcommittee on the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Federal Programs and the Federal Workforce
United States Senate
340 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Rob Portman
Ranking Member
Subcommittee on the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Federal Programs and the Federal Workforce
United States Senate
340 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Tester and Ranking Member Portman:

On behalf of the more than 200 CEO members of Business Roundtable, who lead companies that operate in every sector of the U.S. economy, we applaud the Subcommittee for holding an important hearing on smart regulation titled, “A More Efficient And Effective Government:  Improving the Regulatory Framework.”  I have attached a written statement that I respectfully submit for the hearing record.

Nearly three-quarters of Business Roundtable CEOs list regulations as one of the top three cost pressures facing their businesses.  Roundtable CEOs believe that a smarter regulatory system and a more streamlined federal permitting process will help drive increased business investment, economic growth, and job creation.

As advocates for smart regulation, America’s business leaders support efforts to make the federal regulatory process more transparent and open to public engagement, which will result in better information quality, smarter rules, and more objective cost-benefit analyses.

Our statement:

• Calls for greater and earlier public engagement in the regulatory process, better quality information, more objective cost-benefit analysis and completing the notice and comment process;
• Is substantially in agreement with the recommendations of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness (Jobs Council); 
• Advocates for a streamlined federal permitting process, which is supported by building trades unions and other broad-based business groups; and
• Calls for new processes and procedures for conducting retrospective reviews of out-of-date and unnecessary rules.

On behalf of the CEOs of Business Roundtable, I respectfully request you consider our recommendations.  We look forward to working with you and your staff to enact much-needed smart regulation legislation.

Sincerely,

Andrew N. Liveris
Chairman and CEO
The Dow Chemical Company
Chair, Select Committee on Smart Regulation
Business Roundtable