New Hampshire lawmakers on Oct. 10 overrode Gov. Chris Sununu’s (R) veto of a bill regarding public participation in agency rulemaking. The bill requires rulemaking agencies to compile reports describing how suggestions from public comments were incorporated into final rules. It also requires agencies to “provide a detailed explanation that includes the facts, data, interpretations,…
Voters in Arizona defeated a ballot measure on Nov. 5 related to legislative oversight of agency rulemaking. The measure, Proposition 315, would have required legislative ratification of proposed rules estimated to increase regulatory costs by more than $500,000 over five years before they could take effect. The measure was defeated by a vote of 53.2%…
Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Sept. 18 reintroduced the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act in the 118th Congress with four additional provisions that would: The background The REINS Act is a legislative proposal that would require congressional approval of major agency rules with an economic…
Twenty-four Republican attorneys general sent a letter on Sept. 16 to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asking the agency to block the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Advanced Clean Fleets regulation, which would require fleet owners operating in the state to use electric trucks. The attorneys general argue California’s regulation impacts national transportation industries and…
What’s the story? The U.S. Air Force announced in July it would not comply with an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) order to clean polluted drinking water in Tucson, Arizona. The Air Force argued federal regulators did not have the authority to issue the order, citing Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo—the June 2024 SCOTUS case overturning…
What’s the story? Voters in Wisconsin defeated two constitutional amendments on August 13 related to state appropriations authority. The ballot measures proposed strengthening the state’s nondelegation doctrine—an administrative law principle that limits lawmakers’ ability to delegate legislative powers to executive agencies. The measures’ opponents argued the legislature would slow the distribution of federal funds if…
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled July 18 that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas must rehear a case opposing the Department of Labor’s (DOL) 2022 environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) investing rule. Appeals Judge Don R. Willett said the lower court needed a chance…
In the case of Deputy Sean Grayson’s fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, the details of the relevant police collective bargaining agreements should be reported and analyzed as important context. Did the CBAs make records more difficult to access or require the purging of certain details or reprimands from official disciplinary records? Could CBA provisions have…
The Arizona State Legislature on June 12, 2024, put a ballot measure on the Nov. 5 ballot that would amend state law to require legislative ratification of certain state agency rules. If voters approve the measure, proposed rules estimated to increase regulatory costs by more than $500,000 over five years will need legislative ratification to…