MEDIA ADVISORY: Congressman Cohen Chairs First Subcommittee Hearing Tomorrow
“It is important that the Bush Administration be held accountable for its actions even though they’re out of office,” said Congressman Cohen. “I called this hearing because I have been troubled by some of the controversial last-minute rules promulgated by the previous administration. Furthermore, the lack of a thorough vetting process for these rules is an area of deep concern.”
Congressman Cohen added, “The excitement of the election and inauguration of Barack Obama limited the publicity of some of these midnight rulings, and it’s our goal to make the public aware of these practices and determine the legality of these rules. We’ll also consider options at the disposal of the Congress moving forward.”
Among the Bush Administration midnight rules that have attracted particular attention
are:
- An Interior Department regulation which went into effect January 12 allows mining companies to dump the waste generated during mountaintop mining into rivers and streams.
- An EPA regulation which went into effect January 20 exempts farms from reporting to the government potentially harmful air emissions that come from animal waste.
- A Department of Health and Human Services regulation which went into effect January could limit women’s access to reproductive health services by requiring health care providers to certify they will allow their employees to withhold services on the basis of religious or moral grounds or risk losing federal funding.
- A Department of Labor regulation which went into effect January 17 weakens already modest wage protections and housing standards for agricultural workers.
The following agenda has been released by the Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee:
Panel I
Hon. Jerrold Nadler, U.S. House of Representatives, 8th District, NY
Panel II
Gary Bass, Executive Director, OMB Watch
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Chairman, Waterkeeper Alliance
Lynn Rhinehart, Associate General Counsel, AFL-CIO
Veronique de Rugy, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow, Mercatus Center at George Mason University
Michael Abramowicz, George Washington University Law School
Curtis Copeland, Ph.D., Specialist in American National Government - Government and Finance Division, Congressional Research Service
# # #
Contact:
Marilyn Dillihay, Press Secretary, (202) 225-3265
Charlie Gerber, Communications Assistant, (202) 225-3265