I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3181 
To establish a moratorium on regulatory rulemaking actions and to repeal 
all rules that became effective after October 1, 1991, and are in effect 
as of the date of the enactment of this Act, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 13, 2011 
Mr. YOUNG of Alaska introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the 
Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined 
by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish a moratorium on regulatory rulemaking actions 
and to repeal all rules that became effective after October 
1, 1991, and are in effect as of the date of the enactment 
of this Act, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stop the Regulation 
Invasion Please Act of 2011’’ or ‘‘STRIP Act of 2011’’. 
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SEC. 2. MORATORIUM ON REGULATIONS. 
Except as provided in section 3, a Federal agency 
may not take any regulatory rulemaking action until the 
end of the moratorium period. 
SEC. 3. EMERGENCY EXCEPTIONS; EXCLUSIONS. 
(a) EMERGENCY EXCEPTION.—Section 2 shall not 
apply to a regulatory rulemaking action, and section 5(d) 
shall not apply to a rule, if— 
(1) the head of a Federal agency otherwise au-
thorized to take the action submits a written request 
to the Administrator of the Office of Information 
and Regulatory Affairs within the Office of Manage-
ment and Budget and submits a copy of such re-
quest to the Congress; 
(2) the Administrator of the Office of Informa-
tion and Regulatory Affairs within the Office of 
Management and Budget finds in writing that a 
waiver for the action or rule is— 
(A) necessary because of an imminent 
threat to health or safety or other emergency; 
or 
(B) necessary for the enforcement of crimi-
nal laws; and 
(3) the head of the Federal agency publishes 
the finding and waiver in the Federal Register. 
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(b) EXCLUSIONS.—The head of an agency shall pub-
lish in the Federal Register any action excluded because 
of a certification under section 6(4)(B). 
(c) CIVIL RIGHTS EXCEPTION.—Section 2 shall not 
apply to a regulatory rulemaking action, and section 5(d) 
shall not apply to a rule, to establish or enforce any statu-
tory rights against discrimination on the basis of age, 
race, religion, gender, national origin, or handicapped or 
disability status except such rulemaking actions or rules 
that establish, lead to, or otherwise rely on the use of a 
quota or preference based on age, race, religion, gender, 
national origin, or handicapped or disability status. 
SEC. 4. REVIEW OF RULES. 
(a) REVIEW
AND REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later 
than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
shall— 
(1) conduct a review of each rule that became 
effective after October 1, 1991, and is in effect as 
of the date of the enactment of this Act; and 
(2) submit to Congress and make available to 
the public a report on such review. 
(b) MATTERS COVERED.—The report under sub-
section (a) shall include the following: 
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(1) An estimate of the total annual costs and 
benefits (including quantifiable and nonquantifiable 
effects) of each rule covered by the review, to the ex-
tent feasible. 
(2) A recommendation whether each rule should 
continue and, where applicable, recommendations for 
reform of a rule. 
(3) The total number of minor and major rules 
that became effective after October 1, 1991, and are 
in effect as of the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(c) UNIFORM STANDARD.—The Director of Office of 
Management and Budget shall apply a uniform standard 
for figures and cost summaries in the report required 
under subsection (a). 
SEC. 5. SUNSET PREVENTION PROCEEDINGS. 
(a) DESIGNATION
OF FEDERAL AGENCY REGU-
LATORY REVIEW OFFICER.—The head of each Federal 
agency shall designate an officer of the agency as the 
‘‘Regulatory Review Officer’’ who shall be responsible for 
testifying before a committee of the House of Representa-
tives or the Senate with regard to a request to prevent 
the repeal of a rule under subsection (c). 
(b) REQUEST FOR COMMITTEE HEARING.—The Reg-
ulatory Review Officer may submit a request for a hear-
ing, with regard to a rule reviewed under section 4, to 
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the relevant committee of jurisdiction in the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Senate 60 days after the report is 
submitted pursuant to section 4(a)(2). 
(c) REQUEST TO PREVENT REPEAL OF A RULE.— 
During a hearing described in subsection (b), the Regu-
latory Review Officer may request that a rule not be re-
pealed. Such request shall include a description of the re-
port submitted pursuant to section 4(a)(2), with respect 
to such rule. 
(d) REPEAL OF RULES.—Except as provided in sec-
tion 3, one year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, all rules shall be repealed, unless otherwise specifi-
cally authorized by law and enacted after the date of the 
enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
For purposes of this Act: 
(1) FEDERAL
AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Federal 
agency’’ means any agency as that term is defined 
in section 551(1) of title 5, United States Code. 
(2) MAJOR RULE.—The term ‘‘major rule’’ has 
the meaning given that term in section 804 of title 
5, United States Code. 
(3) MORATORIUM PERIOD.—The term ‘‘morato-
rium period’’ means the period of time— 
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(A) beginning on the day after the date of 
the enactment of this Act; and 
(B) ending on the later of— 
(i) 14 days after the day on which the 
Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget publishes the report pursuant to 
section 4; or 
(ii) two years after the date of the en-
actment of this Act. 
(4) REGULATORY RULEMAKING ACTION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘regulatory 
rulemaking action’’ means any rulemaking on 
any rule normally published in the Federal Reg-
ister, including— 
(i) the issuance of any substantive 
rule, interpretative rule, statement of agen-
cy policy, notice of inquiry, advance notice 
of proposed rulemaking, or notice of pro-
posed rulemaking, and 
(ii) any other action taken in the 
course of the process of rulemaking (except 
a cost benefit analysis or risk assessment, 
or both). 
(B) EXCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘regulatory 
rulemaking action’’ does not include— 
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(i) any agency action that the head of 
the agency and the Administrator of the 
Office of Information and Regulatory Af-
fairs within the Office of Management and 
Budget certify in writing is limited to re-
pealing, narrowing, or streamlining a rule, 
regulation, or administrative process or 
otherwise reducing regulatory burdens 
(meaning, Federal agencies could reduce or 
eliminate regulations on their own, during 
the moratorium); 
(ii) any agency action that the head of 
the agency and the Administrator of the 
Office of Information and Regulatory Af-
fairs within the Office of Management and 
Budget certify in writing is limited to mat-
ters relating to military or foreign affairs 
functions, statutes implementing inter-
national trade agreements, including all 
agency actions required by the Uruguay 
Round Agreements Act, or agency manage-
ment, personnel, or public property, loans, 
grants, benefits, or contracts; 
(iii) any agency action that the head 
of the agency and the Administrator of the 
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Office of Information and Regulatory Af-
fairs within the Office of Management and 
Budget certify in writing is limited to a 
routine administrative function of the 
agency; 
(iv) any agency action that— 
(I) is taken by an agency that su-
pervises and regulates insured deposi-
tory institutions, affiliates of such in-
stitutions, credit unions, or govern-
ment sponsored housing enterprises; 
and 
(II) the head of the agency cer-
tifies would meet the standards for an 
exception or exclusion described in 
this Act; or 
(v) any agency action that the head of 
the agency certifies is limited to inter-
preting, implementing, or administering 
the internal revenue laws of the United 
States. 
(5) RULE.—The term ‘‘rule’’— 
(A) means the whole or a part of an agen-
cy statement of general or particular applica-
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bility and future effect designed to implement, 
interpret, or prescribe law or policy; and 
(B) does not include— 
(i) the approval or prescription, on a 
case-by-case or consolidated case basis, for 
the future of rates, wages, corporation, or 
financial 
structures 
or 
reorganizations 
thereof, prices, facilities, appliances, serv-
ices or allowances therefore, or of valu-
ations, costs, or accounting, or practices 
bearing on any of the foregoing; 
(ii) any action taken in connection 
with the safety of aviation; 
(iii) any action taken in connection 
with the implementation of monetary pol-
icy or to ensure the safety and soundness 
of federally insured depository institutions, 
any affiliate of such an institution, credit 
unions, or government sponsored housing 
enterprises or to protect the Federal de-
posit insurance funds; 
(iv) the granting an application for a 
license, registration, or similar authority, 
granting or recognizing an exemption, 
granting a variance or petition for relief 
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from a regulatory requirement, or other 
action relieving a restriction (including any 
agency which establishes, modifies, or con-
ducts a regulatory program for a rec-
reational or subsistence activity, including 
hunting, fishing, and camping, if a Federal 
law prohibits the recreational or subsist-
ence activity in the absence of the agency 
action); or 
(v) taking any action necessary to per-
mit new or improved applications of tech-
nology or allow the manufacture, distribu-
tion, sale, or use of a substance or product. 
(6) RULEMAKING.—The term ‘‘rulemaking’’ 
means agency process for formulating, amending, or 
repealing a rule. 
(7) LICENSE.—The term ‘‘license’’ means the 
whole or part of an agency permit, certificate, ap-
proval, registration, charter, membership, statutory 
exemption, or other form of permission. 
(8) IMMINENT THREAT TO HEALTH OR SAFE-
TY.—The term ‘‘imminent threat to health or safe-
ty’’ means the existence of any condition, cir-
cumstance, or practice reasonably expected to cause 
death, serious illness, or severe injury to humans, or 
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substantial endangerment to private property during 
the moratorium period. 
SEC. 7. LIMITATION ON CIVIL ACTIONS. 
No private right of action may be brought against 
any Federal agency for a violation of this Act. This prohi-
bition shall not affect any private right of action or remedy 
otherwise available under any other law. 
Æ 
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