Ensuring Accountability in Agency Rulemaking Act

Sponsor: Ben Cline (Republican-VA)January 15, 2025

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Requires top agency leaders to approve and sign federal rules, aiming for more accountability.

This bill would require that important new federal rules are approved and signed by top agency leaders who were confirmed by the Senate. It also says that senior agency officials must start the process for these rules. This aims to make federal agencies more accountable for the rules they create, which could indirectly affect everyday Americans.

What Would Change

Currently, federal rules that affect the public can be issued, signed, and initiated by various officials within an agency, sometimes by those not confirmed by the Senate or considered senior appointees. If this bill becomes law, these important rules would have to be issued and signed by a Presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed official, and initiated by a senior appointee, with limited exceptions for public safety.

Key Provisions

Requires important new federal rules to be issued and signed by a top official confirmed by the Senate.
Requires the process for creating new federal rules to be started by a senior agency official.
Lets agency heads skip these new requirements if public safety or security is at risk, but they must explain why publicly.
Requires each agency head to make sure their agency follows these new rules.
Requires the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) to guide agencies and check if they are following the rules.

View on Congress.gov

HR 418 · 119th Congress · January 15, 2025 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 9/10

Ensuring Accountability in Agency Rulemaking Act

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity