<?xml version="1.0"?>
<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="billres.xsl"?>
<!DOCTYPE bill PUBLIC "-//US Congress//DTDs/bill.dtd//EN" "bill.dtd">
<bill bill-stage="Introduced-in-Senate" dms-id="A1" public-private="public" slc-id="S1-ELL23260-YFS-03-2KM"><metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
<dublinCore>
<dc:title>118 S1431 IS: Agency Accountability Act of 2023</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. Senate</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2023-05-03</dc:date>
<dc:format>text/xml</dc:format>
<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
</dublinCore>
</metadata>
<form>
<distribution-code display="yes">II</distribution-code><congress>118th CONGRESS</congress><session>1st Session</session><legis-num>S. 1431</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES</current-chamber><action><action-date date="20230503">May 3, 2023</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="S346">Mr. Lee</sponsor> introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the <committee-name committee-id="SSGA00">Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs</committee-name></action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title>To require agencies to publish a reference to the specific provision of law, including any relevant statutory language, under which agency rules are proposed, and for other purposes.</official-title></form><legis-body display-enacting-clause="yes-display-enacting-clause"><section section-type="section-one" id="S1"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Agency Accountability Act of 2023</short-title></quote>.</text></section><section id="idA8885BBCD2AF4341BC46BD370740D944"><enum>2.</enum><header>Statutory authority for rulemaking</header><subsection id="id17C4119FC22C48AF9E9B2D7A7499A404"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Definitions</header><text>In this section, the terms <term>agency</term> and <term>rule</term> have the meanings given those terms in section 551 of title 5, United States Code.</text></subsection><subsection id="id6F57F4C41324474AAFCF001F56096F84"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Statutory authority for rulemaking</header><text>Section 553 of title 5, United States Code, is amended—</text><paragraph id="idD6B38AB749B24386B4F75B8C429E16C4"><enum>(1)</enum><text>in subsection (b)—</text><subparagraph id="id5EBD8EDA7B274D91BC648286278A7DA6"><enum>(A)</enum><text>by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows:</text><quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idA353B314503B453AB926F5CAF5D22B3B"><paragraph id="idB8087F2D1C8049239866EA82D7BC16EE"><enum>(2)</enum><text>a reference to—</text><subparagraph id="id993E5AF946DC477283980B1A107E0639"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the specific provision of law that provides the agency with regulatory authority over the subject matter area affected by the rule; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="id393526507CF9419D93AC15DD904C2FE9"><enum>(B)</enum><text> the specific provision of law, including any relevant statutory language, under which the rule is proposed;</text></subparagraph></paragraph><after-quoted-block>; and</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subparagraph><subparagraph id="id380BC2FFD36147428F19C169D1A8C4DF"><enum>(B)</enum><text>in paragraph (3)(B), by inserting <quote>and the specific references described in paragraph (2)</quote> after <quote>therefor</quote>; and</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="idDEBDFA6939DE41918A3968F7FA5520C6"><enum>(2)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following:</text><quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id81889D86DD194AC6B67E400F226EE78D"><subsection id="id0FF5371D432B40E887F2B16769399604"><enum>(f)</enum><text>When publishing a final rule in the Federal Register, including any rule for which a notice of proposed rulemaking is not required to be published, an agency shall include the references described in subsection (b)(2).</text></subsection><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="id0C73C65FF9E1482DA7B89E6FD0DCC86F"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Notice regarding statutory authority</header><text>If an agency imposes a fine or other penalty on an individual related to the violation of a rule, the agency shall inform the individual of the specific statutory provision of law that forms the basis of the rule that the individual is accused of violating.</text></subsection><subsection id="id927F4D65D4D04943836DCD7C29C17901"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Affirmative defense</header><text>It shall be an affirmative defense against an alleged violation of a rule for a defendant in any administrative proceeding of an agency, or before a court of the United States, if an individual of ordinary intelligence could not anticipate from the statutory language of a provision of law purported to form the basis for the rule in question that the conduct of the individual would be unlawful. </text></subsection></section></legis-body></bill> 

