Sponsors (2)
The bill increases transparency, definitional clarity, and centralized oversight of federal rulemaking—improving predictability and public participation for many—but does so by expanding centralized review authority and procedural requirements that are likely to slow rulemaking, raise costs, complicate implementation, and in some cases reduce judicial remedies and access for smaller commenters.
Taxpayers, nonprofits, small businesses, and state/local governments will get more transparent and accessible rulemaking because agencies must publish underlying data, models, timetables, reasons for choices, and allow longer public comment periods (including replies and public dockets).
Federal employees, regulated parties, and contractors gain clearer definitions and review standards (e.g., for 'guidance', 'major guidance', 'major rule', and review factors), improving predictability about what triggers review and how decisions will be assessed.
Taxpayers, Congress, and regulated entities benefit from stronger oversight and accountability because OIRA must identify noncompliance, report agency-by-agency compliance to Congress, and agencies must publish standardized assessment frameworks and retrospective assessments for major rules.
Federal employees, state governments, businesses, and the public could face greater centralization of control, politicization, and delays because OIRA and an Administrator gain expanded formal authority to identify and review 'major' guidance and rules.
Taxpayers, agencies, and regulated businesses will likely see rulemaking take longer and cost more because of new analytic requirements (cost‑benefit and alternatives), longer comment periods, dockets, retrospective assessments, and centralized pre‑publication review.
Individuals and businesses harmed by agency action may have reduced judicial remedies because the bill narrows review of many Administrator actions and limits courts to remanding noncompliant major rules (leaving rules in effect), weakening legal checks.
Based on analysis of 9 sections of legislative text.
Overhauls federal rulemaking procedures by adding definitions, requiring OIRA pre-review, mandating cost/benefit and alternatives analysis, and limiting some judicial review.
Introduced May 12, 2025 by James Lankford · Last progress May 12, 2025
Rewrites parts of the federal rulemaking process to add new definitions (like “guidance,” “major guidance,” and “major rule”), require agencies to analyze and publish supporting studies and alternatives, and give the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) stronger pre-publication review and oversight over major rules. It also narrows some courts’ ability to review agency actions, requires agencies to do retrospective assessments of major rules, and updates many statutory cross-references to conform to the revised Administrative Procedure Act. The law applies only to rulemakings started after enactment, creates new procedural and documentation requirements for agencies (including disclosure of models and studies), sets a $100 million threshold for “major rules,” and places new limits and standards on judicial review of agency actions and guidance.