Blumenthal to lead oversight subcommittee on regulations

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) has been named chairman of a new Senate oversight panel aimed at enforcing federal regulations.

The Subcommittee on Oversight, Federal Rights and Agency Action will function as an arm of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“Overseeing federal agency rulemaking means working with advocates, activists, and every-day Americans to fulfill the promise of federal protection,” Blumenthal said in a statement. “The purpose of this new subcommittee is really to ensure that federal agencies follow and enforce the law – assuring protection of legal rights with effective remedies.”

The committee will have purview over administrative practices for federal regulations, judicial review of actions by federal agencies and government fraud and abuse. 

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) will be the ranking member of the subcommittee. Other members include Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.).

The subcommittee will have a full plate during the 113th Congress, with the Obama administration expected to unleash a flood of regulations from the healthcare and Dodd-Frank financial reform laws.

Obama has also signaled that he will use his executive powers aggressively in his second term, which could lead to a barrage of new rules from across the federal government.

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