The steady drumbeat of House Republican inquiries into government red tape continues this week with a pair of hearings on the economic impacts of government regulations.

The first hearing will take place tomorrow when a Judiciary subcommittee considers the "Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act."

The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Geoff Davis (R-Ky.), would require all rules that have an economic impact of $100 million or more be approved by Congress before they take effect.

Republicans who argue that Congress has delegated too much of its authority to the executive branch believe that Davis' bill -- also known as the REINS Act -- is the first step for the legislative branch to take its power back. GOP leaders have specifically cited recent U.S. EPA rules on climate change as prime targets for the proposed legislation.

But in a previous Judiciary Committee hearing on regulatory policy, Democrats on the panel raised questions about the constitutionality of the bill, saying that Congress could not block rules without changing the laws that prompted them. Tennessee Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen said in that January hearing that the REINS Act promotes the belief that almost all regulations are bad and ignores the benefits of rules from EPA and other agencies.

It is a safe bet that many of those same arguments will be made again tomorrow in the Courts, Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee hearing.

Last week, Davis said he was pleased by the progress that his bill, which was first introduced last Congress, has made this year.

"After this hearing I'm confident [Judiciary] Chairman [Lamar] Smith [R-Texas] will schedule a markup," Davis said. "Once the REINS Act has passed out of committee, I'm hopeful that [Majority] Leader [Eric] Cantor [R-Va.] will schedule the bill for consideration by the full House expeditiously."

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) continues to work companion legislation through the Senate.

"We both continue to discuss the issue with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle," Davis said. "We will take it one step at a time."

On Wednesday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will again hear from industry leaders about their experiences with the federal regulatory system.

Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) began that effort in one of his first full committee hearings, and now subcommittee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is taking it up in the Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus and Government Spending Subcommittee.

A news release from the committee last week said the hearing will "continue the Committee's dialogue with private-sector job creators and assess the cumulative impact that regulation has had on American manufacturing."

Among those who have been invited to testify are Michael Kamnikar, the incoming president of the Forging Industry Association; Donna Harman, CEO of the American Forest and Paper Association; Michael Wells, who handles regulatory affairs at the American Chemistry Council; and Aris Papadopolous, chairman of the Portland Cement Association.

But despite a new cast of witnesses, one Democratic committee staffer said Friday that the hearing is likely to follow the same script as Issa's first hearing.

"It's just another hearing where they'll basically talk about how bad regulations are. ... Bring in witnesses that agree with you and let them talk for a few hours," the staffer said.

Due to their anti-regulatory mindset, the staffer said, Republicans are missing a real opportunity to do some real good for the American people.

"The only way you find out what's good and what's bad is to look at them comprehensively and systemically, and they just are not willing to do that," the staffer said. "The president is coming out and saying, 'What can we do better as a government to create jobs?' That's what [Republicans] should be doing."

House Judiciary schedule: The hearing is tomorrow at 4 p.m. in 2141 Rayburn.

Witnesses:TBA.

House Oversight and Government Reform schedule: The hearing is Wednesday, March 9, at 9:30 a.m. in 2154 Rayburn.

Witnesses: Michael Kamnikar, Donna Harman, Michael Wells and Aris Papadopolous.