*For all press release inquiries, please reach out to Theresa Meyer (Theresa.Meyer@mail.house.gov)

Washington, D.C.—Today, Representative Tom Emmer (MN-06) announced the introduction of the Sunset Act, a bill designed to rein in unaccountable government bureaucracy by requiring that each major rule receive Congressional approval or be terminated every ten years.

Emmer said, “The current federal rulemaking process allows agencies to overreach their authority and dictate policy without Congressional approval. A bloated bureaucracy and thousands of costly, potentially outdated major rules have been the result.”

“Congress is the government’s only legislator, and our Sunset Act will bring power back to the American people and their democratically elected officials” Emmer concluded.

Adam Brandon, FreedomWorks President said, "For too long, Congress has abdicated its constitutional role as lawmaker to unaccountable and unelected bureaucrats in the executive branch. Congressman Emmer’s Sunset Act represents an important first step that Congress should take to recover its power. Unfortunately, administrations of both parties have promulgated major rules that have had substantial negative effects on the economy. Under the Sunset Act, if such a rule has been in effect for 10 years, Congress would need to approve it for it to remain law. Based on media reports of what the Biden Administration plans to do in the coming months, few pieces of legislation are as timely."

“Under the Biden administration, the administrative state has garnered far too much power. Holding federal agencies accountable to Congress will ensure that the electorate, not DC bureaucrats, will have a say in shaping public policy,” said Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform.

“I am proud to support Rep. Tom Emmer and his colleagues in their effort to uphold Congress’s Article I authority” Norquist concluded.

The Sunset Act is also supported by Heritage Action.

Background:

On average, there are 71 major rules published every year. Since 1996, 1,929 major rules have been published.

Congressman Emmer also serves as a cosponsor of the Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny Act, which would require that every new major rule be approved by both the House and Senate before going into effect.

The Sunset Act would require each federal agency to submit a report to Congress and Comptroller on the rules subject to expiration. Rules would be renewed through approval by both the House of Representatives and Senate under a joint resolution.

You can read the text of the Sunset Act in full here.  

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