Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services relating to "Policy on Adhering to the Text of the Administrative Procedure Act".
Summary
What This Bill Does
H.J.Res.125 is a Congressional Review Act disapproval resolution. It targets the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services rule relating to Policy on Adhering to the Text of the Administrative Procedure Act and provides that the rule shall have no force or effect. GAO treated the HHS policy statement as a rule for CRA purposes, so congressional disapproval would nullify the policy statement rather than a program-specific benefits regulation. The practical result is not a new replacement rule; it is a congressional veto of the agency action, which can also restrict the agency from issuing a substantially similar rule without new statutory authority.
Who Benefits and How
HHS program offices seeking procedural flexibility benefit because disapproval would remove or prevent the regulatory obligations created by the rule. Members of Congress opposing the rule benefit because the CRA provides a direct vehicle to nullify the agency action. Regulated parties benefit from clearer congressional opposition to the rule and less near-term implementation risk. Regulated health entities benefit if disapproval avoids procedural commitments that could slow HHS policy changes.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Office of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services rulemaking staff must respond to congressional disapproval and may be constrained from issuing a substantially similar rule. Public commenters seeking HHS notice-and-comment process commitments bear the burden if protections, standards, or program changes in the rule are blocked. Congressional oversight committees must handle the policy consequences of removing the rule without passing a replacement. Patients, providers, and grant recipients may lose procedural opportunities to comment on HHS policy shifts.
Key Provisions
- Provides congressional disapproval of the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services rule relating to Policy on Adhering to the Text of the Administrative Procedure Act.
- Blocks the rule by declaring that it shall have no force or effect.
- Uses the Congressional Review Act rather than ordinary notice-and-comment rulemaking.
- Restricts the agency's ability to issue a substantially similar rule unless Congress authorizes it.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Uses the Congressional Review Act to disapprove the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services rule relating to Policy on Adhering to the Text of the Administrative Procedure Act, causing that rule to have no force or effect.
Key Policy Areas
Administrative Law, Congressional Review Act
Primary Purpose
Uses the Congressional Review Act to disapprove the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services rule relating to Policy on Adhering to the Text of the Administrative Procedure Act, causing that rule to have no force or effect.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- HHS program offices seeking procedural flexibility
- Members of Congress opposing the rule
- Regulated parties
- Congressional oversight committees
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Office of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services rulemaking staff
- Public commenters seeking HHS notice-and-comment process commitments
- Congressional oversight committees
- Program administrators
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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