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GOP lawmaker pushes bill to reduce federal regulations
Legislation put forward in the House last week could become a weapon in the GOP’s fight to reduce the number of federal regulations.
Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.) reintroduced a bill that would create new procedures for reviewing the thousands of rules already on the books in an attempt to eliminate those found to be “unnecessary.”
Hultgren said he decided to craft the legislation after questioning agencies about why the regulatory process is so complex. The reply, he said, was often that “statute requires it.”
Republicans are expecting the administration to move aggressively on creating more federal regulations in President Obama’s second term, and are searching for ways to push back.
Originally introduced in September 2011, the Regulatory Sunset and Review Act had 24 Republican co-sponsors in the last Congress, but it died in committee.
Hultgren is determined to avoid that fate this time around. He plans to begin a hard push for the legislation at the end of April, when the Obama administration’s regulatory agenda is due.
The legislation currently has four co-sponsors: Reps. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), Scott Garrett (R-N.J.), Reid Ribble (R-Wis.) and Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.).
Hultgren said his bill would enhance the administration’s review process for regulations to open up comment and suggestions for review to the public, Congress and the agencies themselves.
The legislation has been sent to both the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the House Judiciary Committee. Hultgren said he plans to appeal to the chairmen of both committees — Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), respectively — to move forward with the bill.
