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S. 4987

BillFederalSenateIn Committee
Restoring Congressional Authority Act
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · August 1, 2024
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Congress
118th (2023–2025)
Introduced
August 1, 2024
Cosponsors (0)
None
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Summary

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The Restoring Congressional Authority Act would codify Chevron deference, a legal doctrine that requires courts to defer to federal agencies' reasonable interpretations of laws they are authorized to implement. Under this bill, courts could only overturn an agency's actions if the agency's interpretation of the law is unreasonable, rather than simply disagreeing with the agency's approach. The bill also establishes a fast-track legislative process allowing Congress to overturn court decisions that strike down agency actions, with only 60 days to introduce corrective legislation and expedited voting procedures requiring just 10 hours of debate in the Senate. This mechanism applies to any court of appeals decision rejecting an agency's reasonable interpretation, giving Congress a streamlined path to reverse judicial rulings without standard procedural delays. The bill contains no specific funding authorization, as it primarily modifies judicial review procedures and creates legislative expediting rules.

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