REIGN Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4279
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2020-07-22
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Budget process

Congressional oversight

Government information and archives

Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents

War and emergency powers
Latest action: action_date: 2020-07-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-07-22
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Restraint of Executive In Governing Nation Act of 2020 or the REIGN Act of 2020</b></p> <p>This bill requires the President to disclose to Congress presidential emergency action documents within a specified time frame. Such documents may include draft executive orders, proclamations, and messages to Congress prepared in advance of anticipated emergencies. </p> <p>Specifically, the President shall submit to Congress (1) any such document not later than 30 days after the conclusion of the process for approval, adoption, or revision; and (2) all such documents in existence before this bill's enactment date not later than 15 days after such date.</p>

tv_txt: II 116th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4279 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES July 22, 2020 Mr. Markey (for himself and Mr. Bennet ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs A BILL To require the disclosure to Congress of presidential emergency action documents.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Restraint of Executive In Governing Nation Act of 2020 or the REIGN Act of 2020 . 2. Disclosure to Congress of presidential emergency action documents (a) In general Not later than 30 days after the conclusion of the process for approval, adoption, or revision of any presidential emergency action document, the President shall submit that document to the appropriate congressional committees. (b) Documents in existence before date of enactment Not later than 15 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees all presidential emergency action documents in existence before such date of enactment. (c) Definitions In this section: (1) Appropriate congressional committees The term appropriate congressional committees , with respect to a presidential emergency action document submitted under subsection (a) or (b), means— (A) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate; (B) the Committee on Oversight and Reform, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives; and (C) any other committee of the Senate or the House of Representatives with jurisdiction over the subject matter addressed in the presidential emergency action document. (2) Presidential emergency action document The term presidential emergency action document refers to— (A) each of the approximately 56 documents described as presidential emergency action documents in the budget justification materials for the Office of Legal Counsel of the Department of Justice submitted to Congress in support of the budget of the President for fiscal year 2018; and (B) any other pre-coordinated legal document in existence before, on, or after the date of the enactment of this Act, that— (i) is designated as a presidential emergency action document; or (ii) is designed to implement a presidential decision or transmit a presidential request when an emergency disrupts normal governmental or legislative processes.