H.R. 77: Midnight Rules Relief Act

The Midnight Rules Relief Act is a proposed piece of legislation that aims to change how Congress can deal with certain regulations made by the executive branch, particularly those regulations that are issued towards the end of a president's term, commonly referred to as "midnight rules." Here’s a breakdown of what the bill would do:

Purpose of the Bill

The bill seeks to enhance the process by which Congress can disapprove these midnight rules. Midnight rules are often seen as regulations created by an outgoing administration that a new administration may want to roll back or reconsider.

Key Provisions

• En Bloc Consideration: The bill allows Congress to group multiple rules together into a single resolution of disapproval. This means that instead of voting on each rule individually, lawmakers can vote on several rules at once, which streamlines the process and could make it easier to repeal these regulations.
• Final Year Regulations: It specifically targets rules that were submitted during the last year of a president’s term. The intention is to provide a mechanism for Congress to quickly address and disapprove these late-term regulations.
• Amendment of Existing Law: The bill proposes changes to Section 801(d) and Section 802 of Title 5 of the U.S. Code, which govern how Congress can annul executive actions. The proposed changes clarify how the disapproval resolutions should be structured and the conditions under which they can be presented.

Process for Disapproval Resolutions

With the proposed amendments, a joint resolution of disapproval can specify multiple rules that Congress would like to annul. It allows lawmakers to put forth a comprehensive statement that clearly lays out which rules are being disapproved and reasons for that disapproval.

Impact on Legislative Functioning

This bill, if enacted, would potentially speed up the legislative process concerning executive rule disapprovals, allowing Congress to respond more rapidly to changes made by outgoing administrations.

Relevant Companies

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