FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 11, 2020
Contact: Press@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced S. 3922, the Coronavirus Regulatory Repeal Act, to require Congress to justify restoring regulations that were either modified or waived in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill would keep such regulations modified or waived unless Congress passes a law restoring them.
“Even the most ardent supporters of the heavy regulatory burdens imposed by Washington bureaucrats have come to realize that over-regulation hindered our country’s response to the pandemic. As we move into the recovery phase, we have an opportunity to provide lasting relief. I have long argued for reining in the administrative state, and common sense and simple good government demand we carefully evaluate changed or waived regulations to determine if they are necessary at all,” said Dr. Paul.
Under the Coronavirus Regulatory Repeal Act, federal agencies would have one month after the bill’s passage to submit a report to Congress as to whether a given regulation that has been waived or modified during the emergency should be restored, repealed, or left in effect as modified.
Temporary “Federal Regulatory Review Commissions” made up of federal department heads and the members of Congress that oversee their agencies would then have one additional month to recommend to the Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader which regulations the Commission believes should be repealed, restored, or left modified. Any such recommendations would require an act of Congress to be implemented.
Regulations that would be reviewed under the bill include an easing of restrictions on the size of hand sanitizer that travelers can bring through airport security, allowing the use of new technologies in telehealth and distance education, enabling hospitals and healthcare systems to more quickly hire local, trained medical personnel, and more.
U.S. Representative Chip Roy (R-TX-21) has introduced the Coronavirus Regulatory Repeal Act in the U.S. House (H.R. 6691).
You can read S. 3922, the Coronavirus Regulatory Repeal Act, HERE.
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