Bill > HR8928

This bill, called the Returning Power to the People Act of 2024, aims to provide certain reforms related to Chevron deference. Chevron deference is the legal doctrine that grants deference to federal agencies' interpretations of ambiguous statutes they are tasked with administering. The key provisions of this bill include: 1. Requiring the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on cases where Chevron deference was applied. 2. Directing federal agencies to review past cases where Chevron deference was granted and reassess their interpretations. 3. Prohibiting courts from showing greater deference to one party's interpretation of a statute in a civil action, requiring them to instead issue their own interpretation. 4. Limiting agencies' ability to issue rules without explicit statutory authority. 5. Holding agency employees accountable for their role in interpreting statutes and rules. 6. Restricting agencies from imposing criminal penalties or civil fines without a specified mens rea (mental state) requirement. 7. Allowing for direct appeals of agency determinations to federal district courts, and providing for de novo review of administrative proceedings. 8. Requiring agency actions to be based only on pre-published, publicly accessible materials. Overall, the bill aims to reduce the deference granted to federal agencies' interpretations of statutes and increase accountability, transparency, and the role of the judicial branch in interpreting the law.

Justice

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/8928/all-info