Administrative state 2025 legislation: Federal legislation highlights
August 20, 2025
By Ballotpedia staff
| Administrative State |
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| Five Pillars of the Administrative State |
| •Agency control • Executive control • Judicial control •Legislative control • Public Control |
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Federal legislation highlights
Ballotpedia tracked 129 federal bills related to administrative state reform in the 119th Congress as of August 2025.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act
One bill', H.R. 1 – the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, became law on July 4, 2025. It appropriated $100 million to the Office of Management to find budget and accounting efficiencies in the executive branch. Early versions of the bill included the following provisions that were amended out before passing in the House:
- REINS Act provisions that would have required agencies to submit new major rules (those with an annual economic impact of $100 million or more) to Congress for review and approval,
- a Midnight Rules Relief Act provision that would have amended the Congressional Review Act to allow Congress to reject multiple agency rules using one resolution of disapproval if the rules were submitted during the final year of a president's term, and
- Sunset review provisions that would have required any active rules not approved through a joint resolution of Congress to expire within five years.
Notable bills in committee
The Guidance Out Of Darkness (GOOD) Act
What’s the status?
The Out of Darkness (GOOD) Act] passed the House of Representatives on March 3, 2025, and is in committee in the Senate.
What would it do?
This bill would require all federal agencies to publish all guidance documents on a centralized website. It's part of the agency control pillar of the administrative state.
Who’s sponsoring it?
Republicans sponsored the bill.
The Separation of Powers Restoration Act (SOPRA)
What's the status?
What’s the status?
Both the House and Senate had versions of SOPRA in committee as of August 2025. The bill was first introduced during the 114th Congress and has been reintroduced in the 115th, 116th, and 118th Congresses.
What would it do?
SOPRA would require courts to decide de novo—or without deference to an agency's interpretation— all questions of law regarding agency actions, including the interpretation of constitutional and statutory provisions, rules made by agencies, interpretative rules, general statements of policy, and all other agency guidance documents.
It's part of the judicial control pillar of the administrative state.
Who’s sponsoring it?
Republicans sponsored the bills in both chambers.
The REINS Act
What's the status?
Both houses of Congress had versions of the REINS Act in committee as of August 2025. Though versions of the REINS Act have passed the U.S. House of Representatives, it has never passed the Senate.
Both the House and Senate had versions of the Saving Privacy Act in committee as of August 2025, which include REINS provisions.
What would it do?
The Senate version of the REINS Act would:
- Require agencies to gain legislative approval for rules and guidance documents with an annual estimated impact of $100 million or more before they can take effect.
- Allow the public to sue for an injunction on the enforcement of a major regulation if the promulgating agency did not gain legislative approval for the regulation.
- Exempt what the bill calls deregulatory actions from legislative approval requirements.
- Require the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to establish a regulatory budget specifying the net amount of incremental regulatory costs allowed by the federal government and at each federal agency for the next fiscal year.
The House version of the REINS Act would:
- Require agencies to gain legislative approval for rules with an annual estimated impact of $100 million or more before they can take effect.
- Require agencies to conduct a cost-benefit analysis for proposed rules.
- Identify and repeal or amend existing rules to offset any costs of new rules to the U.S. economy.
These are part of the legislative control pillar of the administrative state.
Who’s sponsoring it?
Republicans sponsored the bills in both chambers.
The DOGE Codification Act
What’s the status?
The DOGE Codification Act was in committee as of August 2025.
What would it do?
The DOGE Codification Act would codify all actions, regulations, and guidance issued by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) into law.
This bill is part of the agency control pillar of the administrative state.
Who’s sponsoring it?
Republicans sponsored the bill in the House.
Ballotpedia's Administrative State Legislation Tracker
Keeping track of the latest administrative state developments in all 50 state legislatures with Ballotpedia's Administrative State Legislation Tracker.
Ballotpedia's Administrative State Legislation Tracker allows you to track, query, and analyze hundreds of bills and resolutions affecting the authority and influence of agencies and agency rulemaking. Whether you're watching for specific reform policies, looking for trends, or keeping up-to-date on the changes in the administrative state landscape, our administrative state legislation tracker is your easy-to-use and flexible solution.
