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LaMalfa Votes to Reform Regulations in Congress

January 5, 2017

(Washington, DC) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after voting in support of H.R. 21, the Midnight Rules Relief Act and H.R. 26, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act. Combined, the two bills give Congress the authority to limit future major regulations and disapprove of last-minute "midnight rules" issued by the President before he leaves office.

LaMalfa said: "Over the last eight years, we've witnessed a dramatic increase in burdensome regulations coming from the Administration that have negatively impacted the American people. The REINS Act will help curtail new major regulations by giving Congress the authority to vote on anything that costs American families and businesses more than $100 million, while the Midnight Rules Relief Act enables us to eliminate many existing harmful regulations that the President has tried to implement at the eleventh hour. Now, Congress and President-elect Trump will be able to work together to create jobs and get California's economy going again."

"Midnight Rules" are regulations that are rushed into place in the last days and months of a presidential administration. Since Election Day on November 8, 2016, the Obama Administration has introduced 145 new regulations that classify as midnight rules totaling $21.7 billion. Currently, under the Congressional Review Act, Congress is only able to disapprove these regulations one at a time, hindering the ability to target problematic last-minute rules issued by outgoing presidential administrations. H.R. 21, the Midnight Rules Relief Act, amends the Congressional Review Act to allow Congress the ability to disapprove multiple midnight rules at once when the regulations have been submitted by federal agencies within the last 60 days of a Congressional session during the last year of a presidential administration.

H.R. 26, the REINS Act, gives Congress the authority to vote on any new administration regulation thatwill destroy American jobs by costing families and businesses $100 million or more, will increase costs for consumers, or will have a significant adverse impact on the economy and U.S. competitiveness. The REINS act mandates that Congress has a 70-day period to vote on any major decisions on economic regulations, ensuring that Congress has the final say.

Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California's First Congressional District including, Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.