Today, Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) re-introduced the Midnight Rules Relief Act (H.R. 21), legislation that will allow Congress to overturn, with a single vote, executive branch regulations finalized in the last 60 legislative days of an outgoing Presidential administration.

The bill specifically amends the Congressional Review Act (the CRA) to allow Congress to reclaim the ability to effectively curtail multiple regulations hurried through the regulatory process in the final days of an outgoing Administration all at once. It’s designed to stem a growing trend by Presidents, of both parties, to use their last few months in office to rush in costly, expensive or controversial new regulations.

The House of Representatives is expected to approve the proposal on Wednesday. The bill was introduced with the bipartisan support of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Congressman Tom Marino (R-PA), Congressman Collin Peterson (D-MN) and others.

Congressman Darrell Issa: “Regulations impacting the economy, the environment, families, and our community should be done with great caution and transparency, not get rushed in last-minute on a President's way out of office. This is a good piece of legislation that will help keep this and future Presidents in check. The Midnight Rules Relief Act is a reasonable plan to strengthen executive branch oversight, giving Congress a better tool to ensure regulations are limited and, when necessary, approved in an open and transparent manner. We have a responsibility to ensure that unaccountable, last-minute regulations don’t continue crippling our economy, crushing small business and raising costs on middle-class families.”

Chairman Bob Goodlatte: "Our nation’s regulatory costs are currently out of control, and the last days of the Obama Administration is no time to be issuing even more regulations that will hurt our nation’s ability to create more jobs in the future. Overly broad and partisan regulations that are too often created in the final days of a presidential administration are not fair to hardworking Americans who will feel the impact of regulations long after a president leaves office.”

Congressman Tom Marino: “The runaway regulatory state maintained by the Obama administration has put immense strain on our economy and on working-class Americans. Still, President Obama continues to shuffle in last-minute regulations allowing no time for public scrutiny or thorough vetting. The Midnight Rules Relief Act ensures that midnight regulations can be easily disapproved of by the incoming Congress so no lame duck president has the opportunity to circumvent the will of the people or their representatives in Congress. It is an important and necessary piece of legislation that protects Americans from excessive, burdensome overreach by the executive.”

Groups Supporting The Midnight Rules Relief Act: The Midnight Rules Relief Act has the support of job creators and business groups from across the nation including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Businesses and more.