I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2623 
To provide for a method by which the economic costs of significant regulatory 
actions may be offset by the repeal of other regulatory actions, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 24, 2017 
Mr. MEADOWS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee 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 provide for a method by which the economic costs of 
significant regulatory actions may be offset by the repeal 
of other regulatory actions, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Lessening Regulatory Costs and Establishing a Federal 
Regulatory Budget Act of 2017’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
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Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Sense of Congress; purpose. 
Sec. 3. Regulatory reform officers. 
Sec. 4. Regulatory reform task forces. 
Sec. 5. Accountability. 
Sec. 6. Regulatory cap. 
Sec. 7. Annual regulatory cost submission to the Office of Management and 
Budget. 
Sec. 8. Waiver. 
Sec. 9. Definitions. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS; PURPOSE. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the Federal Government should be prudent and 
financially responsible in the expenditure of funds, from 
both public and private sources. In addition to the man-
agement of the direct expenditure of taxpayer dollars 
through the budgeting process, it is essential to manage 
the costs associated with the governmental imposition of 
private expenditures required to comply with Federal reg-
ulations. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is— 
(1) to remove unnecessary and outdated regula-
tions when a new significant regulation is issued; 
and 
(2) to prudently manage and control the cost of 
planned regulations through an annual budgeting 
process. 
SEC. 3. REGULATORY REFORM OFFICERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided for under sec-
tion 8, not later than 60 days after the date of the enact-
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ment of this Act, the head of each agency shall designate 
an employee or officer of the agency as the Regulatory 
Reform Officer (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘agency 
RRO’’). Each RRO shall oversee the implementation of 
regulatory reform initiatives and policies for the agency 
to ensure that the agency effectively carries out regulatory 
reforms, consistent with applicable law. These initiatives 
and policies include the following: 
(1) Executive Order 13771 (82 Fed. Reg. 9339; 
relating to reducing regulation and controlling regu-
latory costs), regarding offsetting the number and 
cost of new regulations. 
(2) Executive Order 12866 (5 U.S.C. 601 note; 
relating to regulatory planning and review), regard-
ing regulatory planning and review. 
(3) Executive Order 13563 (5 U.S.C. 601 note; 
relating to improving regulation and regulatory re-
view), regarding retrospective review. 
(4) The termination, consistent with applicable 
law, of programs and activities that derive from or 
implement Executive orders, guidance documents, 
policy memoranda, rule interpretations, and similar 
documents, or relevant portions thereof, that have 
been repealed or rescinded. 
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(b) CONSULTATION REQUIRED.—Each agency RRO 
shall periodically report to the head of the agency and reg-
ularly consult with agency leadership. 
SEC. 4. REGULATORY REFORM TASK FORCES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The head of each agency shall es-
tablish a Regulatory Reform Task Force composed of the 
following: 
(1) The agency RRO. 
(2) The agency Regulatory Policy Officer des-
ignated under section 6(a)(2) of Executive Order 
12866. 
(3) A representative from the agency’s central 
policy office or equivalent central office. 
(4) For each agency listed in section 901(b)(1) 
of title 31, United States Code, at least three addi-
tional senior agency officials involved in the develop-
ment of rulemaking at the agency as determined by 
the head of the agency. 
(b) CHAIR.—Unless otherwise designated by the head 
of the agency, the agency RRO shall chair the Regulatory 
Reform Task Force of the agency. 
(c) JOINT TASK FORCES.—Each Federal regulatory 
entity staffed by officials of multiple agencies, such as the 
Chief Acquisition Officers Council, shall form a joint regu-
latory reform task force composed of at least one official 
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described in subsection (a) from each constituent agency’s 
Regulatory Reform Task Force. Joint regulatory reform 
task forces shall implement this Act in coordination with 
the regulatory reform task forces of their members’ re-
spective agencies. 
(d) TASKS.—Each Regulatory Reform Task Force 
shall evaluate existing regulations and make recommenda-
tions to the head of the agency regarding repeal, replace-
ment, or amendment, consistent with applicable law. The 
task force shall complete a review of each regulation issued 
by the agency not later than 5 years after the establish-
ment of the task force. For each regulation reviewed, the 
task force shall estimate the cost savings that would be 
achieved if the agency followed the recommendation from 
the task force. Each regulatory reform task force shall 
identify regulations that— 
(1) eliminate jobs or inhibit job creation; 
(2) are outdated, unnecessary, or ineffective; 
(3) impose costs that exceed benefits; 
(4) create a serious inconsistency or otherwise 
interfere with regulatory reform initiatives and poli-
cies; 
(5) are inconsistent with the requirements of 
section 515 of the Treasury and General Govern-
ment Appropriations Act, 2001 (Public Law 106– 
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554; 44 U.S.C. 3516 note), or the guidance issued 
pursuant to that section, including any rule that re-
lies in whole or in part on data, information, or 
methods that are not publicly available or that are 
insufficiently transparent to meet the standard for 
reproducibility; or 
(6) were made pursuant to or to implement Ex-
ecutive orders or other Presidential directives that 
have been subsequently rescinded or substantially 
modified. 
(e) CONSULTATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS.—In per-
forming the evaluation described in subsection (d), each 
Regulatory Reform Task Force shall seek input and other 
assistance, from entities significantly affected by Federal 
regulations, including State, local, and Tribal govern-
ments, small businesses, consumers, non-governmental or-
ganizations, and trade associations. In the discretion of 
the task force, the task force may incorporate specific sug-
gestions from stakeholders in the list of rules to be re-
pealed. 
(f) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, and not later than April 1 
of each year thereafter, each Regulatory Reform Rask 
Force shall submit to the head of the agency a report 
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(which shall be posted by such head on a publicly acces-
sible website) on the following: 
(1) A description of any improvement made to-
ward implementation of regulatory reform initiatives 
and policies described under section 3(a). 
(2) For each regulation reviewed by the task 
force, a detailed description of the review. 
(3) An inventory of each regulation the task 
force recommends the agency consider for repeal, re-
placement, or modifications. 
SEC. 5. ACCOUNTABILITY. 
(a) INCORPORATION IN PERFORMANCE PLANS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Each agency listed in section 
901(b)(1) of title 31, United States Code, shall in-
corporate in the annual performance plan of the 
agency (required under section 1115(b) of title 31, 
United States Code) performance indicators that 
measure progress implementing this Act. 
(2) OMB GUIDANCE.—Not later than 60 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Di-
rector of the Office of Management and Budget 
shall issue guidance regarding the implementation of 
this subsection. 
(b) PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT.—The head of each 
agency shall consider the progress implementing this Act 
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in assessing the performance of the Regulatory Reform 
Task Force of the agency and those individuals respon-
sible for developing and issuing agency rules. 
SEC. 6. REGULATORY CAP. 
(a) IDENTIFICATION OF RULES.—During fiscal year 
2018, before an agency may publish a notice of proposed 
rulemaking under section 553(b) of title 5, United States 
Code, for a significant regulatory action or otherwise pub-
licly propose promulgating a significant regulatory action, 
the head of the agency, in consultation with the Regu-
latory Reform Task Force of the agency, shall identify not 
less than 2 regulatory actions issued by the agency that 
are appropriate for repeal. In identifying regulatory ac-
tions for repeal, the head of each agency shall prioritize 
those regulatory actions that the Regulatory Reform Task 
Force of the agency identified under section (4)(d)(2). For 
each regulatory action identified, the head of the agency 
must confirm that the agency can continue to achieve reg-
ulatory objectives (such as health or environmental protec-
tion) if the identified regulatory actions were to be re-
pealed. 
(b) TOTAL INCREMENTAL COST FOR 2018.—For fis-
cal year 2018, the total incremental cost of all new signifi-
cant regulatory actions at each agency and any repealed 
regulatory action, to be finalized in fiscal year 2018 shall 
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