MUST READ: @GOPLeader recaps how Congress is using the CRA to roll back some of the worst regulations.

MUST READ: @GOPLeader recaps how Congress is using the CRA to roll back some of the worst regulations. https://t.co/ybEccscyZx

— House Judiciary ⚖ (@HouseJudiciary) April 18, 2017

To make government work for the people again, we must reform Washington, which is why this year we have used the powerful Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn some of the worst regulations from the end of the Obama Administration. Before this Congress, only one CRA successfully passed both the House and the Senate and was signed by the President. This year, we’ve already done so much more.

The House has passed 15 CRAs, 13 have passed the Senate, and 11 have been signed into law. The White House estimated that by repealing these 11 regulations alone we will save $10 billion over 20 years.

Here’s what we’ve done:

1. The Stream Buffer Rule (H.J. Res. 38) would have saddled mines with unnecessary regulations, putting up to 64% of America’s coal reserves off limits and threatening between 40,000 to 70,000 mining jobs. – Signed by President Trump
2. The SEC Disclosure Rule for Resource Extraction (H.J. Res. 41) would have put an unreasonable compliance burden on publicly traded American energy companies, putting them at a disadvantage to foreign-owned businesses. – Signed by President Trump
3. The Social Security Service’s Second Amendment Restrictions (H.J. Res. 40) would increase scrutiny on up to 4.2 million law-abiding disabled Americans attempting to purchase firearms, potentially depriving people of their constitutional rights without proper due process protections. – Signed by President Trump
4. The Federal Contracts Blacklisting Rule (H.J. Res. 37) would unjustly block many businesses accused of violating labor laws from federal contracts before they’ve even had a chance to defend themselves in court. – Signed by President Trump
5. The Bureau of Land Management Venting and Flaring Rule (H.J. Res. 36) would further cap methane emissions in the oil and gas industry at a time when the industry is already dramatically reducing emissions, potentially wiping out family-owned marginal wells and costing an estimated $1 billion.
6. The Bureau of Land Management Planning 2.0 Rule (H.J. Res. 44) would reduce local authority over large swaths of land out west, massively expanding the federal government’s control over more than 175 million acres of land—about 4,000 times the size of Washington, D.C.—in 11 western states. – Signed by President Trump
7. The Teacher Preparation Rule (H.J. Res. 58) would force states to use Washington’s standards to determine whether a teacher preparation program is effective, undermining local control over education and potentially exacerbating the shortage of special education teachers. – Signed by President Trump
8. The Education Accountability Rule (H.J. Res. 57) would be an unfunded mandate imposing Washington’s standard for how to assess schools on state and local governments. – Signed by President Trump
9. The Unemployment Insurance Drug Testing Rule (H.J. Res. 42) would severely restrict states’ ability to limit drug abusers from receiving unemployment benefits even if the drug users are not able and available for work, as the law requires. – Signed by President Trump
10. The State Retirement Plan Rule (H.J. Res. 66) would treat employees unequally by allowing states to force some workers into second-tier government-run retirement accounts that lack the same protections as private-sector accounts.
11. The Local Retirement Plan Rule (H.J. Res. 67) would treat employees unequally by allowing certain localities to force some workers into second-tier government-run retirement accounts that lack the same protections as private-sector accounts. – Passed by Senate
12. The National Wildlife Hunting and Fishing Rule (H.J. Res. 69) would infringe on Alaska’s right to sustainably manage fish and wildlife by overregulating hunting—a move that could set the stage for the federal government to undermine local control across the entire U.S. – Signed by President Trump
13. The Title X Abortion Funding Rule (H.J. Res. 43) would force states to administer Title X health funding to abortion providers, even if states want to redirect those funds to community health centers and hospitals that offer more comprehensive coverage. – Passed by the Senate
14. The OSHA Power Grab Rule (H.J. Res. 83) would overturn a rule that is clearly unlawful. The law explicitly that employers can only be targeted for failing to keep proper health and safety records within a six-month time period. The rule we overturned would have extended that to a full five years. Signed by President Trump
15. FCC Internet Service Provider Rule (S.J. Res. 34) would treat internet service providers (ISPs) the same as other companies like Google and Facebook by applying the same privacy rules to everyone. – Signed by President Trump

House passes bill undoing Obama internet privacy rule

House votes to kill Obama internet privacy rule https://t.co/xRf8GlWivo pic.twitter.com/SitbGwU4v0

— The Hill (@thehill) March 29, 2017

The bill passed 215 to 205, with 15 Republicans joining 190 Democrats voting against it.

The FCC rules would have given consumers greater control over what their internet service provider can do with their data by requiring those companies to get permission from customers before using their information to create targeted advertisements.

The rules had not yet gone into effect....

The opposition to the regulations was led by Republicans and the telecom industry, who argue that they are too costly and confusing. They say the rules would have subjected internet service providers to restrictions that do not apply to websites like Facebook and Google, which also collect consumer information for data-driven ads....

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican who opposed the rules as a minority commissioner in October, applauded the vote in a statement, saying that he will work to impose a technology-neutral privacy regime.

“Moving forward, I want the American people to know that the FCC will work with the FTC to ensure that consumers’ online privacy is protected though a consistent and comprehensive framework," Pai said.

"In my view, the best way to achieve that result would be to return jurisdiction over broadband providers’ privacy practices to the FTC, with its decades of experience and expertise in this area.”

Democrats and activists waged a furious campaign against the bill, trying to peg Republicans as anti-privacy....

MEANWHILE:

TWITTER Censors Search Terms? https://t.co/F4VgabcBGD

— DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) March 28, 2017

FACEBOOK vows to tackle blasphemous content... https://t.co/W5wjztyxrh

— DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) March 28, 2017

GOP finds its secret weapon

◼ Republicans believe they have identified a potent weapon in their fight against President Obama’s regulatory agenda. - Tim Devaney/The Hill

GOP lawmakers plan to employ the seldom-used Congressional Review Act (CRA), which gives lawmakers the power to formally disapprove of major agency rules, as they seek to ratchet up their attacks on federal red tape.

"It hasn’t been possible to use this in a divided Congress,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) told The Hill, "but now that it is, we certainly are interested in reviewing regulations to make sure they meet with congressional intent.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) began threatening to use the CRA to stop regulations last year, after the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a rule aimed at cutting carbon emissions from new power plants.

“That’s why I, along with about 40 Republican co-sponsors ... intend to file a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to ensure a vote to stop this devastating rule,” he said at the time.

While Obama can and likely will veto any efforts to undo regulations through the CRA, the threats carry more weight now that Republicans control both chambers of Congress.

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman James Inhofe (Okla.) and other Republicans are zeroing in on the EPA, believing they can use the Review Act against rules for new and existing power plants, water, ozone and coal ash.

“There is widespread agreement among Republicans and the business community that the EPA under the Obama administration is out of control and it’s taking things to the extreme,” a senior aide to Inhofe said. KEEP READING.