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. 
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 ‘‘Congressional Respon-
sibility and Accountability Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. RULES THAT RESULT IN A SPECIFIED ECONOMIC 
IMPACT. 
Section 553 of title 5, United States Code, is amend-
ed by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(f)(1) Before adoption of a rule, each agency shall 
determine whether compliance with the rule will result in 
a specified economic impact. If an agency determines that 
a rule will result in a specified economic impact, the agen-
cy shall provide notification and shall not enforce the rule 
until the requirements of the rule are enacted into law 
by an Act of Congress. 
‘‘(2) Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, each agen-
cy shall determine whether any rule of that agency has 
resulted in a specified economic impact in the preceding 
year. If an agency determines that a rule has resulted in 
a specified economic impact in the preceding year, the 
agency shall provide notification and, not later than 365 
days after making such determination, shall no longer en-
force the rule until the requirements of the rule are en-
acted into law by an Act of Congress. 
‘‘(3) In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) The term ‘provide notification’ means 
transmit the rule determined to result in a specified 
economic impact and the findings supporting such a 
determination, including relevant public comments in 
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the case of a proposed rule, to the Federal Register 
for publication and to the Committees on Appropria-
tions of the House of Representatives and the Sen-
ate, not later than 30 days after a determination is 
made in the case of a proposed rule and not later 
than 60 days after a determination is made in the 
case of an existing rule. 
‘‘(B) The term ‘a specified economic impact’ 
means any of the following: 
‘‘(i) Costs to any individual of $5,000 or 
more in a year. 
‘‘(ii) Costs to any partnership, corporation, 
association, or public or private organization, 
but not including the Federal Government or a 
State government, of $10,000 or more in a 
year. 
‘‘(iii) Costs to all persons in the aggregate, 
but not including the Federal Government or a 
State government, of $25,000 or more in a 
year. 
‘‘(iv) The loss by 1 or more United States 
citizens of existing employment in a year.’’. 
Æ 
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