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Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2025

8/8/2026, 3:33 PM

Summary of Bill S 164

Bill 119 s 164, also known as the Midnight Rules Relief Act, aims to amend chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code. The main purpose of this bill is to allow for en bloc consideration in resolutions of disapproval for "midnight rules".

Midnight rules refer to regulations that are issued by federal agencies during the final months of a presidential administration. These rules are often rushed through without proper scrutiny or public input. The Midnight Rules Relief Act seeks to address this issue by allowing Congress to review and potentially overturn multiple midnight rules at once through en bloc consideration.

The bill also includes provisions for other purposes, although specific details are not provided in the summary. Overall, the Midnight Rules Relief Act is intended to increase transparency and accountability in the rulemaking process, particularly during the transition between presidential administrations.

Congressional Summary of S 164

Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2025

This bill allows Congress to disapprove multiple regulations under one joint resolution of disapproval if the regulations were submitted for review during a portion of the final year of a President's term.

Under current law, the Congressional Review Act generally provides for a period of additional review during the succeeding Congress for regulations that were submitted during the last 60 legislative days of the prior Congress. However, each joint resolution may disapprove of only one regulation.

Current Status of Bill S 164

Bill S 164 is currently in the status of Bill Introduced since January 21, 2025. Bill S 164 was introduced during Congress 119 and was introduced to the Senate on January 21, 2025.  Bill S 164's most recent activity was Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably. as of August 6, 2026

Bipartisan Support of Bill S 164

Total Number of Sponsors
1
Democrat Sponsors
0
Republican Sponsors
1
Unaffiliated Sponsors
0
Total Number of Cosponsors
11
Democrat Cosponsors
0
Republican Cosponsors
11
Unaffiliated Cosponsors
0

Policy Area and Potential Impact of Bill S 164

Primary Policy Focus

Government Operations and Politics

Potential Impact Areas

- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Congressional oversight
- Legislative rules and procedure
- Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents

Alternate Title(s) of Bill S 164

A bill to amend chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, to provide for en bloc consideration in resolutions of disapproval for "midnight rules", and for other purposes.
A bill to amend chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, to provide for en bloc consideration in resolutions of disapproval for "midnight rules", and for other purposes.

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