House Passes H.R. 427, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2015

Press Release

Today, the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 427, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2015 or REINS Act by a vote of 243 to 165. Congressman Cramer is a co-sponsor of the legislation. H.R. 427 amends the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to require congressional approval of major agency regulations before those regulations can go into effect. The REINS Act requires Congress to pass, and the President to sign, a joint resolution approving a new major regulation issued by a regulatory agency before the regulation may take effect. Current law allows Congress to disapprove of such regulations after they are enacted. Major regulations are those which produce $100 million or more in impacts on the U.S. economy, spur major increases in costs or prices for consumers, or have certain other significant adverse effects on the economy. For non-major rules, the Act continues the current process of allowing the rule to take effect unless Congress passes and the President signs a resolution of disapproval, or Congress overrides a presidential veto of such a disapproval resolution.

"Overregulation is destroying the American economy," said Cramer. "Estimates place the total costs of compliance with federal regulations at $1.88 trillion annually which is equal to 11 percent of the United States' Gross Domestic Product in 2014. For decades, unelected bureaucrats in our federal government have taken advantage of their authority by writing sweeping regulations based on growing interpretations of legislation passed in Congress. Unfortunately it has gotten worse under the Obama Administration."

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