By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Wednesday, September 21, US Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) voted in favor of HR3438, the Require Evaluation before Implementing Executive Wishlists (REVIEW) Act. HR3438 would postpne any federal regulation imposing an annual cost of more than $1 billion until the judicial review process is complete. Congressman Brooks is a co-sponsor of the REVIEW Act.
Congressman Brooks said in a statement, “Every week I hear from constituents who are struggling to breathe under the heavy weight of Washington red tape. Did you know that since President Obama took office in 2009, more than 20,000 federal regulations have been issued?”
Rep. Brooks said, “I was glad to support House passage of the REVIEW Act to postpone any federal regulation imposing an annual cost of more than $1 billion until the judicial review process is complete, protecting Americans from being forced to comply with costly, unlawful regulations. This legislation is an important step in curtailing far-reaching federal agencies.”
Rep. Brooks added, “For emphasis, according to a Heritage Foundation study, the compliance burden for regulations from 43 new major rules in 2015 totaled $22 billion. The EPA’s Clean Power Plan rule alone has an annual compliance cost of $7.2 billion dollars. What’s worse, former Energy Department Assistant Secretary Charles McConnell stated that the Clean Power Plan will, at best, reduce global temperature by a mere one one-hundredth of a degree Celsius.”
Brooks concluded, “The callousness of unelected rule makers in handing down onerous proclamations, without relevant industry understanding, is staggering. The REVIEW Act is an important step in curtailing far-reaching federal regulations, and I was proud to support House passage.”
HR3438, the Require Evaluation before Implementing Executive Wishlists (REVIEW) Act, would postpone any federal regulation imposing an annual cost of more than $1 billion until the judicial review process is complete, protecting Americans from being forced to comply with unlawful regulations.
HR3438 was sponsored by Rep. Tom Marino (R-Pennsylvania). Rep. Marino said, “Every day, American workers, taxpayers and families bear the burden of the regulatory hubris emanating from Washington. As executive agencies grow bolder, so too does the scope and effect of their actions. Too often, the financial burden of these reckless regulations falls on the backs of hard-working Americans. The compliance costs alone are felt nationwide and touch every corner of our economy.”
Rep. Marino continued, ““The REVIEW Act is an important step in curtailing far-reaching regulations and ensures Washington rule makers are held accountable. The federal government cannot continue to pad its pocketbooks by stealing from the American people.”
The House Judiciary Committee approved HR3438 by a vote of 18-13.
The bill was cosponsored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Virginia.). Chairman Goodlatte said in a statement, “Chairman Goodlatte: “When new high-impact regulations are issued and then overturned by the courts, billions of dollars in unnecessary compliance costs are frequently passed along to the American people. This is because, without a stay imposed by the agency or the court, the costs to cover regulations still must be paid for by hardworking Americans even while the lawfulness of new regulations is being challenged in court.”
Rep. Goodlatte added, “The waste imposed by high-impact regulations that the courts ultimately will reject has gone on for too long, and Washington bureaucrats cannot keep imposing these burdens on the American people. The REVIEW Act frees up billions of precious dollars to be spent on the jobs and investment America needs to recover fully from economic hard times.”
The bill would impose an automatic administrative stay of all “high impact rules” pending final judicial review if a legal challenge is filed within 60 days or the time otherwise prescribed to seek judicial review; and a lifting of the stay if a challenge to the “high-impact rule” is not filed within that period.
Brooks office said that the REVIEW Act seeks to roll back the damage caused by the unparalleled expansion of the regulatory state by the Obama Administration.
The bill passed the full House by a vote of 244 to 180. It now goes to the Senate.
President Barack H. Obama (D) has said in a statement that he will veto HR3438 if it ever reaches his desk.
The Obama Administration said in a statement, “The Administration is committed to ensuring that the regulatory process remains efficient and effective, and is tailored to further statutory goals in the most cost-effective manner. HR3438 would promote unwarranted litigation, introduce harmful delay, and, in many cases, thwart implementation of statutory mandates and execution of duly enacted laws. The legislation also would increase business uncertainty and undermine much-needed protections for the American public, including critical rules that provide financial reform and protect public health, food safety, and the environment. For these reasons, the Administration strongly opposes HR3438.”
Congressman Mo Brooks represents Alabama’s Fifth Congressional District.
