119-s644

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 644 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 644

To improve retrospective reviews of Federal regulations, and for other 
 purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 February 20, 2025

 Mr. Lee (for himself and Ms. Lummis) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security 
 and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To improve retrospective reviews of Federal regulations, and for other 
 purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Modernizing Retrospective Regulatory 
Review Act''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVING RETROSPECTIVE REVIEWS OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS.

    (a) 

=== Definitions. ===
-In this section:

    (1) Administrative committee of the federal register.--The 
 term ``Administrative Committee of the Federal Register'' means 
 the committee established under 

section 1506 of title 44, 
 United States Code.

    (2) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
 Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory 
 Affairs.

    (3) Agency.--The term ``agency'' has the meaning given the 
 term in 

section 3502 of title 44, United States Code.

    (4) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
 ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
        (A) the Committee on Oversight and Government 
 Reform of the House of Representatives; and
        (B) the Committee on Homeland Security and 
 Governmental Affairs of the Senate.

    (5) Director of gpo.--The term ``Director of GPO'' means 
 the Director of the Government Publishing Office.

    (6) Machine-readable.--The term ``machine-readable'' has 
 the meaning given the term in 

section 3502 of title 44, United 
 States Code.

    (7) Retrospective review of a regulation of the agency.--
 The term ``retrospective review of a regulation of the agency'' 
 means a review of regulations of the agency conducted after the 
 regulation has been issued that is required by law or 
 determined appropriate by the head of the agency.

    (b) Report on Availability of Existing Regulations in Machine-
Readable Format.--

    (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
 enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Management 
 and Budget, acting through the Administrator and in 
 consultation with the Director of GPO, the Archivist of the 
 United States, and the Director of the Federal Register, shall 
 submit to the appropriate congressional committees, a report on 
 the progress of the Federal Government in making regulations of 
 agencies available in machine-readable format.

    (2) Contents of report.--The report required by paragraph

    (1) shall include--
        (A) an assessment of whether agency regulations 
 have been made available in a machine-readable format 
 to the public; and
        (B) information regarding the recognition by the 
 Administrative Committee of the Federal Register of the 
 eCFR maintained by the Director of the Federal Register 
 and the Director of GPO as an official legal edition of 
 the Code of Federal Regulations.
            (c) Guidance on Using Technology to Conduct Retrospective 
Reviews.--

    (1) In general.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
 enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Management 
 and Budget, acting through the Administrator, shall issue 
 guidance on how the head of an agency can--
        (A) use technology (including algorithmic tools and 
 artificial intelligence) to more efficiently, cost-
 effectively, and accurately conduct any retrospective 
 review of the existing regulations of the agency, 
 including how to identify, procure, and use such 
 technology to identify through any such review 
 regulations of the agency that--
            (i) are obsolete, ineffective, or 
 insufficient;
            (ii) are excessively burdensome or should 
 be improved;
            (iii) contain typographical errors;
            (iv) contain inaccurate cross references; 
 or
            (v) are redundant, contradict, or overlap 
 with any regulations or standards of the 
 agency; and
        (B) adequately train personnel of the agency on how 
 to use such technology.

    (2) Development of guidance.--In developing the guidance 
 required pursuant to paragraph

    (1) , the Administrator shall 
 take into account any assessment or information included in the 
 report required by subsection

    (b) .
            (d) Agency Retrospective Review Plan.--Not later than 2 years after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the head of each agency shall submit 
to the Administrator and the appropriate congressional committees a 
plan that--

    (1) includes a detailed strategy for implementing the 
 guidance issued pursuant to subsection
            (c) with respect to the 
 regulations of the agency;

    (2) identifies any regulation of the agency, or categories 
 of regulations of the agency, that the head of the agency--
        (A) is required by law to review after the 
 applicable regulation is issued; or
        (B) determines would benefit from being reviewed 
 after the regulation is issued; and

    (3) includes any additional information, data, or ex-post 
 analysis determined necessary or useful by the head of the 
 agency.

    (e) Agency Implementation.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
on which the head of an agency submits the plan required by subsection
            (d) , the head of the agency shall implement the strategy included in 
such plan with respect to any retrospective review of a regulation of 
the agency.
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