House to Make Anti-Regulatory Bill an Early Priority

Rep. Geoff Davis has introduced a bill that would require Congressional approval of all major rules, a potentially fatal blow to some of the most important safeguards to our health, safety, environment, and economy.

We’ve covered the bill, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act before. Davis introduced the bill in the last Congress, and it was part of Republicans’ pre-election Pledge to America. They say regulation thwarts job creation (which it doesn’t), but they have presented no concrete evidence to support their claims and have ignored objections that the bill could damage public interests by delaying or halting new regulations – regulations like those protecting miners from hazardous working conditions (crafted in response to the Upper Big Branch mine disaster) or setting tougher standards for Wall Street (written in response to the negligence that contributed to the current economic downturn).

Although some tweaks have been made, the bill Davis introduced on Jan. 20 is essentially the same. It aims to force new regulations through a laborious legislative process causing additional delays and giving special interests another opportunity to undermine public protections.

This time around, the REINS Act has been given the number H.R. 10 – a sign that it is one of the House leadership’s top legislative priorities. The House Judiciary Committee, where the bill currently sits, will hold a hearing on the bill today, and OMB Watch believes that both the committee and the full House will act upon the REINS Act soon. We will be asking for your voice to help stop this terrible legislation. Stay tuned.

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