AG Brnovich Joins 13 States in Urging the Senate to Rein In Unelected Bureaucracy

PHOENIX – Attorney General Mark Brnovich joined a coalition of 13 state attorneys general in urging Congress to curb the authority of federal agencies to create and enforce regulations.

The attorneys general wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urging the Senate to pass a bill that would amend the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), a statute which sets forth the requirements for lawful executive agency action.

“We urge our lawmakers to put politics aside and pass regulatory reform that will restore the rule of law and bring much needed economic relief to the American people,” said Attorney General Mark Brnovich.

The letter states that the Obama-era executive overreach demonstrates that existing congressional, judicial, and other structural checks on the regulatory state have proven inadequate.

One issue with current regulatory action highlighted in the letter is the increasing trend among agencies to make binding rules through so-called guidance documents.

Federal agencies often fail to consider existing state law or the costs of regulation. The growing administrative state has resulted in a vast, unelected bureaucracy that is unaccountable to the people.

In addition to Arizona, the letter was joined by the attorneys general of Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Read a copy of the letter.