Bill > HR580

This bill, the Unfunded Mandates Accountability and Transparency Act of 2025, aims to strengthen the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 by requiring more thorough analysis and public input for significant government regulations. It defines a "major rule" as a regulation likely to have a substantial economic impact, such as costing over $100 million annually, significantly increasing costs for various entities, or negatively affecting competition and public welfare. For any such major rule, agencies must now prepare and publish both an initial and a final "regulatory impact analysis" (RIA), which will detail anticipated benefits and costs, explore alternative regulatory approaches, and assess impacts on different government levels and the private sector. The bill also mandates earlier and broader consultation with state, local, tribal governments, and private sector stakeholders, including small businesses, and requires agencies to select regulatory alternatives that maximize net benefits unless specific exceptions are met and approved by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). OIRA itself is given enhanced oversight responsibilities to ensure agency compliance with these new requirements, and it will report annually to Congress on agency adherence. Furthermore, the bill establishes a formal process for initiating rulemaking for major rules, including publishing a notice of initiation and creating an electronic docket for public input, and it allows for judicial review of whether agencies followed the RIA and net benefit maximization requirements. Finally, the bill extends these requirements to independent regulatory agencies, with an exemption for rules concerning monetary policy by the Federal Reserve.

Government Affairs

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/580/all-info