Midnight Rules Relief Act: Congress Can Now Scrap Multiple Regulations in One Go

The "Midnight Rules Relief Act" changes how Congress can deal with regulations made in the final year of a President's term. Instead of reviewing each regulation one by one, this law lets Congress bundle multiple regulations together into a single resolution and vote them all down at once.

Fast-Tracked Regulation Rollbacks

This act amends Section 801(d) of Title 5 in the United States Code. Before this, Congress had to consider each "resolution of disapproval" separately. Now, they can package numerous regulations submitted during a President's last year into one big "joint resolution." Section 802(a) is also updated to include specific wording for these bundled disapprovals, making it clear that Congress can essentially nullify multiple rules with a single vote, stating the listed rules "shall have no force or effect."

Real-World Impacts: Less Scrutiny, More Speed

Imagine a scenario where an outgoing administration finalizes rules on environmental protections, worker safety, and consumer finance standards all at once. Previously, each would require separate consideration. Now, they can be grouped together. For a business owner facing new compliance costs, this could mean a quicker path to relief if the new Congress opposes those rules. However, for a worker relying on those safety standards or a consumer benefiting from new financial protections, this change could mean those safeguards are wiped out with far less debate and scrutiny.

For instance, if the EPA sets new limits on industrial emissions in December, and the Department of Labor introduces rules for overtime pay in the same month, both could be bundled. A farmer dealing with new environmental guidelines and a restaurant owner adjusting to updated labor costs might see both changes reversed in one Congressional action. This streamlined approach could lead to rapid shifts in regulatory landscapes, affecting everyone from construction workers to office employees.

Challenges on the Horizon

While the "Midnight Rules Relief Act" might offer a quicker way to undo regulations, it also raises concerns about due process and thorough review. Combining multiple, potentially unrelated, regulations into one resolution could mean less individual attention to each rule's specific merits and impacts. This could be particularly problematic for complex regulations where the details really matter, like those affecting healthcare coverage or food safety standards. It essentially creates a fast lane for overturning rules, which could be used to bypass in-depth analysis and public input that usually shape these policies.