ERASER Act

This proposal would limit new federal regulations by requiring agencies to repeal three existing rules before they can issue a new one. For big, high‑impact rules, the total cost of the new rule must be no more than the cost of the three rules being repealed, and a White House budget office official must certify that cost comparison. These requirements generally apply to rules that create costs or responsibilities for people, businesses, or state and local governments. They do not apply to internal agency policies or routine procedures, and any repealed rules must be listed in the Federal Register .

The Government Accountability Office would also review how many rules are on the books and estimate their total cost, first within one year and then every five years after that .

• Who is affected: People, businesses, and state or local governments that must follow federal rules; federal agencies that issue regulations .
• What changes: Before issuing any new rule, an agency must repeal three related rules; for major rules, the new rule’s cost cannot exceed the cost of the repealed rules and must be certified; repealed rules must be published; some internal or procedural rules are excluded .
• When: GAO reporting begins within one year of enactment and repeats every five years .