Lafayette Reporter

Senator John Kennedy has reintroduced the Bureaucratic Limitation and Overreach Control (BLOCK) Act, aiming to establish new guidelines for executive agencies' major rulemaking processes. The legislation seeks to adjust the economic impact requirements of the Congressional Review Act (CRA), lowering the threshold for what constitutes a major rule from $100 million to $50 million annually.

Under this bill, any rule expected by the Comptroller General to meet or exceed this threshold would need a joint resolution of approval from Congress before it could be implemented. "Bureaucratic rulemaking has run rampant and is burdening Americans with too many costly regulations. My BLOCK Act would make sure that Congress keeps the administrative state in check," said Kennedy.

The BLOCK Act includes provisions allowing a major rule to take effect if deemed necessary by the president for national security or disaster response. However, it would still require congressional approval within 15 session days; otherwise, the rule would become invalid if not approved within that timeframe.

Additionally, six months after becoming law, federal agencies would be required to submit 20% of their current major rules to Congress for approval. This process is designed to continue annually until all major rules have been reviewed by Congress within five years of enactment.

Minor rules, those with an economic impact predicted by the Comptroller General to be less than $50 million, could take effect upon publication in the Federal Register. Nonetheless, Congress retains authority under the CRA to reverse minor rules through a joint resolution of disapproval.

The full text of the bill is available for review.