[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3396 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3396

    To amend title 5, United States Code, to prohibit agencies from 
 enforcing rules that result in a specified economic impact until the 
requirements of those rules are enacted into law by an Act of Congress, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 29, 2009

   Mr. Paul introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend title 5, United States Code, to prohibit agencies from 
 enforcing rules that result in a specified economic impact until the 
requirements of those rules are enacted into law by an Act of Congress, 
                        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 ``Congressional Responsibility and 
Accountability Act''.

SEC. 2. RULES THAT RESULT IN A SPECIFIED ECONOMIC IMPACT.

    Section 553 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at 
the end the following:
    ``(f)(1) Before adoption of a rule, each agency shall determine 
whether compliance with the rule will result in a specified economic 
impact. If an agency determines that a rule will result in a specified 
economic impact, the agency shall provide notification and shall not 
enforce the rule until the requirements of the rule are enacted into 
law by an Act of Congress.
    ``(2) Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, and annually thereafter, each agency shall determine whether 
any rule of that agency has resulted in a specified economic impact in 
the preceding year. If an agency determines that a rule has resulted in 
a specified economic impact in the preceding year, the agency shall 
provide notification and, not later than 365 days after making such 
determination, shall no longer enforce the rule until the requirements 
of the rule are enacted into law by an Act of Congress.
    ``(3) In this subsection:
            ``(A) The term `provide notification' means transmit the 
        rule determined to result in a specified economic impact and 
        the findings supporting such a determination, including 
        relevant public comments in the case of a proposed rule, to the 
        Federal Register for publication and to the Committees on 
        Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate, 
        not later than 30 days after a determination is made in the 
        case of a proposed rule and not later than 60 days after a 
        determination is made in the case of an existing rule.
            ``(B) The term `a specified economic impact' means any of 
        the following:
                    ``(i) Costs to any individual of $5,000 or more in 
                a year.
                    ``(ii) Costs to any partnership, corporation, 
                association, or public or private organization, but not 
                including the Federal Government or a State government, 
                of $10,000 or more in a year.
                    ``(iii) Costs to all persons in the aggregate, but 
                not including the Federal Government or a State 
                government, of $25,000 or more in a year.
                    ``(iv) The loss by 1 or more United States citizens 
                of existing employment in a year.''.
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