Bill co-sponsored by Rep. Duncan passes the House

The House of Representatives passed legislation yesterday to give Congress veto authority over high-cost regulations which Congressman Jeff Duncan blames on the Obama administration. The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act would require that Congress vote on any major rule or regulation coming from the executive branch that is estimated by OMB, Office of Management and Budget, to impact the economy by $100 million or more. A veto-proof majority is currently required to prevent an administration from going forward with a rule. “The House has just passed a groundbreaking piece of legislation that remains consistent with my view in the rebalancing of power in the federal government,” said Congressman Jeff Duncan, who is a cosponsor of the bill. “The outgoing Administration broke Constitutional restraints time and time again. By flaunting the immense power of executive rulemaking, the outgoing administration shamefully turned the pen and the phone into a political weapon against the American people. Without passing the REINS Act, the boundaries for administrative rule making are endless.” According to Duncan’s office, the Competitive Enterprise Institute released a report detailing the cost to America of federal regulations at $1.885 trillion – more than $15,000 per American household. At the time of the report, some 60 federal departments, agencies, and commissions had 3,297 at various stages in the regulatory pipeline. Under the REINS Act, Congress would have 70 legislative days to decide whether such regulations would move forward.