ATLANTA | U.S. Rep. Doug Collins and Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens are pushing legislation in hopes of stopping “sue and settle,” a tactic environmental groups have used to get stricter regulations.
Collins, R-Ga., is the sponsor of H.R. 1493, the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2013, which would put limits on regulatory agencies’ ability to impose new regulations as a settlement of a lawsuit.
Critics of the process say the agencies encourage these “friendly lawsuits” as a way to toughen regulations without the public hearings and comment period normally required of rule changes. Then when they ask the court to accept the settlement with the enhanced regulations, they can say the agency has no choice but to enforce it.
Collins told the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law last week that on top of the onerous regulations the groups filing suit are awarded attorney’s fees.
“American families across the nation are tightening their belt,” he said.
“It is absolutely unacceptable that their hard-earned, taxpayer dollars go to fund back-room deals that subvert the rule-making process.”
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