HR 77: Midnight Rules Relief Act

HR 77 in plain English: This bill would allow Congress to disapprove multiple federal regulations at once using a single joint resolution, rather than requiring a separate resolution for each rule. It applies specifically to regulations submitted for review during the final year of a president's term. Current law already allows extra review time for late-term rules, but limits each disapproval resolution to one regulation at a time.

Stated purpose

The bill aims to let Congress use a single joint resolution to cancel multiple regulations at once when those regulations were issued during the final year of a president's term, rather than requiring a separate vote for each one.

Key points

• Lets Congress bundle multiple regulations into one disapproval vote instead of voting on each separately
• Applies to regulations submitted during the final year of a president's term
• Modifies the existing Congressional Review Act process for reviewing late-term rules

Arguments supporters make

• Last-minute regulations rushed out before a new president takes office should face the same level of congressional scrutiny as any other rule, and bundling them makes that review practical rather than impossible given limited congressional time.
• The current one-at-a-time requirement lets outgoing administrations flood the system with regulations knowing Congress cannot realistically vote to repeal them all separately, so this fix restores a real check on executive power.
• Allowing en bloc disapproval is a straightforward procedural change that keeps Congress in its proper role of overseeing the regulatory process without permanently blocking any type of rule.

Arguments opponents make

• Bundling many different regulations into one all-or-nothing vote pressures lawmakers to reject rules they might support individually just to oppose others, reducing careful, rule-by-rule deliberation.
• Regulations issued in a president's final year go through the same legal process and public comment requirements as any other rule, so treating them as a special category for easier repeal undermines the normal rulemaking process.
• This power would be used selectively against one party's outgoing administration, making it a partisan tool rather than a neutral check, and the same rules could protect public health, safety, or the environment.

Tradeoffs

Making it easier for Congress to cancel a large number of end-of-term regulations quickly gives the legislative branch more practical power over executive rulemaking, but it also means individual rules get less scrutiny and some regulations supported by portions of Congress may be swept out alongside ones that have broader opposition.

Current status in Congress: Passed House.

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