Once again, North Carolina's legislative leadership is trying to grab power from the state's executive branch. This time, they're trying to stifle issue experts in our state agencies by setting absurd hurdles for rulemaking.
Gov. Josh Stein rightly vetoed this bill. Now it's headed back to the N.C. House, where members will consider whether to override his veto or let it stand, killing this bad bill.
Use our form to contact your state lawmakers NOW and urge them to vote NO on overriding H402. Be sure to add a personal message for more impact!
H402, Limit Rules with Substantial Financial Costs, calls for unrealistic, unnecessary hurdles for virtually any rule being considered for agency action. It would hamstring our state agencies' work to efficiently create, amend, and update all regulations, including those that protect our environment and our communities.
The bill requires that each proposed or reviewed rule must have a fiscal impact analysis that ignores the rules' greater public benefits. Worse, depending on that analysis, each rule requires a supermajority or unanimous vote of administrative board members, a higher threshold than the legislature holds itself to for any vote, including veto overrides.
By requiring heavy legislative involvement in the rulemaking process, it would further bog down the work of our General Assembly. And it may also present an unconstitutional violation of the separation of powers between government branches.
Tell your N.C. representative and senator to stand up for the long-honored and necessary balance between branches of our government.
Remind them that, as legislators, they have enough to do already without the task of micromanaging agency experts. Tell them to defend efficient, data-driven administrative work that helps protect our environment and our families, as well as policies governing transportation, public health and many other areas that touch our lives every day.
H402 is the antithesis of government efficiency and effectiveness. Ask your state lawmakers to uphold Governor Stein's veto, and let our agencies' experts do the work they were hired to do.
