Owens Backs Bill to Limit Executive Overreach

Owens Backs Bill to Limit Executive Overreach

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) joined 140+ House Republicans in support of Rep. Kat Cammack’s (FL-03) Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2023.

“House Republicans made a commitment to a nation that’s accountable and we will deliver,” said Rep. Owens. “The Constitution gives Congress—not the federal bureaucracy—the responsibility of legislating on behalf of Americans. I am proud to support the Executive In Need of Scrutiny Act of 2023 to reign in the overreach of Biden’s administration and return it to the We the People.”

This bill would reassert Congress’ legislative authority and prevent excessive overreach by the executive branch in the federal rulemaking process. It would require every new “major rule” proposed by federal agencies to be approved by both the House and Senate before going into effect. The bill would also preserve Congress’ authority to disapprove of a “nonmajor rule” through a joint resolution.

The REINS Act would define a “major rule” as any federal rule or regulation that may result in: an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more; a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, government industries, government agencies, or geographic regions; or significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or the ability of U.S.-based enterprises to compete with foreign-based enterprises.

The full text of the legislation is available here.

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