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HR 115118th CongressFailed / ExpiredHouse

Midnight Rules Relief Act

Policy Area: Government Operations and Politics
View on Congress.gov
Origin Chamber
House
Last Updated
May 27, 2025
Latest Action Date
Dec 18, 2024

Latest Action

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Official Summary

Official summary has not been imported yet.

GovScope Watchdog™

AI Government Intelligence™
Executive Summary

The Midnight Rules Relief Act (H.R. 115) is a legislative proposal from the 118th Congress aimed at addressing regulations finalized late in an outgoing presidential administration, often referred to as 'midnight rules.' The bill's goal is to provide a mechanism for Congress to review and potentially nullify these late-term regulations. The bill was introduced in the House and subsequently received in the Senate, where it was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. However, the bill ultimately failed or expired without becoming law. No official summary or full text is available for detailed analysis.

Bottom Line

H.R. 115 sought to establish a process for Congress to review and possibly repeal regulations issued late in a presidential term, but it did not advance to enactment during the 118th Congress.

Policy Risk Level
🟡 Medium
Neutral Risk Assessment
Key Points
  • The bill focuses on regulations finalized late in a presidential administration, commonly called 'midnight rules.'
  • It was introduced in the House and referred to a Senate committee after being read twice.
  • The bill failed or expired without passage in the 118th Congress.
Who Benefits?

['Members of Congress seeking oversight tools to review late-term regulations', 'Federal agencies subject to regulatory review processes', 'Stakeholders affected by last-minute regulatory changes, including businesses and advocacy groups']

Potential Concerns

['Lack of available full text limits understanding of specific procedural or enforcement mechanisms', "Potential challenges in defining and identifying 'midnight rules' for review", 'Possible administrative burden on agencies and Congress to review and process affected regulations']

Political Context

The bill was introduced in the House during the 118th Congress and referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. It reflects ongoing congressional interest in oversight of executive branch regulatory actions, particularly those issued late in a presidential term. The bill did not advance to passage and is listed as failed or expired.

Hidden Impact Review

Hidden impact flags detected: 2

GovScope reviewed 2 policy-risk categories. Hover for a quick definition. Click detected flags for bill-specific details.

2 Detected
Detected Flags
Indirect Effects

['Potential increase in legislative scrutiny of executive regulatory actions could influence timing and content of agency rulemaking.', 'May encourage outgoing administrations to finalize fewer regulations late in their terms to avoid congressional review.', 'Could lead to increased workload for congressional committees and federal agencies involved in regulatory oversight.']

GovScope Watchdog Notes

Due to the absence of an official summary and full bill text, detailed analysis is limited. The bill's referral to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs aligns with its focus on government operations and regulatory oversight. Transparency about the specific procedural mechanisms and definitions within the bill would be critical for assessing its full impact. The failure or expiration status indicates it did not become law during the 118th Congress.

Passage Likelihood: LowConfidence: 75%Model: gpt-4.1-mini

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