CONGRESSMAN
WASHINGTON — Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., introduced legislation last Thursday aimed at restoring traditional rulemaking procedures and increasing transparency in how federal agencies enter into consent decrees and settlement agreements.
The Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2025 would require federal agencies to provide public notice and an opportunity for comment before finalizing certain consent decrees or settlements that result in regulatory changes. The bill also calls for strengthened judicial review, certification by agency heads and detailed reporting to Congress.
According to Cline’s office, the legislation is intended to curb what supporters describe as the use of closed-door lawsuits by activist groups to pressure agencies into making broad regulatory changes without public input or oversight from Congress.
“The American people deserve a transparent, accountable government, not one where major regulatory decisions are made behind closed doors through backroom legal deals,” Cline said in a statement. “For too long, activist driven lawsuits have been used to force sweeping policy changes without public input or congressional oversight.”
Cline said the bill would help ensure that taxpayers, workers, small businesses and affected industries have a voice in the regulatory process and that agency agreements serve the public interest.
The measure was introduced Dec. 11 and will be considered by the appropriate House committees.
-The Salem Times-Register
