Dozens of trade associations, including the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, contend that small businesses need protection from costly regulations.
That’s why the trade groups wrote to lawmakers on Wednesday, Feb. 11, and advocated for the Prove It Act. HR1163, introduced by Rep. Brad Finstad, R-Minn., would require greater transparency for federal regulatory decisions that affect small businesses.
The coalition wrote that small businesses were forced to deal with a “tsunami of regulations” from the previous administration and cited reports estimating $1.8 trillion in new regulatory costs and 356 million additional hours of paperwork.
“These burdens fall disproportionately on small businesses that do not have lawyers and compliance officers to navigate complex regulatory issues,” the groups wrote.
Specifically, the Prove It Act would:
- Create ways for small businesses to raise concerns when regulators don’t properly consider how the costs of the regulation will affect them
- Allow small businesses to ask for a review of the agency’s work and make the government prove it is compliant
- Stipulate that small businesses will be exempt from the regulation if the agency fails to comply with the review process
- Ensure that small businesses can easily access guidance documents and raise questions to their regulators
The bill caught some momentum in the previous session, passing the House by a vote of 208-196. Although the bill wasn’t ultimately signed into law, Finstad told Land Line Media in December 2024 that it provided hope of passage in the 119th congressional session.
“I think what we see is this momentum carrying over to the 119th and having conversations with the Senate now, having seen that we can pass it in the House,” Finstad said. “They will stand up and pay attention, and I think we have a good opportunity to move quickly on it in the 119th Congress.”
The latest version of the Prove It Act has 28 co-sponsors. Additionally, there has been a new focus on removing “unnecessary” regulations. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration made that a priority in 2025.
The coalition consists of more than 70 trade associations, including OOIDA, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Road and Transportation Builders Association,
Associated Builders and Contractors, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. LL
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