To amend title 5, United States Code, to require disclosure of conflicts of interest with respect to rulemaking, 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
This bill reforms federal rulemaking to reduce corporate influence and increase public participation. It requires disclosure of funding sources for studies submitted during rulemaking, creates penalties for companies that submit false information, establishes an Office of the Public Advocate, and codifies judicial deference to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes.
Who Benefits and How
Consumer advocacy groups and the general public benefit from increased transparency requirements and a new Office of the Public Advocate to assist with rulemaking participation. Federal regulatory agencies gain stronger deference from courts for their regulatory interpretations. Small businesses and individuals benefit from reduced corporate dominance in the comment process.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Large corporations face new disclosure requirements for industry-funded studies and civil penalties up to $1 million for submitting false information. Industry trade associations must disclose funding conflicts when submitting research to agencies. OIRA faces stricter 60-day review deadlines for regulatory actions.
Key Provisions
- Requires disclosure of funding sources and conflicts for all studies submitted during rulemaking
- Imposes civil penalties of $250,000-$1,000,000 on public companies submitting false information to agencies
- Creates Office of the Public Advocate to assist public participation and conduct social equity assessments
- Codifies judicial deference to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes
- Limits OIRA review of significant regulatory actions to 60 days with one possible extension
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
Reforms federal rulemaking processes to reduce corporate influence, increase transparency and public participation, and reinforce agency authority to issue regulations
Key Policy Areas
Administrative Law, Regulatory Policy, Government Transparency, Consumer Protection
Primary Purpose
Reforms federal rulemaking processes to reduce corporate influence, increase transparency and public participation, and reinforce agency authority to issue regulations
Policy Domains
Disclosure Requirements (Sections 4-7)
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Public interest groups
- Academic researchers
- General public
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Corporations funding regulatory research
- Industry trade associations
- OIRA
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
OIRA Review Streamlining (Section 9)
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal regulatory agencies
- Public seeking faster regulation
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- OIRA
- Industries benefiting from regulatory delay
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Findings and Sense of Congress (Sections 1-3)
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal regulatory agencies
- Consumer protection advocates
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Industry groups challenging regulations
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Judicial Review and Scope (Section 12)
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal regulatory agencies
- Public health and safety advocates
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Industries challenging agency regulations in court
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Penalties and Public Advocate (Sections 10-11)
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Consumer advocates
- Environmental groups
- Underrepresented communities
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Public companies submitting rulemaking comments
- Federal budget
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Public Participation (Sections 13-16)
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- General public
- Advocacy organizations
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal agencies (compliance burden)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Negotiated Rulemaking Reforms (Section 8)
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal agencies
- State/local/tribal governments
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Industry groups previously participating in negotiated rulemaking
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Cost-Benefit and Definitions (Sections 17-18)
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Disadvantaged communities
- Public health advocates
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Industries seeking to limit regulation through cost-benefit arguments
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMs. Jayapal (for herself, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Federal regulatory agencies, OIRA (Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs), Office of Management and Budget
Federal regulatory agencies faces effects in multiple directions
Community-based organizations, Consumer advocacy organizations, Consumer and environmental advocates
Federal budget/taxpayers, General public, General public seeking to participate in rulemaking
Positive-direction: General public, General public seeking to participate in rulemaking, Non-English speaking populations, Underrepresented communities and individuals
Negative-direction: Federal budget/taxpayers
Corporations funding regulatory research, Industries benefiting from withdrawn regulations, Industries seeking to limit regulation through cost-benefit arguments
Corporate legal and compliance departments, Industries challenging agency regulations in court
Positive-direction: Corporate legal and compliance departments
Negative-direction: Industries challenging agency regulations in court
Industry trade associations, Industry trade associations previously participating in negotiated rulemaking
Contract research organizations, Industry-funded researchers
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_agency"
- → Any federal agency conducting rulemaking
- "the_office"
- → Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)
- "the_office"
- → Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)
- "the_national_public_advocate"
- → National Public Advocate (new position in OMB)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Has the meaning given in section 551 of title 5, United States Code
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of the Office of Management and Budget
Includes individuals, partnerships, corporations, associations, or public or private organizations of any character other than an agency
Any substantive action by an agency that promulgates or is expected to lead to the promulgation of a final rule or regulation
Any impact of a proposed rule that might disproportionately affect a population that is part of a protected class
A written report considering social equity impacts on populations within protected classes
Any regulatory action likely to result in a rule with $100M+ annual economic effect, cross-agency conflicts, budgetary impacts, or novel legal issues
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.
Learn more about our methodology