American Family Cost-of-Living Relief Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- H.R. 8617
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Government Operations and Politics
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-04-30: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Last Updated
- 2026-05-20T19:42:41Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The American Family Cost-of-Living Relief Act of 2026 (H.R. 8617) aims to protect households from unnecessary increases in everyday living costs caused by federal agency rules. It requires agencies to analyze how proposed rules affect household expenses before issuing them.
Key Provisions
- Initial Household Cost Impact Analysis: Before publishing a proposed rule (under the Administrative Procedure Act or other laws), agencies must prepare and publicly post an analysis in the Federal Register. This includes:
- Whether the rule would substantially increase household costs (defined as $50 or more per year on average).
- How the increase affects households by income level.
- Affected categories of goods/services (e.g., housing, food, utilities).
- Suggestions for alternative rules that avoid cost increases.
- Final Analysis: After public comments, agencies prepare a final version addressing feedback and publish it with the final rule.
- Prohibitions on Final Rules: Agencies cannot issue a final rule that substantially raises household costs unless:
- Required by law, or
- Needed for national security threats, presidentially declared major disasters, or emergencies (with certification to Congress). Such emergency rules expire after 1 year unless authorized by law.
- OMB Oversight: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) must issue guidance within 180 days and publish annual reports on major rules (those with big economic effects) that raise household costs, including repeal/amendment recommendations.
- Definitions:
- Household: Individuals living together as one economic unit.
- Household costs: Average yearly out-of-pocket spending on essentials like housing, utilities, food, healthcare, transportation, childcare, education, taxes, and similar items.
- Judicial Review: Households harmed by noncompliance can sue in federal court under existing procedures (Chapter 7 of Title 5, U.S. Code).
- Applies only to rules proposed after enactment.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Inserts new sections 553A (analyses and prohibitions) and 553B (judicial review) into Chapter 5 of Title 5, U.S. Code (Administrative Procedure Act).
- Adds household-specific cost reviews to the standard rulemaking process, which previously focused more on overall economic impacts via regulatory impact analyses.
- Introduces a outright ban on certain cost-raising rules (with narrow exceptions), unlike prior law's emphasis on cost-benefit balancing.
- Expands judicial review to explicitly cover these new requirements.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Increased workload for preparing analyses, potential delays in rulemaking, and restrictions on issuing rules that raise costs by even $50/year, possibly leading to fewer regulations.
- Citizens/Households: Protection from minor but widespread cost increases on daily essentials; easier court challenges if agencies ignore impacts.
- No direct international relations impacts noted.
- OMB and Congress gain new reporting/review roles, promoting ongoing scrutiny of existing rules.
Main Stakeholders
- Federal agencies (e.g., EPA, FDA): Must conduct analyses and justify rules.
- Households/citizens: Primary beneficiaries, with standing to sue.
- Office of Management and Budget (OMB): Provides guidance and annual reports.
- Congress: Receives certifications for exceptions; informed by OMB recommendations.
- Federal courts: Handle new compliance reviews.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Strengthens accountability: Mandates transparent, income-tiered analysis of rule costs, potentially reducing "regulatory creep" on living expenses.
- Judicial expansion: Gives households direct access to courts for challenges, integrating with existing review standards.
- Limits agency power: Prohibitions could constrain rulemaking unless statutorily mandated or emergent, raising questions about agency discretion under the Administrative Procedure Act.
- No explicit constitutional issues raised in the bill, but may prompt debates on separation of powers (Congress curbing executive rulemaking) or economic due process.
- Politically, emphasizes family cost relief, with OMB's annual reports enabling legislative tweaks to rules.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (1)
Recent Actions
- 2026-04-30: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- 2026-04-30: Introduced in House
- 2026-04-30: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- American Family Cost-of-Living Relief Act of 2026 — issued 2026-04-30 — PDF (8 pages)