Regulatory reform bills clear House panel

A package of regulatory reform bills aimed at curbing executive overreach cleared a key House panel Wednesday, setting up a showdown on the floor between Republicans and Democrats.

The House Judiciary Committee approved the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act by a vote of 15-10.

The controversial act, introduced by Rep. Todd Young (R-Ind.), would give Congress more authority to reject regulations.

Federal agencies would be required to submit major rules to Congress for approval before they go into effect.

{mosads}Republicans say the Obama administration’s regulatory agenda is out of control and needs to be stopped. But Democrats are fiercely opposed to the bill because it would make it easier for Republicans to interfere with what they believe are essential rules.

“Unnecessary regulation imposed by federal bureaucrats hinders job creation and hurts millions of Americans who struggle to secure full-time employment,” House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) said in a statement. 

“Americans simply cannot afford to pick up the tab of federal bureaucrats,” he added. “Americans deserve an accountable regulatory system.”

Meanwhile, the Judiciary Committee also voted 14-9 to send the All Economic Regulations are Transparent (ALERT) Act to the House floor for a vote.

The ALERT Act would bring more transparency to the regulatory process by requiring federal agencies to make more consistent and detailed disclosures about the rules they promulgate.

“I’m a limited government conservative who believes that economic prosperity and comes from the ingenuity of the American people, not the overreach for the federal government,” ALERT sponsor Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) said.

The two regulatory reform bills will now head to the House floor for a vote in the coming months.