Bloomberg News (1/8, Rosenkrantz, Drajem) reports, “George W. Bush is using the waning days of his presidency to implement a raft of pro-business regulations, triggering vows by the incoming Obama administration and congressional Democrats to gut the measures.” He proposes “changes to federal rules that critics say make it more difficult to protect US workers from exposure to toxic chemicals, reduce the use of employee medical leave and open more land to oil and gas exploration.” Matt Madia, a regulatory policy analyst for OMB Watch said, “It’s the Bush administration taking its policies and making sure they’re in place and securing a legacy.” Bloomberg News notes, “Aides to Democratic President-elect Barack Obama say he may block proposed rules that haven’t been published yet.” Additionally, “Democratic leaders…may use a 1996 law, employed only once before, that allows rules imposed within the last 60 legislative days to be voided, according to Representative Chris Van Hollen.”
From the American Association for Justice news release.
