House Approves Reckless Package of Anti-Regulatory Bills

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a package of anti-regulatory bills that would impede the work of agencies charged with protecting the public’s health, safety, and welfare. Under the legislation—called the “Achieving Less Excess in Regulation and Requiring Transparency Act” (H.R. 2804)—federal agencies and the administration would be required to comply with a host of needless and burdensome requirements before establishing important regulatory safeguards. These requirements would further slow the regulatory process, or stop it altogether—threatening the well-being of people across the country.

The following is a statement from Earthjustice Legislative Counsel Sean Helle:

“And so continues the House majority’s assault on the laws that protect all of us. Under the guise of promoting economic growth and transparency, today’s bills would hobble the very agencies charged with securing our health, safety, and welfare.

“Despite the majority’s purported interest in stopping ‘government abuse,’ today’s legislation would make it more difficult for the public to hold agencies accountable in federal court. Under the ‘Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act,’ which was among the bills passed, polluters and other opponents of new safeguards would be allowed to stand in the way of lawsuits aimed at compelling agencies to move forward with overdue—and legally required—protections.

“These bills are a reckless attack on public health and the rule of law. If it hasn’t already, the Senate should file them in a trash can.”