WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced that she has joined a coalition, which includes 15 states, that is asking Congress to better regulate and, when necessary, rein in federal agencies’ recent regulation expansions.
The attorneys generals in the coalition believe that federal agencies often act outside of the bounds given to them by congressionally delegated authority. They cite agencies with circumventing laws by making rules in the form of “guidance” documents. Rutledge and others also think that the agencies fail to consider the costs of these regulations.
“Unfortunately, many recent federal regulations have violated the Administrative Procedure Act, not to mention the underlying congressional statute,” Rutledge said. “These rules are often implemented without the benefit of a comment period or the consideration of their impact on citizens or businesses, which is a protection against unnecessary rules that Congress specifically envisioned and required.”
Rutledge noted that she will continue to protect citizens in her state from agencies that are not engaged in transparent rulemaking consistent with the separation of powers.
The states of states of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin are involved in the coalition.