REP. JENKINS VOTES TO GIVE WEST VIRGINIANS A VOICE IN APPROVING REGULATIONS

WASHINGTON – A bill just passed by the House will give West Virginians a voice in approving or rejecting new regulations, U.S. Representative Evan Jenkins (R-W.Va.) said.

H.R. 26, the Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, would require federal agencies to submit regulations with an economic cost of $100 million or more to Congress for an up-or-down vote. Congress would have to vote within 70 legislative days, ensuring the people have a say in whether costly regulations should be enacted.

“The REINS Act is one of several bills we will be considering this week to stop business as usual in Washington. We will be saying no to the overregulation of the last eight years. No to the radical anti-coal agenda that has closed coal mines and cost my state of West Virginia thousands of jobs. No to a federal government that won’t even come to West Virginia to hear how their regulations affect us,” Rep. Jenkins said on the floor.

Please click here to watch his speech. The full transcript is below.

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’re about to vote on the REINS Act, which will hold our agencies accountable to the people of America. I’m a proud cosponsor of this legislation. If a regulation has a high economic cost, then the people – through Congress – have to approve it before it goes into effect.

“The REINS Act is one of several bills we will be considering this week to stop business as usual in Washington. We will be saying no to the overregulation of the last eight years. No to the radical anti-coal agenda that has closed coal mines and cost my state of West Virginia thousands of jobs. No to a federal government that won’t even come to West Virginia to hear how their regulations affect us.

“West Virginians have had enough. They want change. They want their voice to be heard. They want to work hard and put food on their table. I’m here to stand up for West Virginia’s families, miners and small businesses.

“I urge my colleagues to support the REINS Act, and I yield back.”