Articles

This Week Revisited – On the Floor

On Wednesday, the House passed H.R. 998, the Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome (SCRUB) Act, by a vote of 240-185. (See Roll Call #114). This legislation establishes the Retrospective Regulatory Review Commission, a bipartisan, fair mechanism for pulling back the layers of regulatory accumulation and getting rid of outdated, burdensome, and unnecessary regulations. The Commission will identify which regulations are so egregious and ineffective that they should be repealed immediately and which regulations should undergo the more flexible cut-go procedures prescribed by the bill.

On Wednesday, the House also passed H.R. 1009, the OIRA Insight, Reform and Accountability Act, by a vote of 241-184. (See Roll Call #120). OIRA reviews significant regulations to ensure agencies considered alternatives to regulating, contemplate alternative forms of regulation, and conduct a cost benefit assessment. This legislation codifies OIRA's role to ensure the longevity of centralized regulatory review and to demonstrate Congressional support for thoroughly vetted, thoughtful, and well-designed regulations.

On Wednesday, the House also passed H.J. Res. 83, Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to Clarification of Employer's Continuing Obligation to Make and Maintain an Accurate Record of Each Recordable Injury and Illness, by a vote of 231-191. (See Roll Call #121) This legislation will overturn OSHA's unlawful power grab by blocking the implementation of the "Volks" rule and preventing future administrations from promulgating similar rules.

On Thursday, the House passed H.R. 1004, the Regulatory Integrity Act of 2017, by a vote of 246-176. (See Roll Call #126) This legislation requires greater transparency into how agencies communicate with the public about proposed regulatory actions. It seeks to correct the problems with the current regulatory process by providing more transparency into agency communications during the proposed rule stage and by explicitly prohibiting the agency from soliciting support in favor or against any proposal for regulatory action.

Next Week At a Glance

Next week, the House will consider H.R. 1301, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2017, sponsored by Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ). The House will also consider H.R. 985, the Fairness in Class Action Litigation and Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency Act of 2017, sponsored by Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). The House will also consider H.R. 720, the Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2017, sponsored by Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX). The House will also consider H.R. 725, the Innocent Party Protection Act, sponsored by Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO)