Regulatory Reform - May 2017

Welcome to the new and improved Regulatory Action Center (RAC) Review! RAC proudly keeps you up to date on what we’re up to and what we’re keeping our eyes on here in the swamp. We offer resources for you to get involved in the rulemaking process to hold unelected bureaucrats accountable and occasionally offer praise in the event they have a good impulse. We will also highlight the incredible work our activists have done to advance the principles of smaller government, lower taxes, free markets, personal liberty, and the rule of law. For more ways to get involved and stay informed, check the links at the bottom of this post.

FreedomWorks Foundation's Regulatory Action Center (RAC) submitted formal comments to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) in support of their recent proposal to deregulate natural gas pipelines. It is promising to ease the regulatory burden on the construction, maintenance and operation of natural gas pipelines, with a special focus on small operations. The text of these formal comments can be found excerpted below or in the attached document:

The sky is blue, grass is green, it’s a day that ends in ‘y,’ and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai is the subject of disingenuous attacks from the left. This time, they come regarding the substance of the FCC’s upcoming August open meeting tomorrow morning. The Commission is set to tackle a couple of issues: reduction of prison telephone rates and the liberation of more spectrum for developing 5G.

Back in May, a group of bipartisan lawmakers used a variety of misleading talking points to attack the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The group, led by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), took issue with the FCC’s order freeing up spectrum for use to develop next generation technology. The concerns revolved around objections by the Department of Defense (DoD) about whether this new allocation of spectrum would impact their ability to track aircraft.

On Friday, President Trump issued three executive orders (and threatened a fourth) outlining sweeping changes he planned to make regarding prescription drug prices in the United States. One order seeks to make federal grants to federally qualified health centers contingent upon discounted insulin prices. A second would allow personal and wholesale importation of prescription drugs from overseas. The third implements rebate reform for pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs).

Prices for prescription drugs in the U.S. are far too high. There is no denying this sad reality. According to an analysis done by the House Ways and Means Committee, the U.S. pays roughly four times as much as 11 similar nations for prescription drugs. For millions of patients, families, and caregivers, this is unacceptable. Policymakers are right when they say something needs to be done.

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