HR 21 · 115th Congress 2017–2019, ended

Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2017

Introduced Jan 3, 2017 Originated House Sponsor Darrell Issa R-CA

Latest action · Jan 5, 2017 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

IntroducedJan 3, 2017
Passed HouseJan 4, 2017
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2017

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Congressional Review Act to allow Congress to consider a joint resolution to disapprove multiple regulations that federal agencies have submitted for congressional review within the last 60 legislative days of a session of Congress during the final year of a President's term. Congress may disapprove a group of such regulations together (i.e., "en bloc") instead of the current procedure of considering only one regulation at a time.

Recorded votes 2

Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.

Roll call	Question	Result	Date
House 8	On Passage	Passed238–184	Jan 4, 2017

House 7	On Motion to Recommit with Instructions	Failed183–236	Jan 4, 2017

Cosponsors 14

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 3, 2017 to Jan 4, 2017; 13 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
R-MD	Andy Harris	Original	Jan 3, 2017
R-VA	Bob Goodlatte	Original	Jan 3, 2017
D-MN	Collin C. Peterson	Original	Jan 3, 2017
R-GA	Doug Collins	Original	Jan 3, 2017
R-WV	Evan H. Jenkins	Original	Jan 3, 2017
R-VA	H. Morgan Griffith	Original	Jan 3, 2017
R-OH	Jim Jordan	Original	Jan 3, 2017
R-TX	John Ratcliffe	Original	Jan 3, 2017
R-TX	Lamar Smith	Original	Jan 3, 2017
R-TX	Pete Sessions	Original	Jan 3, 2017
R-PA	Tom Marino	Original	Jan 3, 2017
R-SC	Trey Gowdy	Original	Jan 3, 2017
R-MO	Vicky Hartzler	Original	Jan 3, 2017
R-FL	Matt Gaetz		Jan 4, 2017

Committees 3

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Judiciary Committee	Referred Jan 3, 2017
	Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust Subcommittee	Referred Jan 3, 2017
House	Rules Committee	Referred Jan 3, 2017
Senate	Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee	Referred Jan 5, 2017

Actions 16

Everything that happened, newest first.

Jan 5, 2017Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Jan 4, 2017Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 5. (consideration: CR H74-86)
Jan 4, 2017The rule provides for one hour of debate and one motion to recommit.
Jan 4, 2017DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 21.
Jan 4, 2017The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
Jan 4, 2017Ms. Castor (FL) moved to recommit with instructions to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text: CR H84)
Jan 4, 2017DEBATE - The House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Castor (FL) motion to recommit with instructions. The instructions contained in the motion seek to require the bill to be reported back to the House with an amendment to add at the end of the bill a section 3 pertaining to exception for certain rules that prohibit discrimination by insurance issuers on the basis of gender or preexisting condition or that make healthcare more affordable for working Americans.
Jan 4, 2017The previous question on the motion to recommit with instructions was ordered without objection.
Jan 4, 2017POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Castor (FL) motion to recommit, the Chair put the question on adoption of the motion to recommit and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Ms. Castor (FL) demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings on adoption of the motion to recommit until a time to be announced.
Jan 4, 2017Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H86-87)
Jan 4, 2017On motion to recommit with instructions Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 183 - 236 (Roll no. 7).
Jan 4, 2017Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by recorded vote: 238 - 184 (Roll no. 8). (text: CR H74)
Jan 4, 2017Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Jan 3, 2017Introduced in House
Jan 3, 2017Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Jan 3, 2017Referred to the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial And Antitrust Law.

In the Congressional Record 5

Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.

Where	In the Record	Members	Date
House	Debate and remarks H860	Doug LaMalfa R-CA	Feb 1, 2017
House	Debate and remarks H328	Kevin McCarthy R-CA, Robert C. "Bobby" Scott D-VA	Jan 11, 2017
House · Extensions	Debate and remarks E23, H175	Earl Blumenauer D-OR, Paul Mitchell I-MI	Jan 5, 2017
House	Debate and remarks H56, H74–H87, H84–H86Text printed H74Motions H84Recorded votes H86, H87Castor motion to recommit (exempt rules that maintain consumer-friendly protections in health care)enactDeclaratory Statements H98Lists H81Organizations supporting H.R. 21, Midnight Rules Relief Act	Ann Wagner R-MO, Bob Goodlatte R-VA, Darrell Issa R-CA, Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. D-GA, Jerrold Nadler D-NY, John Conyers, Jr. D-MI, Kathy Castor D-FL (motion), Nydia M. Velázquez D-NY, Robert C. "Bobby" Scott D-VA, Steve Cohen D-TN, Tom Marino R-PA	Jan 4, 2017
House	Lists H46–H53H.R. 21–237	—	Jan 3, 2017

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article I, Section 1, Clause 1 of the United States Constitution, in that the legislation concerns the exercise of legislative powers generally granted to Congress by that section, including the exercise of those powers when delegated by Congress to the Executive; Article I, Section 8, Clauses 1 to 17, of the United States Constitution, in that the legislation concerns the exercise of specific legislative powers granted to Congress by those sections, including the exercise of those powers when delegated by Congress to the Executive; Article I, Section 8, clause 18 of the United States Constitution, in that the legislation exercises legislative power granted to Congress by that clause ``to make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof;'' and, Article I, Section 5, Clause 2, of the United States Constitution, in that the legislation concerns the powers of each House of Congress to determine the rules of its proceedings.

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 163, no. 1, January 3, 2017, page H46.

Printed hearings 1

Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.

Number	Hearing	Committee	Held
S. Hrg. 115-110	A GROWTH AGENDA: REDUCING UNNECESSARY REGULATORY BURDENS205 pages	Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee	Feb 1, 2017

CRS reports 3

Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.

Cite it 3

Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.

Product	Title	Kind	Published
R43992	The Congressional Review Act (CRA): Frequently Asked Questions	Report	Nov 12, 2021
R42395	A Retrospective of House Rules Changes Since the 110th Congress Archived	Report	Jun 28, 2017
R44869	Financial Regulatory Relief: Approaches for Congress, Regulators, and the Administration	Report	Jun 14, 2017

Related bills 3

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Bill	Title	Relationship	Latest action
HRES 5	Adopting rules for the One Hundred Fifteenth Congress.	Related bill	Jan 3, 2017
S 34	Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2017	Identical bill	Oct 5, 2017
HR 5982	Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2016	Reintroduction of	Nov 28, 2016

Titles 3

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: To amend chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, to provide for en bloc consideration in resolutions of disapproval for "midnight rules", and for other purposes.
Short Titles as Introduced: Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2017
Short Titles as Passed House: Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2017

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.

Text 3

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.