Posted on 07/16/2014 8:20:28 AM PDT by jazusamo
The Environmental Protection Agency is rescinding regulations allowing the agency to garnish wages of those it says are delinquent on debts.
A notice to be published in Thursday’s Federal Register formally withdraws the rule, issued earlier in the month.
“In the direct final rule, EPA stated that if adverse comments were received by August 1, 2014, the direct final rule would be withdrawn and not take effect,” according to the terse notice. “EPA received adverse comments on that direct final rule.”
However, the agency did not rule out proceeding with another version of the measure via a more deliberative rulemaking process.
The rule spurred outrage among conservative groups and lawmakers, who decried the measure as an unwarranted government intrusion into the lives of ordinary individuals.
Congressional Republicans took particular exception to the notion that the agency could garnish a worker’s wages without a court order. An amendment attached to spending legislation advanced this week by the House Appropriations Committee would prohibit the EPA from implementing the rule.
The amendment was included over the objections of Democrats, who said the rule had been taken out of context to support a GOP narrative that the agency has run wild with its regulatory power.
Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), for instance, noted that some 30 other agencies have similar rules on their books. He pointed to EPA’s estimates that the total debt owed to the agency is only $228,000 related to disputes with 14 individuals, primarily former employees of the agency.
“It’s another one of those talking point memos,” he said. “When you get down to what the guts of what this does, it’s a little silly. “
Their phone lines incinerated at that one....
Yep, I love it. Amazing what a little sunshine can do.
Damn.
If only it worked that was for all "rules".
Unfortunately the federal scum who thought this up in the first place are still employed, un-punished, and biding their time till than can actually push through this atrocity.
Obama Agencies do this All the time ,We will do this and this and then RETREAT
Well that is what the thing sometimes called Cloward/Piven is about. Confuse the public with so much activity that it doesn’t catch even obvious outrages any more.
Former employees, RRRIIIGHT.
What the rat congressman meant to say is “SHUT UP, YOU ARE ALL EMPLOYEES OF THE FEDERAL BEAURACRACY, DO WHAT WE TELL YOU”.
Stated that other agencies have the same rules. How about repealing this rule across the board!
That's what this amounts to. Where did these psychopaths get the authority?
Exactly, and it’s worse than that because in many cases the EPA are the ones who make the rule (law) in the first place instead of the legislature.
WRITE A LAW. CMON Congress do your job. This EPA will be back if this is just an optional change on their part. i.e. Nov 10th they will go back in earnest, just past the election.
The courts have ruled that government agencies (including the IRS) are legally required to follow the Clearfield doctrine (look it up)
http://keystoliberty2.wordpress.com/2011/10/14/the-clearfield-doctrine-2/
where in the course of collecting debts, government agencies are required to follow the same laws and rules that any normal citizen or corporation would have to follow to collect a debt. In other words, you have to get a court order in order to legally collect a debt.
The EPA overstepped its authority. They tried put themselves above the law.
The IRS, on the other hand, gets away with this kind of crap because the court system is rigged to punish anyone who tries to shed light on its corruption.
It goes against separation of powers:
- They effectively have the power to make law without acts of legislative, via administrative rulings that assume the color of law
- Then they have the power to levy fines for violating those rules, without due process of courts
And they wanted to garnish for those fines without a court order. Essentially, they want the powers of all branches of government, acting as their own legislature, courts, and police.
Despite my yelling and screaming above (#9), reading this has really made my day. FINALLY!!!!!!!!!
I hear you, mine too. :-)
...for now. For now.
Actually, when I was stationed in Germany in the mid-60’s, I was stopped in Mainz by the German politzei for the heinous crime of “driving with parking lights on”.
The fine, 20 DM.(about $5 at the time)..to be paid to the cop on the spot!
I only had about 5DM on me at the time, and he wouldn’t accept American money.
So, he held (impounded) my car while I walked 6 blocks to the nearest German bank that would exchange bucks for marks, walked back to my car, paid the cop, he gave me a receipt, and I was allowed to leave.
After that, I always kept at least 20DM WITH ME AT ALL TIMES!
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