Washington, D.C., February 9, 2005 -- The Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) endorsed the Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act (H.R. 682) introduced today by U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Committee Chairman Don Manzullo and co-sponsored by Representatives Steve Chabot, Mike Pence, Ric Keller, Steve King, Todd Akin, and Lynn Westmoreland.

"Last year, EIA published a policy playbook on improving business competitiveness and innovation in the U.S.," EIA President Dave McCurdy said. "In that playbook we focused on the need for government to more closely review the regulatory burden facing businesses. The Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act does just that, by requiring that government look carefully at the impacts of regulation on small businesses and consider less costly alternatives."

"American innovation is often pioneered by the entrepreneurial spirit and creativity of small businesses, but under the current regulatory environment those businesses are hard-pressed to compete in a global marketplace," McCurdy added. "If we want to generate American growth and high-tech innovation, we need to create an American business climate that reduces the regulatory burden of small enterprises. The Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act is a solid step in the right direction. It moves us away from a one-size-fits-all, inflexible and overly proscriptive approach and mandates that federal agencies assess the economic impact of a regulation. We urge Congress to consider the merits of this bill and vote to improve American competitiveness and innovation for small businesses in the U.S. high-tech industry."