WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, introduced the Senate version of H.R. 5, the Regulatory Accountability Act, which would require endless agency studies before new consumer protection rules could be adopted. The bill, should it become law, would make it virtually impossible for federal agencies to enact rules and safeguards to protect public health and the environment, noted EWG legislative attorney, Melanie Benesh.
See Benesh’s full statement below:
This bill makes it virtually impossible for agencies to create rules to protect public health and the environment, and prioritizes corporate profit over public welfare. It places major roadblocks in front of any effort to curb pollution, enhance food safety, or protect consumers by creating an endless and costly do-loop of analysis for agencies and imposing new judicial hurdles. This law would fundamentally tilt the regulatory system in favor of polluters at the expense of consumers.
An investigation by EWG found that Portman’s 2016 campaign took in $3.3 million from corporate political action committees, trade groups and individuals who are lobbying to eviscerate rules in place to protect consumers.
