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REINS Blog
9/17/2013
Obama Addresses Economy And 'The Financial Crisis Five Years Later'
Great post in Forbes about the President’s failure to acknowledge the cost of overly burdensome regulations, and moreover, the need for legislation like the REINS Act. “[F]undamental change… means congressional accountability and ending ‘regulation without representation’ rather than merely denouncing derivative agencies.”
by Waynes Crews
Today and this week, President Obama will address The Financial Crisis: Five Years Later in an effort shift attention back to domestic economic issues.
He will take credit for: reacting to the 2008 crisis “with speed,” “stabiliz[ing] the financial system,” building “confidence in the banking system,” “heal[ing] our housing market,” support[ing] small business,” (they didn’t build that), rebuilding household wealth, restoring credit to families, saving the auto industry. Plus a few other things.
Adoring fans shall be positioned in the background.
Like every other economic address, though, he will not address government regulatory culpability in the financial crisis, nor his own renewed expansion of executive regulatory
Read more at http://www.forbes.com/sites/waynecrews/2013/09/16/obama-to-address-economy-and-the-financial-crisis-five-years-later/
8/8/2013
Harvard Pol Review: The Importance of the REINS Act
Last Friday afternoon, the House of Representatives passed the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act by a vote of 232 to 183. The measure, re-introduced by Representative Todd Young (R-IN), proposes that any regulation expected to have an economic impact of at least $100 million or more be approved by Congress before implementation.
In other words, the bill proposes that we follow the Constitution.
Libertarians believe that a consistent adherence to the Constitution is both the most moral and the most practical way to govern our society. We recognize that government authority derives from and is limited by the document, and thus that limited government under a higher law is the cornerstone of our American system. With this in mind, it is imperative that liberty-minded Americans support the newly re-introduced REINS Act.
“All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States,” reads Article I, Section I of the U.S. Constitution.
Most Americans probably assume that laws are passed by Congress. After all, Article I, Section I says so in plain ink. And in grade school, we all watched the Schoolhouse Rock jingle “I’m Just a Bill,” which detailed the evolution of potential laws through House committees, the House floor, again through the Senate, and finally to the President’s desk.
Read more at http://harvardpolitics.com/united-states/the-importance-of-the-reins-act/
8/2/2013
Senator Blunt: Americans Deserve More Regulatory Accountability, Transparency
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) applauded the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the “Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny” (REINS) Act today and called for Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) to allow a similar vote in the U.S. Senate. Blunt is a co-sponsor of companion legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Rand Paul (Ky.).
“Regulations created by the departments and agencies of the Executive Branch have created undue burdens on businesses and job creators in Missouri and nationwide,” Blunt said. “I’m pleased the House has passed the REINS Act to give Americans more economic certainty, and I hope Majority Leader Reid will allow a similar vote in the Senate.”
The REINS Act would require Congress to approve every new major rule proposed
by the Executive Branch, which has an annual economic impact of $100 million or
more, before it can be enforced on the American people. To view the Senate bill, click
here.
Blunt also introduced two of the provisions in the Senate that the House passed
yesterday to increase government accountability. To read more about the
“Citizen Empowerment Act” (CEA) or the “Government Employee Accountability
Act,” click here.# # #
8/2/2013
Rep. Gardner: Gardner Applauds Passage of Bills to Stop Government Overreach
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Rep. Cory Gardner (R-CO) applauded the passage of two bills he cosponsored to protect American families and small businesses from federal government overreach.
The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act would require Congressional approval of regulations that are projected to cost more than $100 million annually. Currently, federal agencies like the EPA create rules and regulations that have major economic impacts. The REINS Act ensures that new rules and regulations with a major price tag receive an up-or-down vote by the elected representatives of the American people.
“The federal government is out of control,” Gardner said. “Every day, unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats in Washington hand down an avalanche of costly new rules and regulations, sticking the American taxpayer with the bill. The REINS Act restores the system of checks and balances that our founders fought for.”
Also passing out of the House today was H.R. 2009, the Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act, which would prevent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from implementing any part of the President’s healthcare law. The IRS is currently slated to have a role in nearly 50 different aspects of implementing and enforcing the healthcare law’s thousands of pages of rules and regulations. The House bill comes amid investigations into allegations that the IRS acted improperly in targeting certain political groups for extra scrutiny.
“My constituents are extremely concerned about the prospect of the IRS playing a part in their personal healthcare decisions. What’s worse is that you have an agency accused of improper behavior now in the conductor’s chair of the runaway train that is the healthcare law. This kind of government intrusion into the lives of citizens has no place in America.”
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8/2/2013
Chairman Goodlatte Applauds House Passage of Bill to Control Regulatory Costs and Restore Accountability
Washington, D.C. – The House of Representatives approved H.R. 367, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (REINS Act) by a vote of 232-183. The REINS Act curbs unnecessary major regulations from agencies and holds federal bureaucrats accountable for imposing the heaviest burdens on America's economy. The REINS Act specifically requires that federal agencies submit major regulations to Congress for approval; guarantees that no major regulation becomes effective until Congress approves it; and provides that a fast up or down vote occurs on major rules within 70 legislative days.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) praised today's vote by the House of Representatives.
Chairman Goodlatte: "Unnecessary regulation imposed by federal bureaucrats hinders job creation and hurts millions of Americans who struggle to secure full-time employment. In 2012 alone, unnecessary regulation imposed an estimated burden of $1.8 trillion, which adds up to approximately $15,676 per U.S. household. Americans simply cannot afford to pick up the tab of federal bureaucrats. Americans deserve an accountable regulatory system. The REINS Act frees Americans from unnecessary regulation and offers much-needed relief to the deep economic pain experienced by a growing number of American workers and families."
Key provisions of the REINS Act include the following:
• Requires agencies to submit major regulations to Congress for approval.
• Guarantees no major regulation becomes effective until Congress approves it.
• Guarantees fast up or down votes on major rules—Congress must act within 70 legislative days.
• Guarantees that accountability for imposing the heaviest burdens on America's economy falls where it should—with the people's elected representatives in Congress.
8/2/2013
Barr Votes to Rein In Unaccountable Government
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Andy Barr today released the following after the House passed H.R. 367, the Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act which included an amendment Barr cosponsored:
“The Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act is a critical tool in the battle against job-destroyingoverregulation,” said Congressman Barr. “For too long, Congress has delegated away its legislative powers, leaving federal agencies to enact regulations at great costs to the American people with little oversight. The REINS Act will hold Congress responsible for the laws it writes, restoring accountability in the regulatory process that hurts Kentucky’s families and small business owners, and leads to higher prices for consumers, fewer jobs for workers, and weakened American competitiveness.”
“I was delighted to work with my colleague Andy Barr on our common-sense amendment to the REINS Act,” said Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX), Chairman of the House Rules Committee. “Our amendment will help protect small businesses in Kentucky and across our nation from an onslaught of burdensome rules by Washington bureaucrats that ignore the real-world impact they have on jobs.”
Barr continued, “The adoption of the Sessions/Barr jobs amendment requires the agency drafting a Federal rule to include a job-impact assessment in the proposal’s cost-benefit analysis. This will show how many jobs will be created, or more realistically, how many jobs the proposed regulation will destroy. It will also reveal whether these job losses or new jobs are in the private or public sector.”
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8/2/2013
Stutzman on REINS Act: "It's Time to Put Everyday Americans Ahead of Unelected Bureaucrats"
Washington, D.C. –U.S. Congressman Marlin Stutzman issued the following statement today, expressing his support for the House-passed REINS Act and thanking the bill’s author, Indiana Congressman Todd Young, for his work to cut Washington’s red tape.
“It’s time to put everyday Americans ahead of unelected bureaucrats. Over the past few years, bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. have forgotten that they work for the American people and not the other way around. From ObamaCare’s mandates to the White House’s war on coal, Washington’s growing burden on hardworking Hoosiers is killing jobs, preventing growth, and sinking us further in debt.
“The REINS Act will cut red tape and hold the executive branch accountable by having Congress take up-or-down votes on major regulations. I’d like to thank my friend and Hoosier colleague, Todd Young, for his tireless work on this issue and call on Senator Reid and President Obama to take up this common sense solution without delay.”
Background:
Stutzman is an original co-sponsor of Rep. Young’s legislation to require an up-or-down vote in Congress on new regulations that have an economic cost of $100 million or more. The bill passed the House today by a vote of 232-183 this morning.
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8/2/2013
U.S. Representative Massie Votes to Pass REINS Act
“It is vital that Congress act to reduce our regulatory burden which raises consumer prices, reduces wages, and costs jobs”
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Massie voted to pass the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act. Massie was an original cosponsor of the bill, which would curb unchecked and costly regulations. The House of Representatives passed the bill, 232-183.
“Excessive regulation stifles economic growth, hurts small businesses, and raises consumer prices,” said Rep. Massie. “It is vital that Congress act to reduce our regulatory burden which raises consumer prices, reduces wages, and costs jobs.”
The REINS Act would require Congressional approval for regulation expected to cost the economy more than $50 million, lead to a major increase in consumer prices, or adversely affect employment.
“Congress has delegated its authority to unaccountable federal agencies over the past decades,” added Rep. Massie. “Unelected bureaucrats do not have the constitutional authority to write laws. Only Congress has this power, and ceding it to federal agencies undermines our representative form of government.”
4th district constituent Lloyd Rogers of Alexandria, Kentucky, now a member of Massie’s congressional staff, first conceived the bill.
Rogers added, “As Campbell County, Kentucky Judge-Executive, I saw local government was being hampered by unconstitutional regulations and mandates from the EPA. Auto emission checking, sewer mandates, water regulations and a plethora of overreaching rules and mandates. Art. I Sec. 1 of the U.S. Constitution states…. ‘All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.’ I saw no authority for the EPA to make law, so I felt they needed to be restrained.”
Rep. Todd Young (R-IN) introduced the REINS Act of 2013 with 121 cosponsors.
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8/2/2013
Smith Statement on Passage of the REINS Act
Washington, D.C.– Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) made the following statement today after passage of H.R. 367, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act in the U.S. House of Representatives:
“For too long, Congress has allowed administrations of both parties to enact regulations at great costs to the American people with little oversight. The REINS Act would allow Congress to vote on new major rules before they are imposed on hardworking families, small businesses, and agriculture producers. Regardless of which party occupies the White House, this commonsense legislation is needed to restore the balance of power in Washington and return responsibility for the legislative process to Congress.”
Smith is an original cosponsor of the REINS Act, which would require new regulations with an annual economic impact of more than $100 million to be approved by a stand-alone vote in Congress and signed by the President before they take effect.
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6/18/2013
Cutting Red Tape to Unleash Economic Growth
By Rep. Adrian Smith
The time and money spent keeping up with federal rules is a major burden on our economy. American families and small businesses struggle to comply with the growing number of federal regulations even when they do not realize it. The true cost of regulatory compliance is often hidden in the price of products, energy, and even health care.
A new report by Wayne Crews at the Competitive Enterprise Institute shines a light on the growing regulatory state and its true cost to our economy. At the end of 2012, the number of pages in the Code of Federal Regulations hit an all-time high of 174,545. Last year alone, the government enacted 1,172 new regulations; 16 percent more than were completed in 2011.
These new rules are written and implemented by executive branch agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) presumably with good intentions. They may mean well, but the agencies often do not consider the impact of new rules on jobs and growth. The result is a massive burden on the economy.
Crews found the total costs for Americans to comply with federal regulations reached $1.8 trillion in 2012 – more than the government collects annually in corporate and individual taxes. Regulatory costs amount to more than $14,000 per family per year.
According to Crews, about a sixth of the regulatory cost is attributable to compliance with our overly complex tax code. I am working with the Ways and Means Committee to simplify the tax code for all Americans through comprehensive tax reform, which would reduce the cost of compliance and create numerous other economic benefits. In addition to tax reform, we must also take on serious regulatory reform.
Congress should work to ease specific regulatory burdens already impacting sectors of our economy such as health care. This week, I introduced the Administrative Relief and Accurate Medicare Payments Act to help ease the oversight requirements on hospitals and doctors on Medicare claims. The bill would allow hospitals and doctors to focus more resources providing quality health care for their patients at competitive prices, and spend less time dealing with the Medicare bureaucracy.
In order to address regulations more comprehensively, the House of Representatives is considering the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, of which I am a proud cosponsor. This commonsense legislation would require the regulations with the greatest cost to our economy to be approved by both chambers of Congress and signed by the President before taking effect on hard-working American families and businesses. Last year, 57 regulations were implemented with an annual economic cost of more than $100 million each.
These are just a few of the ideas the House is considering to reform the regulatory code and process. As our economy struggles to recover, now would be a great time to stop the growth of the regulatory state and to lessen this massive, hidden burden on American families and businesses.