Rep. Doug Collins and Sen. Charles Grassley Introduce Bill to End "Sue and Settle" Regulation by Litigation

Press Release

Legislation introduced today by House Judiciary Committee member Doug Collins (GA09) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa seeks to end the practice of enacting federal regulations through sue-and-settle litigation. This tactic, used by federal agencies and like-minded special interest groups, circumvents the normal rulemaking process to impose new, burdensome regulations on businesses and communities. The Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2015 shines a light on sue-and-settle litigation and restores the transparency, public participation and judicial review protections of the rulemaking process.

Sue-and-settle litigation is defined by closed-door negotiations between pro-regulatory special interest groups and complicit federal agencies, which result in consent decrees or settlement agreements that bind executive discretion. Unlike the normal rulemaking process, potentially-affected parties -- such as businesses and even the states -- are often kept completely in the dark about the negotiations, and the resulting regulations can come as a complete surprise.

"Regulation by litigation subverts the normal regulatory process, denying Americans, especially Northeast Georgians who depend on agriculture, a seat at the national table. This bill would shed light on backroom deals between federal agencies and special interests -- increasing transparency to provide the public its say in executive decision-making. This Administration's rush to settle with litigious outside groups is costing us jobs and income. We're giving more people a voice in the outcome,"said Collins.

"Sue-and-settle litigation allows federal agencies to short-circuit the controls that Congress has set in place to ensure transparency in the rulemaking process. These tactics result in new federal regulations imposed on American businesses and ultimately, on American families, all without an adequate opportunity for the public to weigh in. This bill helps restore regulatory accountability by allowing for public scrutiny and comment on proposed federal regulations, and by making it easier for affected parties to take part in settlement negotiations,"said Grassley.

Sue-and-settle litigation operates as an affront to the accountability components of the rulemaking process, and results in unchecked regulatory burdens on American families and businesses, especially small businesses. Even once the privately-negotiated consent decrees or settlement agreements are disclosed, their terms often commit federal agencies to fulfill new regulatory mandates under accelerated timeframes, preventing any meaningful scrutiny or review.

By hiding behind an agreement or decree entered by a court, federal agencies can use sue-and-settle tactics to sidestep the rulemaking process and skirt accountability. The strategy allows pro-regulatory special interest groups to sue an agency, citing its failure to meet a regulatory deadline. In closed-door, often friendly negotiations, the agency can agree to undertake regulatory actions, without having to account for the concerns of those most impacted by the new rule.

To push back against the growing use of sue-and-settle litigation, the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2015 reinforces the transparency and accountability protections built into the normal rulemaking process by federal laws and executive orders.

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