Overnight Regulation: House passes regulatory reform bill

Welcome to OVERNIGHT REGULATION, your daily rundown of news from Capitol Hill and beyond. It’s Tuesday evening here in Washington. Here’s the latest.

 

THE BIG STORY

Congress could more easily block controversial federal rules under a regulatory reform bill that cleared a key hurdle Tuesday.

The House voted 243-165 to pass the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act in a bid to roll back the executive branch’s rulemaking authority. The legislation now goes to the Senate.

President Obama has already threatened to veto the legislation if it makes it to his desk.

{mosads}”This provides a powerful incentive for the agencies to write the best possible rules,” said Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.).

Under the REINS Act, federal agencies would be required to submit major rules with an annual economic impact of $100 million or more to Congress for approval. This would essentially give Republicans the final say and upper hand in a long battle with the Obama administration over regulations.

Support for the regulatory reform bill is sharply divided along party lines.

The bill is part of the GOP’s response to longstanding complaints about what they see as heavy-handed regulations from the Obama administration. But Democrats fear the legislation would pave the way for Republicans to block what they believe to be much-needed public health and environmental protections.

Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) said the REINS Act is a “gift to the economic elites” that would “stop all future regulations.”

Republicans, on the other hand, see it as an opportunity to bring accountability to the regulatory system.

“Some may falsely claim that this bill is about deregulation. It’s not,” said Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio). “It’s about accountability.”

This will be the third time in four years that the House has passed the REINS Act. What’s different this time around is that the regulatory reform bill could also see action in the Senate, which is now controlled by Republicans.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) expressed support for the REINS Act, and said the upper chamber will likely take up the legislation after it returns from August recess.

The Senate’s measure was introduced by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and has garnered support from 36 Republican co-sponsors, but is unlikely to attract many Democrat sponsors or get the 60 votes needed for passage.

 

ON TAP FOR WEDNESDAY

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing titled the “Higher Education Act: Combating Campus Sexual Assault.” http://1.usa.gov/1D5taVt

The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs’ Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection Subcommittee will hold a hearing to discuss the role of bankruptcy reform in addressing “Too-Big-To Fail.” http://1.usa.gov/1SdvccJ

The Senate Judiciary’s Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts Subcommittee will hold a hearing to discuss the progress of IRS reforms. http://1.usa.gov/1JQ0lsU

The House Science, Space and Technology’s Energy Subcommittee will hold a hearing to review the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s licensing process. http://1.usa.gov/1LNv66j

The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing to discuss federal agencies’ enforcement of the Endangered Species Act. http://1.usa.gov/1LCyQce

The House Foreign Affairs’ Western Hemisphere Subcommittee will hold a hearing to discuss threats to press freedom in the Americas. http://1.usa.gov/1KmRQsb

 

TOMORROW’S REGS TODAY

The Obama administration will publish 150 new regulations, proposed rules, notices, and other administrative actions in Wednesday’s edition of the Federal Register.

Here’s what to watch for:

–The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will issue new protections for a Central American hummingbird.

The Honduran emerald hummingbird will be listed as an endangered species, the agency said Tuesday.

According to the FWS, there are about 5,000 to 10,000 of these humming birds remaining in Honduras, but their population has greatly declined over the years.

The rule goes into effect in 30 days. http://bit.ly/1Kx68X9

–The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will issue new emissions limits for mineral wool production and wool fiberglass manufacturing.

The national emissions standards apply to gas-fired, glass-melting furnaces at wool fiberglass manufacturing facilities, the agency noted.

“The revisions in these final rules increase the level of emissions control and environmental protection provided by the mineral wool production and wool fiberglass manufacturing (emissions standards),” the agency wrote.

The changes go into effect immediately. http://bit.ly/1fEI6yF

–EPA will propose to find that airplane emissions “cause or contribute to air pollution.”

Airplane emissions may endanger public health, the agency suggested.

The EPA issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking earlier this month and will hold a public hearing on Aug. 11. http://bit.ly/1fEIcX6

–The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will propose new recordkeeping requirements for work-related injuries and illnesses.

“The duty to record an injury or illness continues for as long as the employer must keep records of the recordable injury or illness; the duty does not expire just because the employer fails to create the necessary records when first required to do so,” the agency wrote.

The public has 60 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1fDH8mi

 

NEWS RIGHT NOW

FIFA: House Democrats are calling on FIFA to eliminate the disparities between men and women’s soccer in pay, publicity and investments. http://bit.ly/1U4DGQU

Robocalling: Some members of Congress might be inappropriately robocalling their constituents’ mobile phones. http://bit.ly/1HZKKJ6

Guns: Senate Democrats are appealing directly to gun retailers in a renewed push to expand background checks in lieu of congressional action on the divisive issue. http://bit.ly/1LQy5L5

EPA: The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has told the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to rewrite rules meant to govern pollution emissions that drift across state lines.http://bit.ly/1DN0g77

Labels: A Senate Democrat is calling on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate claims that retailers are fraudulently mislabeling foreign products in a bid to take advantage of American consumers’ willingness to pay more for American-made goods. http://bit.ly/1U4E2qI

Health care: The nation’s respite from accelerating healthcare costs appears to be over, APreports. http://bit.ly/1MwBiB9

ObamaCare: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell championed a renewed push to bypass a filibuster and repeal ObamaCare with 51 votes on Tuesday, Bloomberg reported.http://bloom.bg/1MwBVuy

Birth control: An analysis published Tuesday in Health Affairs shows that women have saved $1.4 billion on birth control pills as a result of the Affordable Care Act, The Huffington Postreports. http://huff.to/1DN28g9

 

BY THE NUMBERS

15,000: The number of dangerous people who have obtained a gun in the last five years because the FBI did not respond to a background check within three days.  (Source: Everytown for Gun Safety)

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“There are so many rules out there I bet the average person can’t go a couple hours without violating a rule or regulation they don’t even know about,” — Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas).

 

We’ll work to stay on top of these and other stories throughout the week, so check The Hill’s Regulation page (http://digital-staging.thehill.com/regulation) early and often for the latest. And send any comments, complaints or regulatory news tips our way, tdevaney@digital-staging.thehill.com or lwheeler@digital-staging.thehill.com. And follow us at @timdevaney and@wheelerlydia.

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