To amend chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, to provide for en bloc consideration in resolutions of disapproval for midnight rules, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Midnight Rules Relief Act amends the Congressional Review Act to allow Congress to bundle multiple "midnight rules" into a single resolution of disapproval. Currently, Congress must vote separately on each regulation it wants to overturn. This bill allows one vote to reject all rules issued in an outgoing President's final year, streamlining the process for new administrations to reverse their predecessors' late-term regulations.
Who Benefits and How
Incoming administrations benefit from an easier path to overturn previous administration regulations. Congress can more efficiently review and reject multiple rules instead of voting on each separately. Industries regulated by last-minute rules gain a faster avenue to challenge those rules. The new majority party can more quickly implement its regulatory agenda.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Outgoing administrations see their final-year regulations become more vulnerable to reversal. Federal agencies face the prospect of bundled rejection of their rules. Groups who benefited from late-term regulations (environmental groups, consumer advocates, etc.) may see multiple protections eliminated in a single vote. Individual rules lose the chance to be considered on their own merits.
Key Provisions
- Allows Congress to include multiple rules in one joint resolution of disapproval
- Applies only to rules submitted during a President's final year in office
- Uses standard format: "Congress disapproves the following rules..."
- Additional rules can be added as necessary using the same clause structure
- Overturned rules "shall have no force or effect"
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
Allows Congress to disapprove multiple 'midnight rules' (regulations issued in a President's final year) through a single joint resolution, rather than requiring separate votes on each rule.
Key Policy Areas
Government Operations, Regulatory Policy, Congressional Oversight
Primary Purpose
Allows Congress to disapprove multiple 'midnight rules' (regulations issued in a President's final year) through a single joint resolution, rather than requiring separate votes on each rule.
Policy Domains
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedReceived; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland …
Additional sponsors: Ms. Hageman, Mr. Ogles, Mr. Perry, Mr. Brecheen, …
Reported from the Committee on the Judiciary with an amendment
Committee on Rules discharged; committed to the Committee of the …
Mr. Biggs introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Impact analysis is available but no clear stakeholder effects identified. View clause-level analysis →
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Rules for which the report was submitted during the final year of a President's term
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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