What This Bill Does
This bill changes how Congress can reject rules created near the end of a president's term. It allows Congress to disapprove multiple rules at the same time in one vote instead of voting on each rule separately.
Who It Affects
Congress and federal agencies that create rules.
Key Provisions
* Congress can now include multiple "midnight rules" (rules submitted during the final year of a president's term) in a single joint resolution of disapproval instead of voting on them separately (Sec. 2(a))
* The language Congress uses to reject these rules must list each rule being disapproved and state that the rules "shall have no force or effect" (Sec. 2(b))
What Changes
The process for Congress to reject multiple rules created at the end of a presidential term becomes faster. Instead of holding separate votes on each rule, Congress can vote once to disapprove several rules together.
Important Definitions
"Midnight rules" are rules submitted during the final year of a president's term (as described in the bill text).
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
IIB
118TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 115
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
DECEMBER 18 (legislative day, DECEMBER 16), 2024
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs
AN ACT
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.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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HR 115 RFS
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Midnight Rules Relief
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Act’’.
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SEC. 2. EN BLOC CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTIONS OF
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DISAPPROVAL PERTAINING TO ‘‘MIDNIGHT
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RULES’’.
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(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 801(d) of title 5, United
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States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
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lowing:
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‘‘(4) In applying section 802 to rules described under
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paragraph (1), a joint resolution of disapproval may con-
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tain one or more such rules if the report under subsection
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(a)(1)(A) for each such rule was submitted during the
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final year of a President’s term.’’.
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(b) TEXT OF RESOLVING CLAUSE.—Section 802(a)
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of title 5, United States Code, is amended—
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(1) by inserting after ‘‘resolving clause of which
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is’’ the following: ‘‘(except as otherwise provided in
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this subsection)’’; and
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(2) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘In the
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case of a joint resolution under section 801(d)(4),
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the matter after the resolving clause of such resolu-
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tion shall be as follows: ‘That Congress disapproves
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the following rules: the rule submitted by the ll
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relating to ll; and the rule submitted by the ll
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relating to ll. Such rules shall have no force or
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HR 115 RFS
effect.’ (The blank spaces being appropriately filled
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in and additional clauses describing additional rules
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to be included as necessary).’’.
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Passed the House of Representatives December 17,
2024.
Attest:
KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,
Clerk.
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