I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3396 

To amend title 5, United States Code, to prohibit agencies from enforcing 

rules that result in a specified economic impact until the requirements 

of those rules are enacted into law by an Act of Congress, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 29, 2009 

Mr. PAUL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend title 5, United States Code, to prohibit agencies 

from enforcing rules that result in a specified economic 

impact until the requirements of those rules are enacted 

into law by an Act of Congress, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Congressional Respon5 sibility and Accountability Act’’. 

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1 SEC. 2. RULES THAT RESULT IN A SPECIFIED ECONOMIC 

2 IMPACT. 

3 Section 553 of title 5, United States Code, is amend4 ed by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(f)(1) Before adoption of a rule, each agency shall 

6 determine whether compliance with the rule will result in 

7 a specified economic impact. If an agency determines that 

8 a rule will result in a specified economic impact, the agen9 cy shall provide notification and shall not enforce the rule 

10 until the requirements of the rule are enacted into law 

11 by an Act of Congress. 

12 ‘‘(2) Not later than 180 days after the date of the 

13 enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, each agen14 cy shall determine whether any rule of that agency has 

15 resulted in a specified economic impact in the preceding 

16 year. If an agency determines that a rule has resulted in 

17 a specified economic impact in the preceding year, the 

18 agency shall provide notification and, not later than 365 

19 days after making such determination, shall no longer en20 force the rule until the requirements of the rule are en21 acted into law by an Act of Congress. 

22 ‘‘(3) In this subsection: 

23 ‘‘(A) The term ‘provide notification’ means 

24 transmit the rule determined to result in a specified 

25 economic impact and the findings supporting such a 

26 determination, including relevant public comments in 

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1 the case of a proposed rule, to the Federal Register 

2 for publication and to the Committees on Appropria3 tions of the House of Representatives and the Sen4 ate, not later than 30 days after a determination is 

5 made in the case of a proposed rule and not later 

6 than 60 days after a determination is made in the 

7 case of an existing rule. 

8 ‘‘(B) The term ‘a specified economic impact’ 

9 means any of the following: 

10 ‘‘(i) Costs to any individual of $5,000 or 

11 more in a year. 

12 ‘‘(ii) Costs to any partnership, corporation, 

13 association, or public or private organization, 

14 but not including the Federal Government or a 

15 State government, of $10,000 or more in a 

16 year. 

17 ‘‘(iii) Costs to all persons in the aggregate, 

18 but not including the Federal Government or a 

19 State government, of $25,000 or more in a 

20 year. 

21 ‘‘(iv) The loss by 1 or more United States 

22 citizens of existing employment in a year.’’. 

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