Regulation Nation
“[R]ules have gotten out of balance, placing unreasonable burdens on business—burdens that have stifled innovation and have had a chilling effect on growth and jobs.”
—President Obama, Wall Street Journal op-ed, January 18, 2011
For the better part of 2011 the Heritage Foundation’s blog has published a series titled “Tales of the Red Tape”. A quick look at some of their more unusual entries confirms the suspicion of many Americans: at a time of record unemployment, Washington bureaucrats are focused on the wrong problems.
- March 4, 2011: “The Unwitting Peddlers of Toxic Tomes” highlighted a Consumer Product Safety Commission rule deeming children’s books printed prior to 1986 to be potentially toxic due to the possibility of excessive lead in the ink. Heritage Research Fellow Diane Katz wrote, “However, the actual risk of lead exposure from older books ranks only about 0.5 on a scale of one to 10, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nonetheless, the CPSC has urged libraries to put older children’s books in storage until they can be tested for lead toxicity—at a cost of $300 to $500 each.”
- July 6, 2011: “More Regulatory Manure from USDA” explains the federal government’s attempt to regulate the precise moisture, temperature, and chemical standards of compost for use in producing certified organic foods. Katz noted, “And it took the agency only nine years to finalize the rules…The new compost standards, according to officials, represent the ‘current thinking’ of the National Organic Program. Which means some future thinking may require a change in standards. Meanwhile, states have issued their own rules, too, making organic food anything but pure and simple.”
- October 18, 2011: “A Real Waste of Regulatory Energy” uncovered the Department of Energy’s desire to rewrite water efficiency standards for the nation’s urinals. (Yes, seriously.) Katz reported, “A request to DOE for more information failed to garner a response. Could it be that the bathroom bureaucrats are a tad reluctant to discuss urinal policy? In any case, what we do know makes us want to wash our hands of Washington.”
Needlessly saddling the economy with excessive regulations is inhibiting job creation, and contrary to the Obama administration’s lip service of reining in regulatory burdens, the unnecessary rule writing continues. Thus, House Republicans have attempted to reverse this trend and put Americans back to work by passing legislation aimed at creating sustainable economic growth. With millions of people out of work, we are still waiting for President Obama and Senate Democrats to act on the 25 House-passed bipartisan jobs bills.
What are House Republicans doing?
House Republicans are focused on continuing efforts to turn around the Obama economy by passing major elements of the House Republican Plan for America’s Job Creators. This week the House is expected to consider legislation that would require congressional review and approval of any proposed federal government regulation that would have a significant impact on the economy. The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, introduced by Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY), would restore Congressional accountability for the regulatory process requiring Congress to take an up-or-down, stand-alone vote, and for the President to sign-off on all new major rules—those that have an annual economic impact of $100 million or more—before they could be enforced on the American people, job-creating small businesses, or state and local governments.
For additional information, contact:
The House Republican Conference Policy Office
