Congress speeds up disapproval of end-of-term rules with batch voting
H.R. 77 — Midnight Rules Relief Act · Filed by Andy Biggs (R-AZ) · 12 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 3, 2025 · Passed chamber
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What it does
This bill amends the Congressional Review Act to allow Congress to disapprove multiple 'midnight rules' (regulations issued in the final year of a presidential term) in a single joint resolution, rather than requiring separate votes on each rule. Previously, each rule required its own disapproval resolution; this change lets lawmakers bundle them together for one en bloc vote.
Why we flagged it
The bill is a narrow procedural change to the Congressional Review Act, enabling batch disapproval of midnight rules. It does not substantively change what Congress can disapprove, only how efficiently it can do so.
What the text implies
- Bundling multiple rules into one resolution may reduce individual scrutiny of each rule's merits, as lawmakers vote on a package rather than discrete disapprovals.
- The change applies only to rules submitted during the final year of a President's term, creating an asymmetry: early-term rules cannot be bundled, only late-term ones.
- Faster disapproval of midnight rules may incentivize agencies to issue protective or controversial rules earlier in a term to avoid the bundling mechanism.
- The bill does not change the 60-legislative-day window for filing disapproval resolutions under the CRA, so the procedural advantage is limited to voting efficiency, not timeline extension.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill makes it procedurally easier for Congress to overturn regulations issued at the end of a presidential term, which can be framed as either democratic accountability (Congress can more readily reverse executive overreach) or as a mechanism to undo protective rules (environmental, labor, consumer protections issued in final months). The civic effect depends entirely on which rules get bundled and disapproved—the bill itself is neutral on substance.
Named in the bill
Congress, Congressional Review Act (CRA), Section 801(d), Title 5 USC, Section 802(a), Title 5 USC, Midnight rules, Presidential term
Where it stands
12 cosponsors: 12 Republicans.
- Jan 3, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jan 3, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Rules and House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be…”
- Feb 12, 2025 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 212 - 208 (Roll no. 41). (text: CR H654)”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
3 lobbying clients named this bill on 7 disclosure filings across 3 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $55,339,417 in lobbying spend. A filing names 61 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 61% of bills with at least one filing.
Andy Biggs, the sponsor, reported $9,100 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A. — $54,660,000 on 3 filings
- American Society of Civil Engineers — $489,417 on 2 filings
- American Lung Association — $190,000 on 2 filings
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,302 characters) on Jul 10, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 20, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
“Congress speeds up disapproval of end-of-term rules with batch voting” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hr77 Report an error
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