Stop Government Overreach

Senator Blunt understands that the government should work for Americans – not the other way around. That’s why he has introduced and co-sponsored a number of bills to reduce burdensome regulations and increase transparency and accountability in Washington:

  • Citizen Empowerment Act: Senator Blunt recently reintroduced the Citizen Empowerment Act to restore Americans’ trust in government by expanding current law to allow individuals to record conversations with executive agency employees. Under the bill, executive agency employees are required to provide individuals with a verbal or written notice of the individual’s right to record the conversation before or at the time of their initial interaction. He originally introduced the bill in 2013 after it was revealed that Internal Revenue Service (IRS) officials were targeting conservative organizations and other Americans.
  • ENFORCE the Law Act: Senator Blunt recently reintroduced the Executive Needs to Faithfully Observe and Respect Congressional Enactments of the Law (ENFORCE the Law) Act, which would put a procedure in place to permit Congress to authorize a lawsuit against the executive branch for failure to faithfully execute the laws. He reintroduced the bill following President Obama’s executive amnesty announcement.
  • Taxpayer Transparency Act: Senator Blunt recently reintroduced the Taxpayer Transparency Act, which would require a disclaimer stating that government ads are “paid for by taxpayers” on printed advertising materials, including newspapers, billboards, and flyers, as well as radio, television, and internet communications. Senator Blunt originally introduced the Taxpayer Transparency Act in January 2014 after it was reported that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) planned to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on an advertising campaign to promote the president’s health care law.
  • REINS Act: Senator Blunt co-sponsored the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, which was introduced by U.S. Senator Rand Paul (Ky.) and would require Congress to approve every new major rule proposed by the executive branch with an annual economic impact of $100 million or more before the rule can be enforced on the American people.
  • Regulatory Improvement Act: Senator Blunt recently joined U.S. Senator Angus King (Maine) to reintroduce the Regulatory Improvement Act, bipartisan legislation to streamline, consolidate, and repeal onerous and costly government regulations. The bill would direct Congress to create a "Regulatory Improvement Commission" that would collect broad public input regarding which regulations are outdated, duplicative, or inefficient.
  • Regulatory Responsibility for Our Economy Act: Senator Blunt co-sponsored U.S. Senator Pat Roberts' (Kan.) Regulatory Responsibility for Our Economy Act, which ensures that regulations put forth by the executive branch consider the economic burden on American businesses, account for stakeholder input, and promote innovation. The bill would require all federal agencies to review their significant regulations, and propose a timeline to repeal those deemed burdensome, unnecessary or those that harm the economy or job creation.
  • Government Employee Accountability Act: Senator Blunt reintroduced the Government Employee Accountability Act this Congress to give executive agencies the ability to effectively deal with Senior Executive Service (SES) employees, and provide Congress with more oversight. Blunt originally introduced the bill last Congress in the wake of the IRS scandal.
  • Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act: Senator Blunt co-sponsored the Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act, which was introduced by Roberts and U.S. Senator Jeff Flake (Ariz.). The bill protects the free-speech rights of 501(c)(4) organizations by suspending the IRS rulemaking that would significantly limit the advocacy and educational activities of these groups.
  • Taxpayer Right To Know Act: Senator Blunt recently co-sponsored the bipartisan Taxpayer Right to Know Act, which was introduced by U.S. Senator Tom Coburn (Okla.) and was co-sponsored by more than 20 additional senators. The bipartisan bill would increase transparency in Washington by requiring agencies to provide taxpayers with an annual report card for each of its programs.