Could Help Roll Back Obama Administration Regulations
On Jan. 4, the House passed AGC-backed legislation that would help Congress repeal more Obama administration regulations, as well as future administration’s regulations. The Midnight Rules Relief Act—introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calf.)—would enable Congress to include multiple regulations for repeal in one bill under the Congressional Review Act. As it stands, Congress can only include one regulation for repeal in single bill, which is a time-consuming process that severely restricts the number of regulations that could be repealed. To provide context, in 2016, federal agencies issued 3,853 regulations.  This exceeds the number of bills Congress passed by a factor of 18.
Today, the House will also consider legislation that would require regulations with a total cost to the economy of $100 million or more to be approved by Congress before they become effective. In addition to placing a congressional check on such major regulations, the Regulations in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act—introduced by Doug Collins (R-Ga.)—would allow Congress to disapprove of non-major regulations below the $100 million threshold. House passage of this bill is expected. Upon passage, the Senate may consider both bills after President-elect Trump is sworn into office. AGC will continue to press for such common sense regulatory reform in the new Congress.
For more information, contact Jimmy Christianson at [email protected] or 703-837-5325.