Legislation introduced by U.S. Sens. James Lankford (R-OR) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) would reform federal rulemaking and curb agency overreach, officials said.
The Regulatory Accountability Act (RAA) would ensure that regulations are transparent and lawful, the senators said, while preventing agencies from bypassing Congress and the Constitution.
“For too long, unelected bureaucrats have been writing binding rules with little accountability to Congress or the American people,” Lankford said. “Now that the Court has ended Chevron, it’s time for Congress to step up and make that accountability permanent. The Regulatory Accountability Act ensures that agencies follow the law, not write it.”
Officials said the legislation would modernize the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946 to require transparency, cost-benefit analysis and consistent procedures. Additionally, it will restore independent judicial review to ensure the courts don’t “blindly defer to agency interpretations of law,” the lawmakers said.
Specifically, the legislation will tie new rules directly to laws passed by Congress, improve the Congressional Review Act requirements to simplify timeliness, end rulemaking through informal guidance documents and guarantee adequate public comment periods and data disclosure.
“This bill restores accountability to a regulatory process that has become overly complex and burdensome, especially for small businesses and workers,” Johnson said. “It reins in unelected bureaucrats by ensuring major regulations receive proper scrutiny and cost analysis before taking effect. Increasing transparency and simplifying the regulatory process will further economic growth for all Americans.”