PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Feb 2, 2021
Unfunded Mandates Accountability and Transparency Act
This bill revises rulemaking requirements with respect to unfunded mandates.
Specifically, the bill requires federal agencies to prepare and publish in the Federal Register an initial and final regulatory impact analysis prior to promulgating any proposed or final major rule. The analysis must include regulatory alternatives to the rule.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Major rule means a rule that the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs determines is likely to cause
an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more;
a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, federal, state, local, or tribal government agencies, or geographic regions; or
significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, public health and safety, or the ability of U.S.-based enterprises to compete with foreign-based enterprises in domestic and export markets.
Before promulgating any proposed or final major rule, an agency shall select the regulatory alternative that maximizes net benefits, taking into consideration only the costs and benefits that arise within the scope of the statutory provision that authorizes the rulemaking, with exceptions.
The bill prohibits Congress from considering a bill that increases private sector costs more than a certain amount unless certain conditions are met.
People & committees
Sen. Portman, Rob [R-OH] · R–OH
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Dec 5, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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