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Comments on S. 827

B-202303 Published: Jun 14, 1983. Publicly Released: Jun 04, 1985.
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In response to a congressional request, GAO commented on S. 827 which, if enacted, would be cited as the Federal Recordkeeping and Civil Action Limitation Act of 1983. GAO noted that, although the bill is intended to protect individuals and businesses against untimely government regulatory enforcement of their otherwise private business or private endeavors, the bill would often have the opposite effect. The recordkeeping provisions of the bill would provide a uniform 3-year records retention period; GAO believes this to be an undesirable approach to reduce current retention requirements. In addition, GAO believes this provision should be repealed to eliminate conflicting requirements with current statutory law. GAO noted that the provisions designed to protect against the adverse effects of pollutants would limit the effectiveness of some of the current measures intended for the same purpose. Further, it would permit current measures for controlling dangerous pollutants to remain unaffected. GAO is skeptical that the bill can effectively provide a solution to complex paperwork and regulatory problems, and the bill could result in shifting recordkeeping requirements from the public to the government.

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Pollution controlProposed legislationRecords dispositionRecords retentionRegulationStatutory lawStatutory limitationPollutantsRecords managementCivic action