WASHINGTON – United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., Chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, today voted against a regulatory reform amendment by Senator Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, Ranking Member of the Small Business Committee. The Freedom from Restrictive Excessive Executive Demands and Onerous Mandates Act of 2011, S. AMDT 390, was opposed by numerous Senate Committees because of the lack of congressional input in the ongoing efforts to provide regulatory relief for small businesses.

“Every day, small business owners come to my office asking for regulatory relief, and I am committed to removing unnecessary burdens that get in the way of the day-to-day operations of businesses. This amendment, however, has yet to have a single Congressional hearing,” Senator Landrieu said. “Because Senator Snowe’s amendment reaches so far outside of the realm of small business, it seems irresponsible for us to move forward unless it goes through the entire process. There have been at least four other regulatory reform bills filed this Congress, and I know the chair of the committee of jurisdiction is doing everything he can to schedule a full hearing in the near future.

“I recognize that some Federal regulations are a burden on small businesses. I agree it is important to streamline them, but there is a time and a place to deal with that issue. I have tried to be helpful to my colleague. Last summer, when the Small Business Jobs Act was pending here in the Senate, I personally worked with my Ranking Member to include several of her provisions on regulatory relief into that bill, now law.”

A similar amendment was filed by Senator Snowe to S. 493, The SBIR and STTR Reauthorization Act of 2011. During negotiations of S.493, Senator Landrieu offered to hold a hearing on Senator Snowe’s regulatory reform amendment through the Small Business Committee; but Senator Snowe declined. After five weeks of debate and 150 filed amendments, efforts to end debate and pass the long-term reauthorization of this important small business program failed.