Workforce Regulatory Review Act of 2016

Workforce Regulatory Review Act of 2016

This bill establishes in the legislative branch the Workforce Regulatory Review Commission. The purpose of the commission is to evaluate and provide recommendations for modification, consolidation, or repeal of regulations with the aim of reducing the total number of regulatory requirements related to workplace safety, workplace discrimination, wages, hours, and employee health by one-third to reduce compliance costs, encourage growth and innovation, and improve competitiveness.

The commission shall:

• decide, within 45 days of convening, which regulations to examine;
• solicit and review comments from the public;
• determine the effectiveness of individual regulations by using multiple resources, including quantitative metrics, testimony from industry and agency experts, and research from commission staff;
• develop and implement a uniform model such as the Standard Cost Model to determine whether a regulation shall be modified or eliminated by balancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the regulation in achieving desirable outcomes; and
• develop a package of regulations to modify, consolidate, or repeal to be submitted to Congress for an up-or-down vote.

A regulation shall be recommended for amendment or repeal if: (1) its intended outcome is no longer desirable or would result even if the regulation were amended or repealed; (2) the regulation is ineffective in achieving the desired outcome; or (3) the costs associated with achieving the desired outcome outweigh the benefits. Regulations mandated by statute but recommended for repeal or amendment by the Commission shall be repealed or amended as soon as possible, and repealed regulations may not be replaced.

The bill sets forth reporting requirements for the commission and procedures for congressional consideration of the commission's report, recommendations, and proposed legislation.

The commission shall terminate 90 days after it submits its report.