What is the "Congressional Review Act"?
The Congressional Review Act (CRA) provides a process for Congress to review the way the Executive Branch plan to implement laws. It works like this:
Congress passes broad laws that provide the outline of policy. Executive Branch agencies implement these laws by making rules explaining how the laws will work in practice.
Under the CRA, the agencies must submit these rules to both the House and Senate before they take effect, and "major rules," those with economic impact over $100 million, are delayed for 60 days to give Congress time to review.
If Congress disagrees with the rule, it may pass a resolution of disapproval. If this resolution passes both the House and Senate and i signed by the President (like any other law), then it will overturn the rule in question.
Source: Administrative Conference of the U.S.
See also:
- CRS Report on Disapproval of Regulations by Congress: Procedure Under the Congressional Review Act
- Congressional Review Act resources from GAO
The latest action under the Congressional Review Act will be a House vote on Thursday, September 20, on H.J.Res 118, a bill: "Providing for congressional disapproval [] of the rule submitted by the Office of Family Assistance of the Administration for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services relating to waiver and expenditure authority [] for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program."
The resolution concerns this letter sent to states by Acting Assistant Secretary of HHS, which the Government Accountability Office (GAO) determined was a "rule" for purposes of the CRA.
Weigh in on H.J.Res 118:
