FreedomWorks Letter to House: Cosponsor REINS Act H.R. 3765

Dear Representative,

On behalf of over a million FreedomWorks members nationwide, I urge you to cosponsor H.R. 3765, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2009 (REINS Act). Introduced by Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY), this legislation would help restore the checks and balances on power between the branches of the federal government that are so vital to the protection of our liberties.

As our Founding Fathers understood, it is dangerous for any branch of government to have unchecked power.  In Federalist 51, James Madison acknowledged that checks and balances are “necessary to control the abuses of government.” In article 1, section 7 of the Constitution, the process of creating a new law is outlined, putting the authority with the legislature. Today, the executive branch disregards these limits by enacting regulation unconstitutionally without the approval of Congress.
 
Rep. Davis points out that the federal government issued 3,006 new rules and regulations last year. Annually, about 85 federal regulations are considered “major rules” since they impose at least $100 million in annual compliance costs. The REINS Act would respect the Constitution by requiring Congressional approval for all “major rules” proposed by the executive branch.

A CNN poll found that the majority of Americans believe that the federal government has become so large that it imposes a threat against citizens’ rights. Much recent encroachment has come through regulations. We cannot allow the American people to be subjected to rules that have not been put through the proper lawmaking process as set forth in our Constitution.

The REINS Act would help restore accountability and protect citizens’ rights by giving elected officials a voice in all major regulations issued by unelected bureaucrats. It is an affront to our democracy that these unelected individuals can impose substantial costs on others without approval from the people’s representatives. We must restore the checks and balances of our system so one branch of government may not so easily usurp our liberties without recourse. I urge you to cosponsor the REINS Act today.


Sincerely,


Matt Kibbe
President and CEO
FreedomWorks


[Click here for PDF version of this letter].