Overnight Regulation: Lynch defends gun actions before Congress

Welcome to Overnight Regulation, your daily rundown of news from Capitol Hill and beyond. It’s Wednesday evening here in Washington, where politicians and journalists alike are preparing for what could be the biggest blizzard the area has seen in years. Who’s ready to sled down Capitol Hill? Here’s the latest. 

 

THE BIG STORY

Attorney General Loretta Lynch defended President Obama’s recent executive actions on guns Wednesday in the face of fierce Republican criticism.

“As the list of tragedies involving firearms has grown, so has the American people’s belief that we must do more to stem the tide of gun violence,” Lynch told a group of Senate Republicans.

President Obama earlier this month unveiled a series of executive actions on gun control. They will expand the number of firearms dealers who must conduct background checks and require dealers to report stolen guns, among other changes.

{mosads}Lynch testified Wednesday before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on commerce, chaired by Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), who has been highly critical of the Obama administration’s gun actions.

Republicans contend the president is misusing his executive authority, but Lynch said the gun actions are “consistent with the Constitution” and “laws passed by Congress.”

“The Gun Control Act lists the people who are not allowed to have firearms, such as felons, domestic abusers and others,” Lynch explained. “Congress has also required that background checks be conducted as part of sales made by federally licensed firearms dealers to make sure guns stay out of the wrong hands.

“The actions announced by the president, which focus on background checks and keeping guns out of the wrong hands, are fully consistent with the laws passed by Congress,” she continued.

But Shelby accused President Obama of overstepping with his executive authority.

“It’s clear to me that the American people are fearful that President Obama is eager to strip them of their Second Amendment rights,” Shelby said.

“Let me be clear: The Second Amendment is not a suggestion,” he warned Lynch.

Democrats on the panel defended the gun actions. 

Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) said the actions are an important step toward reducing gun violence around the country.

“No one is immune from gun violence, whether you are a congresswoman trying to meet with your constituents named Gabby Giffords, whether your children go to elementary school in the wonderful suburban community called Sandy Hook, whether you’re just simply going to movies, or going to a community college, or sitting in a Charleston church,” she said.

 

ON TAP FOR THURSDAY 

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing to examine innovative technologies within the automotive industry. http://1.usa.gov/1NbVK5h

The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing to examine healthcare co-ops. http://1.usa.gov/1JYn3VS

 

TOMORROW’S REGS TODAY

The Obama administration will publish 255 new regulations, proposed rules, notices and other administrative actions in Thursday’s edition of the Federal Register.

–The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will propose new safety regulations for commercial trucks.

The proposed safety regulations would establish a new methodology for determining the fitness of trucks to be on the road.

The FMCSA said it is looking to “identify unfit motor carriers and to remove them from the nation’s roadways.”

The public has 60 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1lvZsR4

–The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will correct a mistake made in a rule for high chairs.

The CPSC proposed a new safety standard for high chairs in November, but said Wednesday it is correcting an error made in the proposal regarding the rearward stability of these chairs.

The public has until Jan. 25 to comment. http://bit.ly/1lvZrMO

–The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will consider weakening the protections for certain parakeets.

The FWS proposed removing the scarlet-chested parakeet and turquoise parakeet from the list of endangered or threatened species back in 2003, but the changes fell to the wayside.

The FWS is now reopening the comment period on the proposal.

The public has 30 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1V8UN3C

–The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will consider new grain standards. 

The USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) announced Wednesday it is looking into new standards and grading practices for rye, mixed grain, triticale, and flaxseed.

The public has 90 days to comment on the standards for rye, mixed grain, and triticale, and 60 days to comment on the standards for flaxseed. http://bit.ly/1ZBIJJA

 

NEWS RIGHT NOW

School lunch compromise bill advances in Senate http://bit.ly/1PpKSCh

Biz groups blast new joint employer standards http://bit.ly/20fnSh6

High court weighs federal land rules in hovercraft case http://bit.ly/1PpKWlw

Supreme Court deals defeat to business on class-action suits http://bit.ly/1nnh2Zi

2015 was the hottest year on record http://bit.ly/1ZBvlVO

Judge says Baltimore officer doesn’t have to testify against some of the accused in Freddie Gray’s death – The Washington Post http://wapo.st/1RApTmA

U.S. illegal population falls below 11 million – The Washington Post http://wapo.st/1PpFLC1

Justices rule against inmates in death penalty case – The New York Times http://nyti.ms/1V9n3mJ

 

BY THE NUMBERS

1.62: Rise in average global surface temperature in degrees Fahrenheit in 2015 above the 20th century average.

4: Years in a row where annual temperature records have been broken.

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The Second Amendment is not a suggestion.” — Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) to Attorney General Loretta Lynch in a hearing on President Obama’s recent gun actions.

 

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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