Unfunded Mandates Accountability and Transparency Act

Bill: 116-s-4077
Sponsor: Sen. Portman, Rob [R-OH]
Introduced: 2020-06-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Competition and antitrust
Congressional oversight
Consumer affairs
Economic performance and conditions
Federal Reserve System
Federal-Indian relations
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Intergovernmental relations
Judicial review and appeals
Labor market
Monetary policy
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Performance measurement
Small business
State and local finance

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-25
text: 

Unfunded Mandates Accountability 

and Transparency
 
Act

 
This bill revises rulemaking requirements with respect to unfunded mandates.
 
Specifically, the bill requires federal agencies to prepare and publish in the Federal Register an initial and final regulatory impact analysis prior to promulgating any proposed or final major rule. The analysis must include regulatory alternatives to the rule.
 

Major rule 
means a rule that the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs determines is likely to cause
 
 
an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more;
 
 a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, federal, state, local, or tribal government agencies, or geographic regions; or
 
significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, public health and safety, or the ability of U.S.-based enterprises to compete with foreign-based enterprises in domestic and export markets.
 
 
Before promulgating any proposed or final major rule, an agency shall select the regulatory alternative that maximizes net benefits, taking into consideration only the costs and benefits that arise within the scope of the statutory provision that authorizes the rulemaking, with exceptions.
 
The bill prohibits Congress from considering a bill that increases private sector costs more than a certain amount unless certain conditions are met.

action_date: 2020-12-16
text: 

Unfunded Mandates Accountability 

and Transparency
 
Act

 
This bill revises rulemaking requirements with respect to unfunded mandates.
 
Specifically, the bill requires federal agencies to prepare and publish in the Federal Register an initial and final regulatory impact analysis prior to promulgating any proposed or final major rule. The analysis must include regulatory alternatives to the rule.
 

Major rule 
means a rule that the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs determines is likely to cause
 
 
an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more;
 
 a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, federal, state, local, or tribal government agencies, or geographic regions; or
 
significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, public health and safety, or the ability of U.S.-based enterprises to compete with foreign-based enterprises in domestic and export markets.
 
 
Before promulgating any proposed or final major rule, an agency shall select the regulatory alternative that maximizes net benefits, taking into consideration only the costs and benefits that arise within the scope of the statutory provision that authorizes the rulemaking, with exceptions.
 
The bill prohibits Congress from considering a bill that increases private sector costs more than a certain amount unless certain conditions are met.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-12-16
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 643.
action_date: 2020-12-16
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Johnson with an amendment. With written report No. 116-333.
action_date: 2020-12-16
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Johnson with an amendment. With written report No. 116-333.
action_date: 2020-07-22
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
action_date: 2020-06-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2020-06-25
text: Introduced in Senate