[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3341 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3341

To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for the consideration 
of costs and benefits during rule making and for the review of existing 
                                 rules.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 24, 2013

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for the consideration 
of costs and benefits during rule making and for the review of existing 
                                 rules.

    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 ``Verifying Agencies' Lasting Use of 
Expenditures Act of 2013'' or the ``VALUE Act of 2013''.

SEC. 2. CONSIDERATION OF COSTS AND BENEFITS DURING RULE MAKING.

    Chapter 5 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
after section 553 the following:
``Sec. 553a. Consideration of costs and benefits during rule making; 
              review of existing rules.
    ``(a) This section applies in the case of a rule for which an 
agency is required to follow the procedures under section 553.
    ``(b) An agency, when making a rule, shall--
            ``(1) clearly identify the nature and source of the problem 
        that the proposed rule is designed to address, as well as 
        assess the significance of that problem, to enable assessment 
        of whether any new rule is warranted;
            ``(2) assess the costs and benefits of the rule, both 
        qualitative and quantitative, and propose a rule only on a 
        reasoned determination that the benefits of the rule justify 
        the costs of the rule; and
            ``(3) identify and assess available alternatives to the 
        rule that were considered, including amending an existing rule 
        and not regulating, together with an explanation of why the 
        rule meets the regulatory objectives more effectively than the 
        alternatives.
    ``(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a rule may not 
take effect unless an agency complies with subsection (b), except as 
provided in subsection (d).
    ``(d)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, if 
the President makes a determination under paragraph (2) and submits 
written notice of such determination to the Congress, a rule that would 
not take effect by reason of subsection (c) may take effect for a 
period of 120 days beginning on the date that the President makes a 
determination under paragraph (2).
    ``(2) Paragraph (1) applies to a determination made by the 
President by Executive order that the rule should take effect because 
such rule is--
            ``(A) necessary because of an imminent threat to health or 
        safety or other emergency;
            ``(B) necessary for the enforcement of criminal laws;
            ``(C) necessary for national security; or
            ``(D) issued pursuant to any statute implementing an 
        international trade agreement.
    ``(e)(1) Not later than 5 years after the date of the enactment of 
the Verifying Agencies' Lasting Use of Expenditures Act of 2013, and 
every 5 years thereafter, the Administrator of the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs of the Office of Management and 
Budget shall--
            ``(A) review the rules of each agency and assess the costs 
        and benefits of such rules to determine whether any such rules 
        are outmoded, ineffective, insufficient, or excessively 
        burdensome; and
            ``(B) submit a report to the head of each agency regarding 
        the review conducted under subparagraph (A) of that agency's 
        rules.
    ``(2) Upon receiving a report under paragraph (1)(B), the head of 
an agency shall modify, streamline, or repeal any rules that the 
Administrator finds are outmoded, ineffective, insufficient, or 
excessively burdensome in accordance with such report.''.
                                 <all>