PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 12, 2025
Restoring Checks and Balances Act
This bill requires any covered rule issued by a federal agency after this bill's enactment to sunset five years after its effective date unless the rule is specifically reauthorized by Congress.
A covered rule generally means a rule under the Administrative Procedure Act, but does not include a rule
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
issued in accordance with specified formal rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act;
issued with respect to a military or foreign affairs function of the United States;
that the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs certifies is necessary for the enforcement of federal criminal laws;
that is limited to agency organization, management, or personnel matters; or
that is necessary due to an imminent threat to human health or safety or any other emergency.
An agency may not reissue, enforce, revise, or take other regulatory action related to a covered rule that has sunset.
The Office of Management and Budget or the relevant agency may oversee the sunset of covered rules.
If the agency that issues covered rules wants to request a reauthorization for such rules, such agency shall submit to Congress a report that includes (1) a justification for such reauthorization, (2) any related covered rules, and (3) any recommendation or request made by the chair or ranking member of an appropriate congressional committee.
People & committees
Rep. Stutzman, Marlin A. [R-IN-3] · R–IN
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Mar 27, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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Analyze H.R.1226 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-12 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This proposal would make covered federal agency rules issued after enactment expire five years after they take effect unless Congress passes a law specifically renewing them. Expired rules would lose legal effect, and agencies could no longer enforce, revise, or reissue them. This would affect agencies and the people and organizations subject to those rules, with exceptions for certain types of rules, including emergency rules.
Any covered rule issued by an agency after the date of the enactment of this Act shall sunset on the date that is five years after the effective date of such covered rule, unless specifically reauthorized by an Act of Congress.
An agency may not reissue, enforce, revise, or take other regulatory action related to a covered rule that has sunset under subsection (a).
(E) that is necessary due to an imminent threat to human health or safety or any other emergency. (4) Sunset The term sunset means to have no force or effect.
The proposed law would be called the Restoring Checks and Balances Act.
This Act may be cited as the Restoring Checks and Balances Act.
The proposal uses existing statutory definitions of “agency” and “rule.” It excludes rules issued through the referenced formal rulemaking procedures and rules concerning U.S. military or foreign affairs functions from the expiration requirement.
(1) Agency The term agency has the meaning given that term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code.
(3) Covered rule The term covered rule has the meaning given the term rule in section 551 of title 5, United States Code, but does not include a rule— (A) issued in accordance with the formal rulemaking provisions of sections 556 and 557 of title 5, United States Code; (B) issued with respect to a military or foreign affairs function of the United States;
Additional exceptions cover rules certified in writing as necessary to enforce federal criminal laws, rules limited to internal agency organization, management, or personnel, and rules needed because of an imminent threat to human health or safety or another emergency. The criminal-law certification would come from the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs within the Office of Management and Budget.
(2) Administrator The term Administrator means the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Office of Management and Budget.
(C) that the Administrator certifies in writing is necessary for the enforcement of Federal criminal laws; (D) that is limited to agency organization, management, or personnel matters; or (E) that is necessary due to an imminent threat to human health or safety or any other emergency.
Once a covered rule expires under the proposal, the agency would also be barred from taking other regulatory action related to it.
An agency may not reissue, enforce, revise, or take other regulatory action related to a covered rule that has sunset under subsection (a).
The Director of the Office of Management and Budget or the relevant agency head could oversee the expiration of covered rules. This oversight is permitted rather than required.
The Director of the Office of Management and Budget or the head of the relevant agency may oversee the sunset of covered rules under subsection (a).
An agency head who wants Congress to renew covered rules would have to submit a request report to Congress and any appropriate congressional committee. The stated deadline is “the December 1 that is one year before” the rule's scheduled expiration.
If the head of an agency that issues covered rules wants to request a reauthorization for such rules, such head shall, not later than the December 1 that is one year before the date on which the covered rule is scheduled to sunset, submit to Congress and any appropriate committee of Congress a report containing such request
The renewal report would have to justify each rule, include related covered rules, and include any recommendation or request from an appropriate committee's chair or ranking member. Agency heads would have to make every effort to combine multiple renewal requests into one submission.
(1) a justification for the reauthorization of each covered rule; (2) any related covered rules; and (3) any recommendation or request made by the chair or ranking member of an appropriate committee of Congress.
The head of an agency submitting a request for reauthorization under subsection (a) shall make every effort to bundle multiple requests for reauthorization in a single submission.
Agencies would have to publish submitted renewal reports on their public websites.
Any report submitted by the head of an agency under subsection (a) shall be published on the public website of the agency.
The proposal states that it would not override chapters 5, 6, or 7 of title 5 of the United States Code.
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to supersede the provisions of chapter 5, 6, or 7 of title 5, United States Code.
The supplied action snapshot, updated March 27, 2026, records introduction in the House on February 12, 2025, and referral that day to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and additionally to the Committee on the Judiciary, each for provisions within its jurisdiction.
Source snapshot updated 2026-03-27T18:12:40Z.
2025-02-12: Introduced in House
2025-02-12: Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-12. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text dated February 12, 2025. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text dated February 12, 2025. This conclusion is limited to that version; member disclosures, committee reports, and other accompanying materials were not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow preferential benefit was identified in the complete supplied introduced text dated February 12, 2025. The review distinguished general policy exceptions from preferential treatment for particular beneficiaries. This conclusion does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Mar 27, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI