Chamber of Commerce President Kevin Brinegar and Congressman Todd Rokita (WIBC.com photo: Eric Berman)

Businesses have long objected to what they label excessive government regulation. The Indiana Chamber is highlighting some specific offenders.

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The Chamber and Congressman Todd Rokita toured Rokita's district last year, collecting stories of 44 government rules that local businesses want gone. Rokita's claiming victory on 18 of them, though he acknowledges only 10 have been fully stopped -- others have either been delayed, or had repeal bills pass the Republican House but not the Democratic Senate.

Rokita says the best chance to kill objectionable regulation is to involve the public, and, when possible, to bring rules to their representatives in Congress for a final judgment. He notes repeal bills that have died in the Senate can always be reintroduced next year.

The Chamber's hit list ranges from an Environmental Protection Agency attempt to limit the dust stirred up by farm tractors to a requirement that hotel pools install permanent wheelchair lifts instead of portable ones. The dust regulation has been killed, while the wheelchair rule has been delayed until next year.

Rokita and other congressional Republicans have suggested requiring Congress to approve any regulation which would cost businesses more than 100-million dollars to implement.