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AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would push federal agencies to use better technology, including software tools and artificial intelligence, to review their existing regulations and find rules that are outdated, confusing, duplicated, or too burdensome. It also asks the Office of Management and Budget to first report on how well federal rules are being made available in a machine-readable format, so they are easier to search and analyze. After that, the office would issue guidance to help agencies review their rules more efficiently, and each agency would have to create and carry out a plan for reviewing its regulations over time.
- Within 180 days, the Office of Management and Budget would have to report to Congress on whether federal regulations are available in a machine-readable format and on the status of the electronic Code of Federal Regulations as an official legal version.
- Within 18 months, the office would have to issue guidance on how agencies can use technology, including AI tools, to review regulations more quickly and accurately and to train staff to use those tools.
- The guidance would focus on finding rules that are obsolete, ineffective, overly burdensome, redundant, or contain mistakes such as typos, bad cross-references, overlaps, or conflicts with other rules or agency standards.
- Within 2 years, each agency would need to submit a review plan to Congress and the Office of Management and Budget, then begin carrying out that plan within 180 days after the plan is submitted.
Official Summaries
Modernizing Retrospective Regulatory Review Act
This bill requires the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) to issue guidance for using technology to retrospectively review existing federal regulations and, in consultation with relevant agencies, report on the progress of the federal government in making agency regulations available in a machine-readable format.
Specifically, the OIRA report must (1) assess whether regulations of agencies have been made available to the public in a machine-readable format, and (2) provide information about the recognition by the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register of the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR) as an official legal edition of the Code of Federal Regulations. Currently, the content of the eCFR is authoritative but unofficial.
Additionally, not later than 18 months after the enactment of this bill, the OIRA must issue guidance about how a federal agency can use technology to retrospectively review the agency's existing regulations. Each agency must plan and implement a strategy to comply with the OIRA's guidance for the retrospective review.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 67 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 67
To improve retrospective reviews of Federal regulations, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 3, 2025
Mr. Biggs of Arizona (for himself and Mr. Crane) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve retrospective reviews of Federal regulations, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Modernizing Retrospective Regulatory
Review Act''.
SEC. 2. IMPROVING RETROSPECTIVE REVIEWS OF EXISTING FEDERAL
REGULATIONS.
(a) Report on Availability of Existing Regulations in Machine-
Readable Format.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget, acting through the Administrator and in
consultation with the Director of GPO, the Archivist, and the
Director of the Federal Register, shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees, a report on the progress
of the Federal Government in making regulations of agencies
available in machine-readable format.
(2) Contents of report.--The report required by paragraph
(1) shall include--
(A) an assessment of whether regulations of
agencies have been made available in a machine-readable
format to the public; and
(B) information regarding the recognition by the
Administrative Committee of the Federal Register of the
eCFR maintained by the Director of the Federal Register
and the Director of GPO as an official legal edition of
the Code of Federal Regulations.
(b) Guidance on Using Technology To Conduct Retrospective
Reviews.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 18 months after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget, acting through the Administrator, shall
issue guidance on how the head of the agency can--
(A) identify, procure, and use technology
(including algorithmic tools and artificial
intelligence) to more efficiently, cost-effectively,
and accurately conduct any retrospective review of the
existing regulations of the agency, including to more
efficiently, cost-effectively, and accurately identify
through any such review regulations of the agency
that--
(i) are obsolete, ineffective,
insufficient, excessively burdensome, or
redundant;
(ii) should be improved;
(iii) contain typographic errors;
(iv) contain inaccurate cross-references;
or
(v) contradict or overlap with each other,
or any standards of the agency; and
(B) adequately train personnel of the agency on how
to use such technology.
(2) Development of guidance.--In developing the guidance
required pursuant to paragraph (1), the Administrator shall
take into account any assessment or information included in the
report required by subsection (a).
(c) Agency Retrospective Review Plan.--Not later than 2 years after
the date of the enactment of this Act, the head of each agency shall
submit to the Administrator and the appropriate congressional
committees a plan that--
(1) includes a detailed strategy for implementing the
guidance issued pursuant to subsection (b) with respect to the
regulations of the agency;
(2) identifies any regulation of the agency, or categories
of regulations of the agency, that the head of the agency--
(A) is required by law to review after the
applicable regulation is issued; or
(B) determines would benefit from being reviewed
after the regulation is issued; and
(3) includes any additional information, data, or ex-post
analysis determined necessary or useful by the head of the
agency.
(d) Agency Implementation.--Not later than 180 days after the date
on which the head of an agency submits the plan required by subsection
(c), the head of the agency shall implement the strategy included in
such plan with respect to any retrospective review of an existing
regulation of the agency.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Administrative committee of the federal register.--The
term ``Administrative Committee of the Federal Register'' means
the Committee established under section 1506 of title 44,
United States Code.
(2) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs.
(3) Agency.--The term ``agency'' has the meaning given that
term in section 3502 of title 44, United States Code.
(4) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform of the House of Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate.
(5) Director of gpo.--The term ``Director of GPO'' means
the Director of the Government Publishing Office.
(6) Machine-readable.--The term ``machine-readable'' has
the meaning given the term in section 3502 of title 44, United
States Code.
(7) Retrospective review of an existing regulation of the
agency.--The term ``retrospective review of an existing
regulation of the agency'' means a review of a regulation of
the agency conducted after the regulation has been issued,
including any such review required by law or determined
appropriate by the head of the agency.
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