Doug Collins
Legislation to rein in costly federal regulations that strangle the U.S. economy cleared the House on Thursday with support from U.S. Reps. Doug Collins (R-GA), Fred Upton (R-MI) and Steve Womack (R-AR).
The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, which was introduced by Collins last week, would require congressional approval and review of any major regulations with an economic impact of $100 million or more.
“The House has again done its part to protect the voices and wallets of Americans by putting major regulations under the oversight of Congress,” Collins said. “Now, my colleagues in the Senate have the opportunity and responsibility to send this bill to the White House. It’s time we restore accountability to the legislative process and ensure that the elected representatives of the people —not nameless bureaucrats — are the ones making the laws.”
The Obama administration in 2016 issued 3,853 rules and regulations in the Federal Register. The Small Business Administration estimates the total cost of federal regulations to be nearly $2 trillion per year.
“Here in the House we’ve long been focused on reining in the most expensive government rules and regulations that hurt American workers, businesses and families,” Upton said. “Under our Constitution, Congress controls the power of the purse – not unelected bureaucrats. The REINS Act is a commonsense piece of legislation that will help restore much-needed accountability and constitutionality to the regulatory process.”
Womack said red tape and regulations have greatly hindered the success of businesses across his congressional district and the rest of the country.
“Instead of creating more government mandates, we need to reassess which of these are truly necessary, which is why I proudly voted in support of the REINS Act,” Womack said.