Issa, Marino bill to counter “midnight regulations” clears House

The House approved legislation led by U.S. Reps. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Tom Marino (R-PA) to counter the outgoing administration’s attempts to impose regulations without transparency or scrutiny.

The Midnight Rules Relief Act, H.R. 5982, would amend the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to give Congress latitude to rapidly respond to so-called midnight rules handed down by outgoing administrations without going through the normal regulatory implementation process.

With every administration, there is a spike in rulemaking activity in the last year of a president’s term, particularly between Election Day and Inauguration Day, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) noted during a floor speech on the bill.

Goodlatte said it has been estimated that as many as $113 billion in new regulatory costs can be attributed to the final months of the Obama Administration’s rulemaking activity.

Issa, the chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet, said the purpose of the bipartisan bill is to revive the separation of powers and to ensure laws are written by representatives, not unelected bureaucrats.

“Presidents of both parties have made a habit of enacting scores of last-minute regulations, with little oversight, to sneak in as much of their agenda as possible before the clock runs out on their time in office,” Issa said.

“The bill helps ensure this president, and any future president, will be held in check and that their policies have the proper level of scrutiny by both Congress and the American people,” Issa added.

Marino, the chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law, said the burden of excessive regulations falls on the backs of hard-working families and businesses.

“The Midnight Rules Relief Act will not only deter lame duck presidents from shuffling in last minute regulations, but will create an efficient method for the incoming Congress to express its disapproval and reverse them,” Marino said. “Our government owes it to the American people to be transparent and forthright in the rules we make.”