The Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act
OUR POSITION: CSS opposes the bill and urges lawmakers to vote against it.
The Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act, also known as “Sue and Settle,” would empower the opponents of new safeguards and standards to perpetuate unlawful agency inaction.
Even though Congress sets deadlines for agencies to complete new rules and establish new public safeguards, agencies often fail to meet these legally binding deadlines. When an agency misses a deadline, often the only available recourse is to obtain a court order forcing the agency to take action.
Despite claims to the contrary, court-ordered settlements and decrees have no bearing on the substance of agency rules. But settlements and decrees are necessary to ensure that our laws are enforced in a timely manner.
This bill would create a gauntlet of duplicative, burdensome and time-consuming hurdles that apply to settlements and decrees — slowing down the rulemaking process and preventing federal law from being implemented.
CSS Resources
CSS Opposes the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2023 (H.R. 3446)
Letter to Members: June 28, 2023
CSS Opposes the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2017 (H.R. 469)
Letter to Members: October 23, 2017
Groups Oppose the Sunshine for Regulations and Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2017 (H.R. 469)
Letter to Members: October 23, 2017
CSS Opposes the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act (H.R. 712)
Letter to Members: January 7, 2016
Congress Kicks Off New Year With Same Old Deregulatory Agenda
Press Release: January 5, 2016
CSS Opposes the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2015, H.R. 712
Letter to Members: March 20, 2015
Groups Oppose the Achieving Less Excess in Regulation and Requiring Transparency (ALERRT) Act (H.R. 2804) and the Jobs for America Act (H.R. 4)
Letter to Members: September 18, 2014
CSS Supports Amendments to the Achieving Less Excess in Regulation and Requiring Transparency (ALERRT) Act, H.R. 2804
Letter to Members: February 26, 2014
Groups Oppose Package of Flawed Anti-Regulatory Bills
Letter to Members: February 25, 2014
CSS Opposes Package of Anti-Regulatory Bills
Letter to Members: July 23, 2013
Coalition Sign-On Letter Against the “Red Tape Reduction and Small Business Job Creation Act” (H.R. 4078)
Letter to Members: July 23, 2012
Resources from Members and Allies
House Tees Up VW Bailout and Other Attacks on Public Protections, Consumer Rights
U.S. PIRG: January 6, 2016
Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 712
White House: January 5, 2016
CPR Opposes the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act
Center for Progressive Reform: January 5, 2016
But Wait, There’s Less! The GOP Has a ‘Sue and Settle’ Bill They Would Like to Sell You
Center for Progressive Reform: February 17, 2015
GAO Debunks Republicans’ ‘Sue and Settle’ Myth
Center for Progressive Reform: January 14, 2015
Bills in House Judiciary Committee Would Block Public Protections, Increase Abusive Litigation
Public Citizen: July 25, 2013
Press Coverage
Rep. Hank Johnson: ‘Free Market Way of Thinking Doesn’t Work’
Breitbart: January 8, 2016
House Passes Regulatory Reform Bills
The Hill: January 7, 2016
White House Threatens to Veto Reg Reform Bills
The Hill: January 6, 2016
New Regs on Tap in the New Year
Politico: January 4, 2016
New “Sue-and-Settle” Bill is Much Ado About Nothing
RegBlog: March 24, 2015
Bill Aims to Stop Sue-and-Settle Regulation
The Hill: February 5, 2015
Government Report Refutes ‘Sue-and-Settle’ Claims
The Hill: January 16, 2015