Reclaim the Reins Act

Bill Number: H.R. 3058
Origin Chamber: House
Congress: 119th Congress, Session 1
Policy Area: Government Operations and Politics
Status: Introduced
Latest Action: 2025-04-29: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Last Updated: 2025-05-29T13:56:22Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose

The "Reclaim the Reins Act" (H.R. 3058) aims to strengthen congressional oversight of federal agency rulemaking by expanding reporting requirements, mandating congressional approval for certain major rules that increase revenues, and introducing a process to review and potentially invalidate existing rules. It builds on the existing Congressional Review Act (CRA) to give Congress more tools to check executive branch regulations.

Key Provisions

Funding Allocation: Provides $10 million each to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO, the non-partisan agency that audits federal operations) for fiscal year 2025, available until 2034, to implement new review processes.
Enhanced Agency Reporting (Section 809): For any proposed rule submitted to Congress under the CRA, agencies must include in their report:
Estimated budgetary effects of enacting and enforcing the rule.
Analysis of direct and indirect costs.
Impact on jobs (added or lost) in affected industries, categorized by public/private sectors and using industry codes.
OMB determination if the rule is "major" (a rule with significant economic impact, over $100 million in costs, or major effects on the economy, as defined in existing law), with explanations.
List of supporting data, studies, and cost-benefit analyses.
Related regulatory actions and their economic effects.
Estimated effect on inflation.
Statement of the constitutional authority for the rule.
GAO Determinations (Section 809(b)): Upon a written request from a member of Congress, GAO must decide within 60 days if an agency action qualifies as a "rule" under the CRA and, within 90 days (with input from the Congressional Budget Office), if it is a major rule. These decisions are treated as official CRA reports.
Approval Requirement for Revenue-Increasing Major Rules (Section 810): Major rules that increase revenues cannot take effect without a joint resolution of congressional approval. If no approval within 60 session or legislative days (excluding short adjournments), the rule is deemed unapproved and ineffective. Approvals do not grant new agency authority or affect legal challenges to the rule.
Extended Review for Late-Term Rules (Section 811): Rules submitted in a president's final year that increase revenues can be reviewed and disapproved in the next Congress using standard CRA procedures, allowing bundling of multiple rules in one resolution.
Review of Existing Rules (Section 812): Starting 6 months after enactment, agencies must annually designate at least 20% of their "eligible rules" (rules in effect on enactment date) for review, submitting them as if new under the CRA. This happens for 5 years, with no repeats. Rules not approved via joint resolution within 90 days lose effect and cannot be enforced. A single resolution can approve all rules for a given year, but members can request separate votes. Unapproved rules sunset after 5 years.
GAO Study (Section 2(e)): GAO must study and report within 1 year on the number of rules and major rules in effect at enactment, plus their total estimated economic costs, publishing results online.
Definition Updates: Expands "rule" to include interpretive rules (agency explanations of laws), policy statements, and guidance documents, but excludes rules on specific rates/prices, internal agency management, or procedural matters not affecting outsiders.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

Expands CRA Scope: The CRA currently allows Congress to disapprove rules via joint resolution; this adds a requirement for congressional approval of major revenue-increasing rules, flipping the presumption for those rules (they don't take effect without approval).
New Reporting Mandates: Adds detailed economic, job, inflation, and authority analyses to agency submissions, which were not previously required.
Broader Rule Definition: Includes more agency documents (like guidance) as reviewable "rules," while clarifying exclusions, potentially capturing actions previously outside CRA scope.
Sunset Mechanism: Introduces a novel 5-year review cycle for existing rules, leading to automatic expiration if not re-approved, unlike the CRA's focus on new rules.
Technical Amendments: Updates CRA sections to integrate these changes, such as delaying effective dates for revenue-increasing major rules.

Potential Impacts

On Government Agencies: Increases administrative workload for detailed reports and rule reviews; could lead to invalidation of rules, forcing agencies to repromulgate or abandon regulations, potentially slowing policy implementation.
On Citizens and Businesses: May reduce regulatory burdens by sunsetting or blocking rules, benefiting industries through lower costs and fewer compliance requirements; however, it could create uncertainty if rules on protections (e.g., environment, health) are targeted, affecting public safety or economic stability.
On International Relations: No direct impacts mentioned, though rules on trade, tariffs, or global standards could face delays or reversals, indirectly influencing U.S. commitments abroad.

Main Stakeholders Affected

Congress: Gains expanded authority to scrutinize and control agency actions, with tools for faster reviews of late-term or existing rules.
Federal Agencies: Face heightened reporting duties, potential rule invalidation, and resource strains from the new processes.
Businesses and Industries: Benefit from analyses of job/cost impacts and opportunities to influence rule approvals/disapprovals, especially in regulated sectors like manufacturing or finance.
Citizens and Advocacy Groups: Affected by changes in regulatory landscape; consumer/environmental groups may see protections weakened, while business-aligned groups could gain from deregulation.
OMB and GAO: Receive funding but take on new roles in determinations and studies.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

Legal: Enhances judicial review by allowing courts to check if agencies met CRA requirements before rules take effect; preserves rights to challenge rules separately, avoiding preemption of lawsuits.
Constitutional: Reinforces congressional authority over executive rulemaking under Article I (legislative power), potentially addressing concerns about excessive delegation of lawmaking to agencies; includes requirements for agencies to cite constitutional bases, promoting accountability.
Political: Shifts balance of power toward Congress, enabling partisan efforts to block or sunset rules from opposing administrations (e.g., reviewing "midnight rules" at term ends); the 5-year sunset could lead to broad deregulation waves, influencing future elections and policy debates without bias toward any party in the bill's text.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Cammack, Kat [R-FL-3]

Recent Actions

2025-04-29: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2025-04-29: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2025-04-29: Introduced in House
2025-04-29: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

Reclaim the Reins Act — issued 2025-04-29 — PDF (11 pages)