Midnight Rules Relief Act in plain language
1: Short title
This section would give the Act its short title, the Midnight Rules Relief Act.
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Midnight Rules Relief Act .
2: En bloc consideration of resolutions of disapproval pertaining to midnight rules
This section would change how Congress can use its rule-disapproval process under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, for the rules described in paragraph (1) of section 801(d) of that title, which the section heading refers to as midnight rules. It would add a new paragraph (4) to section 801(d) stating that when section 802 is applied to those rules, a single joint resolution of disapproval could cover one or more of them, as long as the report on each rule required under subsection (a)(1)(A) was submitted during the final year of a President's term. It would also amend section 802(a) of title 5 in two ways. First, it would add the phrase "(except as otherwise provided in this subsection)" right after the existing reference to the resolution's resolving clause, marking that the single-rule wording described there is no longer the only option. Second, it would set the required wording for the resolving clause of a combined resolution filed under the new section 801(d)(4): the clause must read that Congress disapproves the listed rules, naming by blank the agency that submitted each rule and the subject each rule relates to, with additional clauses added as needed to cover further rules, and stating that the disapproved rules would have no force or effect.
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2. En bloc consideration of resolutions of disapproval pertaining to midnight rules (a) In general Section 801(d) of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: (4) In applying section 802 to rules described under paragraph (1), a joint resolution of disapproval may contain one or more such rules if the report under subsection (a)(1)(A) for each such rule was submitted during the final year of a President’s term. . (b) Text of resolving clause Section 802(a) of title 5, United States Code, is amended— (1) by inserting after resolving clause of which is the following: (except as otherwise provided in this subsection) ; and (2) by adding at the end the following: In the case of a joint resolution under section 801(d)(4), the matter after the resolving clause of such resolution shall be as follows: That Congress disapproves the following rules: the rule submitted by the __ relating to __; and the rule submitted by the __ relating to __. Such rules shall have no force or effect. (The blank spaces being appropriately filled in and additional clauses describing additional rules to be included as necessary). .