Congressional Mandates Obstructed, Public Pays the Price

On October 25, the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards co-sponsored Delayed, Diluted and Defunct: How Congressional Mandates are Thwarted by the Broken Regulatory Process, a briefing for Senate staff.

The speakers presented a series of examples of congressional mandates for public protections that were or are stalled or weakened in the rulemaking process — from food safety rules under the Food Safety Modernization Act to consumer financial protections mandated by the Dodd-Frank law and air pollution controls required by the Clean Air Act.

The speakers described the consequences of regulatory delay, such as when lives are lost while a worker safety regulation is delayed due to political interference or demands for additional analysis. They argued for transparency and de-ossifying the rulemaking process, and warned against a series of congressional bills that would make it harder for agencies to issue new protections mandated by congress.

Our thanks to the speakers: Robert Weissman, President, Public Citizen; John Walke, Director of Clean Air Program, Natural Resources Defense Council; Peg Seminario, Health and Safety Director, AFL-CIO; Caroline Smith DeWaal, Food Safety Director, Center for Science in the Public Interest; Marcus Stanley, Policy Director, Americans for Financial Reform; Katherine McFate, President, Center for Effective Government.

To the sponsoring organizations: Center for Effective Government, Center for Progressive Reform, National Consumers League, Public Citizen, and the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards

And to the host, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight, Federal Rights and Agency Actions.

Among the materials provided at the briefing:

Bill in Congress:

  • Decoding the Bill: Lobbying Records Show That Electric Utility Industry Dominates Push for Deregulatory ‘REINS’ Legislation (Public Citizen)
  • The Independent Agency Regulatory Analysis Act: Politicizing Independent Agencies and Putting Americans in Harm’s Way (Coalition for Sensible Safeguards)
  • The Regulatory Accountability Act of 2013: Legislation Would Override and Threaten Decades of Public Protections (Coalition for Sensible Safeguards)
  • Return of the Regulatory Accountability Act: A Veiled Threat to Public Protections (Center for Effective Government)
  • Republican Bills Would Obstruct Enforcement of Environmental Laws (NRDC)
  • The REINS Act: Why Congress Should Hold its Horses (NRDC)

Regulatory Delay:

  • Clarity on Clean Water Protection Is Coming, but How Long Will it Take? (Center for Effective Government)
  • Testimony of Peg Seminario, Director Safety and Health, AFL-CIO Before the Subcommittee on Oversight, Federal Rights, and Agency Action Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on “Justice Delayed: The Human Cost of Regulatory Paralysis” (AFL-CIO)
  • Down the Regulatory Rabbit Hole: How Corporate Influence, Judicial Review and a Lack of Transparency Delay Crucial Rules and Harm the Public (Coalition for Sensible Safeguards)

Broken Regulatory Process:

  • Disclosure at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs: Written Comments and Telephone Records Suspiciously Absent (Center for Effective Government)
  • Key Recommendations for The Next Regulatory Czar’s Critical Mission: Will He Rebuild a Regulatory System that Works for the Public Interest? (Coalition for Sensible Safeguards)
  • The Perils of OIRA Regulatory Review: Reforms Needed to Address Rampant Delays and Secrecy (Public Citizen)
  • President’s Spring Agenda Signals Continued Delays on New Rules (Center for Effective Government)