House Republicans Pushing Bill To Shift Regulation Authority To Congress

WASHINGTON — The Republican-run House on Thursday voted to give Congress greater power to approve or reject major federal rules that the GOP calls "job killers" – regulations covering everything from health care to dangerous children's toys.

The 241-184 vote on Wednesday sent the bill to the Senate, where majority Democrats are unlikely to place it on the schedule.

The legislation would shift power from unelected agency regulators, many of them experts in their fields, to Congress to make decisions on proposals with a potential economic impact of more than $100 million.

Democrats contend Republicans would use the authority to jeopardize rules covering health care, workplace and food safety, and protection from defective consumer products – and many more protections.

Republicans say the shift from unelected regulators to elected lawmakers is needed to kill the most costly regulations because they prevent companies from expanding and hiring new workers.

"The American people today have been hit by an onslaught of unnecessary federal regulations," said Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, who heads the Judiciary Committee. "From the Obama administration's health care mandate to the increase of burdens on small businesses, government regulation has become a barrier to economic growth and job creation."

"Baloney," said Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn. "There isn't a fact in there."

"The mother of all anti-regulatory bills," said opponent Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., asked why a Congress with a 9 percent approval rating in some polls should be entrusted with these new powers.

The chief Republican sponsor of the bill, Rep. Geoff Davis of Kentucky, complained that the administration was using regulations "as an end run around Congress" to obtain what it can't get from the GOP-run House. He said the bill would include a provision that the Senate could not use a filibuster to prevent a vote on a regulation.

Just last week, Republicans passed another bill that also took aim at regulators across the government. Republicans said that measure would force regulators to follow presidential directives that have been ignored, including seeking lower-cost alternatives.

Neither bill has much of a chance in the Senate, where the Democratic majority decides which bills can be placed on the agenda. Regardless, the White House budget office said that if either bill ever reached Obama's desk, senior advisers would recommend a veto.

The White House said the bill before Congress on Wednesday "would throw all major regulations into a months-long limbo." While Republicans insist the bill would help businesses by giving them cost savings to create jobs, the White House said the legislation would be "impeding business investment that is vital to economic growth."

The bill is aimed at the most expensive proposals called "major rules" – those likely to cost or have an impact of more than $100 million. For instance, proposed environmental rules would usually fall into that category.

Currently, major rules take effect unless Congress passes, and the president signs, a joint resolution disapproving the proposals.

Under the Republican bill, if Congress doesn't approve a major rule within 70 session days, the rule could not take effect. All Republicans would have to do to kill a rule in the current Congress is fail to bring it up for a vote in the House, which they control.

Besides the $100 million economic impact figure, the bill would apply to proposals that could lead to a major increase in costs or prices or that potentially would have a significant adverse effect on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation or competitiveness.

The Coalition for Sensible Safeguards, an alliance of consumer, small business, labor, environmental and other groups, said the bill would:

_Undermine the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.

_Delay consumer product safety rules affecting toys, cribs and thousands of other consumer products.

_Make it more difficult for the Food and Drug Administration to ensure the safety of food and prescription drugs.

_Delay rules for Americans with disabilities.

_Endanger workers employed in mines, factories and other workplaces where on-the-job hazards exist.

Republicans title the bill Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2011, or the REINS Act.

Comments

[szweir]

02:34 PM on 01/10/2012

"Republicans say the shift from unelected regulators to elected lawmakers is needed to kill the most costly regulations because they prevent companies from expanding and hiring new workers."

The job creator in their bogus theory are not doing a very good job. If the job creators cannot create jobs tax them for all their ill-gotten gains and give the money to American businesses that actually are creating jobs for Americans.

The rich are not participants in normal society and should be treated accordingly. Pay their fair share!

[szweir]

02:29 PM on 01/10/2012

Silly, silly boys. Boehner should be careful as his enemy is Cantor not the Democratic Party.

You guys can't do your job and want more authority. Maybe a Joke?

Keep working on bills that have nothing to do with helping people get jobs or fixing the economy.

Will anybody be surprised when the fools who are repug representatives, of the rich only, are voted out?

[ZeraLee]

11:37 AM on 12/10/2011

The purpose of having regulatory authority within the administration is that the legislature does not have the time or expertise to do it. The legislature writes broad policy into law, and the administration works out and implements the details.

Putting the administration on a short leash rejects the separation of powers, cripples the regulatory function, inflates hyper-partisanship, and increases the cost while decreasing the effectiveness of government.

This is deeply damaging to the country.

[Republicanistan]

06:47 PM on 12/08/2011

More attempts to obstruct the functioning of government so they can claim it doesn't work, yet they are the cause.

[RK Johnston]

03:41 PM on 12/08/2011

Oops--wrong topic.

The unfortunate truth is that these House Republicans are nothing more than dictator wanna-bes who don't give a flying freep about Separation of Powers, let alone American-styled Democracy to begin with.

Unless we get the spine to send these petty tyrants packing in 2012, the we'll just be dealing with "more of the same."

--RKJ

[RK Johnston]

03:36 PM on 12/08/2011

Scam upon scam--
That's how the Brewers roll.

After the SSA Inspector General gets done with them, they'll be dog meat!

--RKJ

[olerealist]

12:34 PM on 12/08/2011

TO MUCH BUSINESS REGULATION (?)

Suppose the state of Virginia came up with a proposed law that would eliminate 90 percent of all traffic or “red lights”. It would have less than a “snowball’s chance” obviously.

This is about as ridiculous as the new Repub congressional proposal that a huge amount of regulatory power be shifted from the administration to Congress which enjoys relatively extravagant compensation per member.

Looking at today’s W. Post and the article of Fareed Zakaria we quote:

“ Bloomberg news has crunched the numbers and found that the OBAMA administration has NOT reviewed nor issued significantly more rules than its PREDECESSORS.” Of course the latter would include that of Geo. W. Bush.”

In connection with taxes as being an impediment to competitiveness and growth, the “Organization For Economic Cooperation and Development released a study last week. It found that as related to the size of the economy the U.S. tax burden was the lowest in the world except for a few tiny developing countries.

Any semblance of honesty in Rebpub politics is fast disappearing.

In respect to the new health reform law (“Obamacare”) it is not the cost of the regulations that is the real cause of indignation of the right. In fact, it is the requirement that any plan spend most its income on medical costs as opposed to administrative costs and profit.

[olerealist]

12:05 PM on 12/08/2011

George Will AND FACTS PART COMPANY

George claims to be upset over the situation of a fellow who started business as a hot dog cart operator and eventually with help from his survivors came to operate 2,300 restaurants. Hooray, we applaud.

Will’s Dec. 8th column is dismayed as the restaurant chain’s operators claimed that they have cut expansion to the burdens imposed by “Obamacare”. He cited without any details, the
requirement that the employer provided health plan contain a certain minimum of benefits. He clamed that this increased cost was disastrous to the prospects of expansion.

But look at the facts. Number one: if these restaurants need to comply with certain minimum sanitary and working condition requirements, California is a large state and the business quite localized. It is difficult to imagine that, when all its competitors are obliged to comply with the same regulations, the firm is at some kind of a competitive disadvantage.

The same applies to the requirement that the employee health plans have some minimum benefits. If all of the hot dog and hamburger restaurants in a an area are all on the same level playing field, it can hardly be claimed that and additional 10 or 20 cents per serving is going to put a firm our of business even if we concede that the profit margin is “marginal”.

[Patriot66]

10:37 AM on 12/08/2011

The Office of Management and Budget said the bill "would throw all major regulations into a months-long limbo."...It seems to me this would cause more uncertainty...isn't uncertainty what the GOP says is causing a drag on the economy? So the GOP solution is to create more uncertainty...amazing.

[llwlknsn]

10:13 AM on 12/08/2011

Not only no but hell no. Do we really want a bunch of people who are psychopaths and believe that Grover Norquist is God to be put in charge of regulating industries, food and drugs? Seriously? These ba$ tard$ have driven the economy into the ditch, bailed out the Banksters that caused TWO economic crashes and refuse to pay the bills.

NO. FIRE THEM ALL. Replace them with people who can pass a mental health exam.

[emma richmond]

12:30 AM on 12/08/2011

John Boehner is a Poor excuse for a Leader, the Guy have no Balls and Spineless, they are spending Million of Dollars of the Taxpayers passing "BOGUS," Bills, when they should be Working on the Job Bill, Taxes Bill for the Working Class People.

We're Wondering is these Guys for Real, Why on Earth would anyone entrust them with Regulation Rules? Do they hear themself, or how Ignorant they sound, they are Embarrassing to this Country, Real Americans Don't talk or act like these CLOWNS. If CONGRESS Can't get the JOB DONE, CUT THEY PAY, TAKE THEY HEALTH CARE "LAY," THEY BUTTS OFF. THEY ARE GOOD FOR NOTHING, ALCOHOLICS GREEDY PARASITES. IF THEY CAN'T DO THEY JOB WHAT THE HE.. WE NEED WITH THEM FOR? Enough is Enough.

[Sardeth Wynn]

11:35 PM on 12/07/2011

Dear Santa,
I would like a Congress that works for We the People not Whatever Representative or Senator thinks is good for the people,
I would like too look at the news and not see these people try to destroy my nation or anyone through polarizing the populace with bills, issues and media bits.
I would like Corporations, Non-Profit Organization and other Lobbying Agencies to kindly stop buying my Government or trying to dictate this nation's policies and laws,
and lastly,
I wish other people would see how much we need new parts for our Government especially Congress which is both the House of Representatives and the Senate these parts are old don't and work right unless their palms are greased.
Failing that, I would like an aircraft carrier and the deed to Antarctica.

Just saying, 356 Letters so far

http://www.petition2congress.com/5656/abolish-disband-112th-congress-establish-new-elections/

[Wmof2011]

11:03 PM on 12/07/2011

There approval ratting is 8%. Millionaires marched into Congress to tell them to tax them more.

Can Republicans humble themselves a little. Stick with your own jobs. You are not experts on the environment or food and drug.

[marilyn 63]

09:57 PM on 12/07/2011

remember the Republicans have shown us who they are when the country was and is in dire straits for unemployment insurance renewal, JOB Bills, infrastructures bills, bigger stimulus even though they were elected by the people to help get the country functioning and they said they would focus like a laser on JOBS they lied. they came back in office feeling they were rewarded for almost destroying the country and gave the American people the finger and immediately started looking out for the stinkin rich and just ignored bills to help the people while mumbling jobs killing legislation with a straight face and asked for a tax cut for the top 1& 2 %. now here they go again trying for a power grab pretending again like it will help the JOB CREATORS? haven't we heard them mumble this before AND WHERE ARE THE JOB CREATORS CHINA? ITS JUST ANOTHER REPUBLICAN POWER GRAB.

[gmb007]

09:54 PM on 12/07/2011

So, what exactly does “shift regulation authority to Congress” really mean?

TRANSLATION:

Hand over (shift) the box of matches (regulations) to the tantrum-throwing two-year-old (GOP Congress).

What could possibly go wrong?