Regulatory Review Improvement Act of 2026

The Regulatory Review Improvement Act of 2026 proposes to change how federal agencies evaluate their existing rules and regulations. Currently, agencies are required to review their rules every ten years but can postpone these reviews for up to five years without a public explanation. This bill would limit any such delay to just one year and require agencies to provide a formal justification for the extension. The goal is to ensure that regulations do not remain in place indefinitely without being checked for their continued relevance and effectiveness.

If enacted, the bill would mandate that agencies perform more rigorous analyses during these reviews, including calculating the actual compliance costs and the total number of paperwork hours a rule has required since it was implemented. Agencies would also be required to solicit and summarize public comments to determine if a rule should be kept, modified, or eliminated. These changes aim to provide greater transparency and relief for small businesses and citizens who may be disproportionately affected by outdated or overly burdensome federal mandates.