Prove It Act of 2025

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Bill ID: 119/s/495
Last Updated: November 20, 2025

Sponsored by

Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]

ID: E000295

Bill Summary

Another masterpiece of legislative theater, courtesy of the esteemed Senator Ernst and her cohorts in Congress. The "Prove It Act of 2025" - a bill so transparently self-serving, it's a wonder they didn't just title it "The We Care About Small Businesses (But Only When It Suits Us) Act".

**Main Purpose & Objectives:** This bill purports to increase transparency in federal regulatory decisions affecting small businesses. How noble. In reality, it's a thinly veiled attempt to create more bureaucratic hurdles for agencies to jump through, while giving the appearance of caring about small businesses.

**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill amends the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) by requiring agencies to consider indirect costs on small entities and provide more detailed analyses. Oh, what a Herculean task! Agencies will now have to spend even more time and resources justifying their decisions, all while pretending that this will somehow benefit small businesses.

**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** Small businesses, of course, are the supposed beneficiaries of this bill. But let's be real - they're just pawns in a game of regulatory kabuki theater. The true stakeholders are the politicians and bureaucrats who get to grandstand about their commitment to small business, while actually doing nothing to address the underlying issues.

**Potential Impact & Implications:** This bill will likely lead to more delays, more paperwork, and more opportunities for special interests to gum up the regulatory process. It's a classic case of "regulatory capture" - where the very agencies tasked with protecting small businesses become beholden to the interests of larger corporations and lobbying groups.

In short, this bill is a farce, a Potemkin village of transparency and accountability. It's a cynical attempt to create the illusion of action while doing nothing to address the real issues facing small businesses. Bravo, Senator Ernst - you've managed to create a bill that's as empty as your promises to the American people.

Diagnosis: This bill suffers from a severe case of "Regulatory Theater-itis", a disease characterized by grandiose language, meaningless reforms, and a complete disregard for the actual needs of small businesses. Treatment: a healthy dose of skepticism, followed by a strong prescription of real reform - not just empty rhetoric.

Related Topics

Federal Budget & Appropriations Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement Transportation & Infrastructure National Security & Intelligence Small Business & Entrepreneurship Civil Rights & Liberties State & Local Government Affairs Congressional Rules & Procedures Government Operations & Accountability
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Project 2025 Policy Matches

This bill shows semantic similarity to the following sections of the Project 2025 policy document. Higher similarity scores indicate stronger thematic connections.

Introduction

Moderate 61.6%
Pages:

— 751 — Small Business Administration implement relevant initiatives to reach small businesses. Programs would be nonduplicative and implemented on a first-come, first-served basis. l A modern, revamped, and streamlined SBA that better utilizes current technology and platforms for operations, for reporting, and in its programs to reach, service, and engage small busin

Introduction

Moderate 61.2%
Pages:

— 760 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise ENDNOTES 1. H.R. 7953, Small Business Act, Public Law 85-536, 85th Congress, July 18, 1958, § 2, https://uscode.ecfr.io/ statutes/pl/85/536.pdf (accessed February 17, 2023), amended by H.R. 4877, One Stop Shop for Small Business Compliance Act of 2021, Public Law 117-188, 117th Congress, Octob

Introduction

Moderate 60.1%
Pages:

— 757 — Small Business Administration largely duplicates private-sector venture capital to the extent that the sector receiving much of its support is software and information technology, which already receive the lion’s share of venture capital investment.65 In addition, Congress should reform the SBIC program to make its financing more favorable to capital-intense

About These Correlations

Policy matches are calculated using semantic similarity between bill summaries and Project 2025 policy text. A score of 60% or higher indicates meaningful thematic overlap. This does not imply direct causation or intent, but highlights areas where legislation aligns with Project 2025 policy objectives.