The House voted 244-173 on Thursday for a bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) to block the Obama administration from implementing regulations without first providing detailed information to the public for at least six months prior to the regulation going into effect.
Updates on federal regulations being developed by federal agencies must only be done twice a year under current federal regulations, but have been late or not issued at all under the current administration. Under the All Economic Regulations Are Transparent (ALERT) Act, however, the federal government would be prevented from circumventing the requirement to update. The legislation also improves the quality and frequency of information available to the public.
“Constituents all across the Fourth District of Texas are frustrated with unaccountable, unelected bureaucrats who create regulations that have the force of law,” Ratcliffe said. “Regulations that typically appear out of nowhere and bring with them huge price tags for the cost of compliance, often with little time to prepare. I’m glad the House passed my bill to prevent people from getting steamrolled in the process of trying to comply.
“I’m a firm believer that economic prosperity comes from the ingenuity of the American people, not the overreach of the federal government, and I’m committed to reigning in the constant stream of costly federal regulations that are being rolled out by the administration.”
The ALERT Act was included in the Sunshine for Regulations and Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2015, H.R. 712.