WASHINGTON (December 7) – Congressman Spencer Bachus (AL-6) today said an out-of-control federal regulatory process needs greater accountability.

             Bachus voted for the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, which requires final congressional approval of regulations that have an impact of $100 million or more on the economy. The House approved the legislation by a vote of 241-184. 

Remarking on the need for the bill, Congressman Bachus said job creation and the U.S. economy are being weighted down by the heavy load of rules originating from the new government health care law, the Dodd-Frank Act, and the Environmental Protection Agency, to name a few examples. 

            “Too often, we have seen the Administration try to do an end-run around the American people by imposing expensive and overly broad regulations. Unelected Washington bureaucrats should not have the power to essentially make their own laws. The REINS Act will bring greater accountability to a regulatory process that is on overdrive,” said Congressman Bachus, an original cosponsor of the legislation. 

            Bachus has been active in challenging overregulation that has imposed high costs and paperwork burdens on employers in Alabama, including rules affecting small businesses, cement plants, and community banks. 

            As the legislation moves to the Senate for consideration, Congressman Bachus reiterated his call for the Senate to act on more than two dozen job creation bills already passed by the House.