Knott Introduces Bill to Rein in Federal Bureaucracy and Expand Citizens’ Rights to Challenge Agencies in Court

WASHINGTON- Congressman Brad Knott (NC-13) introduced H.R. 9653, the Limiting Excessive Government Obstruction Act,also known as the LEGO Act, to rein in federal bureaucracy and restore Americans' right to have their cases heard in real courts; not behind closed doors in federal agencies.

"For too long, federal agencies act as investigator, prosecutor, and judge all at once, leaving communities, businesses, workers, and families stuck in costly and confusing proceedings they cannot fairly challenge," said Congressman Knott. "Bureaucracy in Washington has tilted the scales against the American people for years. My bill restores balance and puts power back where it belongs, with the people, by ensuring they can adequately defend themselves before a judge and a jury of their peers, rather than a nameless bureaucrat."

Under current law, many enforcement cases start and end inside federal agencies, where government officials sit in judgment over the very rules they write and enforce. The LEGO Act is part of a broader effort to rein in the administrative state, protect constitutional rights, and eliminate federal bureaucracy that burdens American job creators and families.

The LEGO Act would:

• Let Americans opt out of in-house agency courts and move enforcement cases into a local, federal court.
• Require agencies to file in federal district court within 90 days if they want to keep pursuing a case.
• Guarantee defendants the right to a jury trial in those federal court cases.
• Establishes a reasonableness defense for any alleged violation of an agency rule, order, or consent decree.

You can read the bill text here.

You can read the one-pager here.

Watch his floor speech here.

###