(The Center Square) – Increased oversight of making rules in state agencies is expected to be discussed in the North Carolina Senate when lawmakers return from an Easter break.
The NC REINS Act, known also as House Bill 402 and Senate Bill 290, picked up one Democrat’s vote in the House of Representatives’ 68-44 passage. Four Republicans were excused from the vote and all others were in favor.
The General Assembly, if the bill becomes law, would have a statutory role in rule approval if the executive branch creates a rule with economic impact of $1 million. In a speech on the House floor, Nash County Republican Rep. Allen Chesser explained few of the more than 110,000 state regulations would hit the threshold.
The proposal, he said, is meant for accountability.
“The NC REINS Act is about giving the people of North Carolina a stronger voice in the rules that shape their lives,” Chesser said at an introductory news conference last month. “Right now, unelected bureaucrats can impose regulations with major financial consequences without direct oversight from the General Assembly. The current process is not transparent. We can do better.”
Similar legislation is pending in at least a dozen states, including Georgia and South Carolina, said Jaimie Cavanaugh, legal policy counsel at Pacific Legal Foundation. Wyoming passed a bill this year, she said.
Some legislative critics of the proposal have said that the proposal could be dangerous because it would create an extra layer of approval for regulations aimed at protecting public health. The only Democrat in favor was Cumberland County’s Charles Smith.
No sessions of the Legislature are scheduled this week. The General Assembly convenes Monday of next week, with most action unlikely to happen before Tuesday. Crossover day is May 8.
