by Emily Greene | January 08, 2025

Pennsylvania, you deserve more say over who spends your money—and what they spend it on.

As the 119th Congress begins their work this week, and the General Assembly has been sworn in for the 2025-2026 legislative session, our new composition of leaders brings promise for opportunity to rein in executive power, bringing a greater voice to we, the hardworking taxpayers of Pennsylvania.

You may not have heard of the REINS Act, but you’ll certainly love the concept. In Washington, D.C., the federal REINS Act, introduced last Congress by Florida Congresswoman Kat Kammack, would require Congress to approve all proposed rules that have an estimated economic impact greater than $100 million, taking away the authority of unelected bureaucrats and placing that authority back into the legislative body. This is a much-needed move: for decades, Congress has given authority to regulatory agencies to not just carry out the law, but to also write it.

In Harrisburg, similar bills, introduced by Senator Dawn Keefer and Representative Dallas Kephart, would prevent the executive branch from imposing new regulations that carry a price tag of over $1 million. This is good news for you, the taxpayer. If passed, this legislation would protect you from carrying the cost of new regulations that hold Pennsylvania back from unleashing its greater potential.

There’s broad-based, bipartisan support for legislation such as the REINS Act. In fact, last summer, a whopping 55% of Pennsylvanians cited that state lawmakers should have more control over the regulations that are passed, as opposed to the 27% of Pennsylvanians who cited that this responsibility should rest primarily with the Governor’s office.

In Washington, there’s a renewed energy for passing REINS Act this Congress. Americans for Prosperity’s VP of Government Affairs, Akash Chougule, put it best: “Congress has delegated an alarming amount of legislative authority to federal agencies in recent years. By writing unclear statues and leaving federal agencies to figure out the important details, Congress has empowered unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats to write regulations that carry the force of law and have an enormous impact on every aspect of American life.” With this new composition in Washington, let’s improve our country by restoring the voices of the people.

With the new year comes new opportunity, and our elected leaders in both Harrisburg and our nation’s capital should work to reestablish their authority, thus giving you more oversight. On behalf of Americans for Prosperity Pennsylvania’s tens of thousands of activists across the commonwealth, let’s REIN in new regulations in the new year!

Head to americansforprosperity.org to take action today.