The Republican House has passed a sweeping food safety act that could roll back as many as 150 state consumer and environmental regulations across the country. The industry sponsored legislation is being driven by the philosophy that 50 different sets of regulations on goods marketed nationally drains budgets and drives up costs that the consumer eventually pays. The Senate is expected to take up the bill in the coming weeks.
Already federal agencies have either overturned, stalled or weakened California’s initiatives to clean the air, block unwanted faxes, control e-mail spam, protect personal financial data from being sold and warn consumers of mercury in tuna.
The proposed food safety act would overturn Proposition 65 which requires a warning if consumers could be exposed to toxic chemicals known to cause cancer or birth defects.
Governor Schwarzenegger, normally a pro-business Republican, condemns Congresses actions sayng that the Republicans have abandoned the shared power federalism promoted by Ronald Reagan. This December he blasted Congress;
Incredibly, under Republican control of Congress, states’ rights are beginning to erode again. They are telling us how to run state education, state health care, state elections and even where we can locate a liquefied natural gas plant.
Businesses seeking to limitstate regulations by turning to the federal government for watered down versions is nothing new. Some of the landmark regulations of the progressive era were pushed by businesses because states were passing more radical versions.
The Republican mantra of states rights only comes to the fore when the federal government starts passing regulations that businesses don’t like.