Regulatory Overhaul and Review Act (Debating)

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Sponsor: Senator Deus


Senator, you have 24 hours to begin advocacy here.

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If we want to make the regulatory process more, rather than less, accountable to the public, I certainly wouldn't suggest turning it over to elected lawmakers, who often have special interest backers and are for all intents and purposes, probably less partial than the bureaucrats themselves. A better way of doing this would be, in my opinion, to gut the undemocratic character of the bureaucracies that exist as is. Instead of hiring people from x industry to specifically regulate this or that job, transform bureaucratic regulation and management into a kind of jury duty that incorporates experts (and selects those experts randomly from among professional organization or labor unions representing the field in question) and a small sampling of the population at large.

This would cut down on the growth of an unaccountable bureaucratic apparatus that continually assumes more power for itself at the expense of both the public at-large and democratic decision-making. We can definitely adopt a more transparent process of regulation and rule-writing, but we cannot do so without more directly involving those who work in the industries regulated and the general public, plus making sure that all regulations are in plain English, rather than lawyer-ese. That, and I wouldn't necessarily be averse to allowing the regulated sectors of the workforce (not the owners of the industry, but the people who work in it) confirm or deny regulatory suggestions by means of a democratic vote. Let the workers contribute their ideas for safety regulations and other regulatory aims; they know the workplace better than anyone else, and as such they should be a vital component in the drafting of regulations that keep them and their coworkers safe. The owners of industry should not be consulted, given that they have a clear interest in designing regulatory structures that increase their power and influence and allow them to sell shoddy products or work their employees to death.

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Senator Deus, is the amendment proposed by Senator bore friendly or hostile?

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The sponsor has declared the amendment friendly. Senators have 24 hours to object.

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Aye

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Aye

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Have we resumed debate, or what? This is very confusing.

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Aye