Sen. Rick Scott Calls on Congress to Pass Bills to Cut Red Tape, Help Small Businesses Thrive

August 20, 2026

NAPLES, Fla. – U.S. Senator Rick Scott is calling on Congress to pass a series of bills that will cut red tape and make it easier for Floridians to open small businesses. While Democrat Socialists are kneecapping the American Dream, Senator Scott is calling for Congress to unshackle workers and entrepreneurs from restrictions that big government has imposed on them.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Today’s Democrat Party is unrecognizable. My father was a teamster; Democrats used to believe in what makes America the greatest country in the world. Now, they want to open government-run grocery stores and bankroll illegal aliens. The American Dream works when the government gets out of the way and lets Americans innovate and succeed. Congress should immediately pass these bills to remove bureaucratic hurdles that discourage Floridians from opening small businesses. We should be encouraging the American Dream, not sabotaging it.”

These bills include:

  • Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act
    • Requires agencies to assess the economic impact of proposed regulations on small businesses and requires detailed descriptions of alternatives to a proposed rule with significant economic impact that would minimize any adverse economic impact or maximize any beneficial economic impact.
  • Permitting Transparency and Accountability Act
    • Requires all U.S. agencies issuing permits to create a page on their website for permit applicants to track the status of their permit application, along with the steps completed and those that are remaining, the timeframe expected, and contact information readily available for users.
  • Regulatory Decimation Act
    • Requires federal agencies to repeal ten existing regulations prior to issuing a new one and ensures the cost of any new regulation does not exceed the ones repealed.
  • Expediting Reform and Stopping Excess Regulations (ERASER) Act
    • Prohibits an agency from issuing a major rule unless the agency has repealed three or more rules AND the cost of the new major rule is less than or equal to the cost of the rules repealed, as certified by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

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