REINS Act - The Most Dangerous Bill You've Never Heard of Just Passed the House

REINS Act - The Most Dangerous Bill You've Never Heard of Just Passed the House

https://www.truth-out.org/buzzflash/...ssed-the-house

Last, week, under the cover of a media bliss-out except among Koch funded right-wing channels, the House of Representatives passed a bill which would effectively repeal future standard setting under every important environmental, public health, consumer protection, labor standards, occupational safety and civil rights law on the books.

The bill, called the REINS Act, requires that any future major regulation adopted by an Executive Agency—say a new toxic chemical standard required by the recently enacted Chemical Safety Act, or a new consumer protection rule about some innovative but untested kind of food additive—must be approved by a specific resolution in each House of Congress within 70 days to take effect.

As one example, the REINS Act would totally neuter the new Chemical Safety Act, just passed by the Republican Congress last year. The act requires U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review and set standards for 10 widely abused chemicals in the next six months alone. The act passed only because in exchange, states gave up much of their power to protect their citizens from toxic chemicals; without that incentive, the Tea Party will certainly act to prevent EPA from restricting the use of these chemicals. But the states only agreed to give up in exchange for the promise that EPA would act. But the REINS act neuters this promise. Even if the House Republican caucus was willing in theory to consider such rules, there is simply no way Congress could add 10-40 new pieces of legislation to its work load in the chemical safety area alone. In fact, the House also just passed legislation to allow it to REPEAL all of President Obama's regulatory acts in the last eight months of his term in office with one vote. Why? Because House members said there was not time for individual votes on each rule—exactly the requirement they just established for new rules.

Worse, Congress totally lacks the technical competence to review these kinds of complex rules. Do we really want members of Congress deciding whether a chemical can safely be used in food packaging? Or the proper procedures for approving new drugs as safe and effective? Or setting the allowable safety standard for heavy metals in drinking water?

Well, to be fair- it also passed the House in 2015. Did not pass the Senate then. Time will tell if does this time. If it does it will be interesting... many scholars believe the law would be unconstitutional. Trump will of course appoint a Supreme Court Justice. And there is always an interesting battle with conservative justices- the constitution VS politics. And despite the obvious boon to industry, on pure constitutional issues I have a hard time seeing the justices upholding this law- regardless of who Trump puts in.

I'm actually far more concerned about the republicans moving to rescind regulations using the C.R.A. ...which they are moving to do on many issues.

And let's keep in mind- 2 years from now the House is up for election, and while in the Senate there will be far more "D's" up for re-election then "R's" (33 vs 8 if memory serves), there is at least some chance one or both houses will change hands.

These are going to be an interesting few years. But if we fall into the fear, the hate, the partisianship that has marked these last years on the "other" side...even if we "win" we loose...