Congress strikes back: the FCC and the NLRB

As you may recall, the FCC’s  Christmas present to America was a rule, issued December 23, 2010, that restricts how Internet service providers (like Verizon, or AT&T, or a host of others) manage traffic on their own Internet systems.  The FCC’s rule was “in response” to a decision by the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals that held that the FCC had absolutely no Congressional authority to regulate the Internet.

Not waiting for that mess to “play out”, the House, in the first week of April, voted 240 to 179 (who are those 179) to tell the FCC that it couldn’t to that.  So far, Harry Reid’s (D. Nv.) Senate has done nothing.

Then we had the NLRB’s decision to file a complaint against Boeing because Boeing had the temerity to build a new plant, not in “unionized” Washington State, but in South Carolina, a “right to work state”.  In other words, if you work in South Carolina, unlike Washington State, you can join a union if you want, but, are not required to do so.

This week, Senator Lamar Alexander (R.Tn.) is introducing a bill in the Senate to “rein in” the NLRB’s attempt to hijack business decisions, unless, of course, those decisions are favorable to unions.

This is an administration run amok.  Fortunately, some in Congress are beginning to realize that.

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SoundOffSister

The Sound Off Sister was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and special trial attorney for the Department of Justice, Criminal Division; a partner in the Florida law firm of Shutts & Bowen, and an adjunct professor at the University of Miami, School of Law. The Sound Off Sister offers frequent commentary concerning legislation making its way through Congress, including the health reform legislation passed in early 2010.

4 Comments

  1. Dimsdale on May 4, 2011 at 7:04 pm

    Has the NLRB become some sort of “czar” group, that can go around and unilaterally throw rules and regs against the wall to see what sticks?



  2. TomL on May 4, 2011 at 8:43 pm

    Didn’t the kid president (I call him the kid presidennt because calling him the young president is seen as being racist by the left) fill?vacancy’s on the?NLRB?with union thugs, while Congress was on Christmas break,?without them being vetted by Congress.



    • SoundOffSister on May 5, 2011 at 7:27 am

      You are correct, TomL.? In a recess appointment, President Obama made Craig Becker the fifth member of the NLRB.? Mr. Becker was a former attorney for the SEIU.? He would never have been confirmed by the Senate primarily because he believed that the NLRB had the power to?pass card-check via regulation, after Congress had refused to do so via legislation.



    • Dimsdale on May 5, 2011 at 9:59 am

      “Kid” as in “are you kidding me? He’s the president?!?!”.? 😉



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