Hudson Votes to End Poorly-Crafted Regulations
February 3, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 3, 2017
Hudson Votes to End Poorly-Crafted Regulations
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08) released the following statement after the House used the Congressional Review Act to roll back harmful regulations that were rushed through in the final months of the Obama administration:
“Under the Obama administration, government bureaucrats in Washington brutalized the American people. They depressed wages, eliminated jobs, discriminated against the disabled and made everything we buy more expensive.
"I am committed to returning power to the people. We deserve a government and a regulatory system based on constitutional limits and common sense."
The legislative branch has a constitutional responsibility to hold the executive branch accountable for rushed regulations and a bloated bureaucracy. Earlier this month, the House passed the REINS Act, which gives Congress—the people’s representatives—an up-or-down vote on major regulations. This week, the House used its authority under the Congressional Review Act to roll back harmful regulations that were pushed through during the final hours of the Obama administration. The House passed:
- H.J.Res. 38 - This bill nullifies the rule submitted by the Department of Interior known as the Stream Protection Rule, a rule that could wipe out one-third of the nation’s coal mining workforce. This rule ignores the federal, state, and local regulations that were already in place. The Department of Interior’s own reports show that mines are safe and the surrounding environment is well-protected.
- H.J.Res. 41 - This bill nullifies a rule that was issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) which closely mimics a regulation already struck down by the courts.
- H.J.Res. 37 - This legislation blocks the implementation of the Blacklisting Rule, which requires employers bidding on federal contracts to disclose violations and alleged violations of 14 different federal labor laws and similar state laws. This flawed rule puts small businesses at a disadvantage, jeopardizes national security, increases costs for taxpayers, hurts workers, and violates due process rights.
- H.J.Res. 40 - This bill nullifies the rule submitted by the Social Security Administration (SSA) which would restrict 2nd Amendment rights of Americans who receive certain disability benefits.
- H.J.Res. 36 - This bill nullifies a rule that was issued by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as it relates to “Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource. This rule, commonly known as the Venting and Flaring rule or the BLM Methane Rule, represents one of the Obama administration's most egregious abuses of executive power designed to destroy responsible energy production on federal lands. This legislation would overturn and ensure no substantially similar rule can be issued in the future.
Rep. Hudson has been a strong advocate for a more efficient, transparent and sensible regulatory system. Last year, Rep. Hudson’s amendment to ensure that the Obama administration couldn’t propose or finalize regulations in its final months passed the House with unanimous support.
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Issues:Economy and Jobs