WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman David Schweikert (AZ-01) recently introduced the RESTART SUNSET Act of 2025 (Regulatory Evidence-based Standards for Thorough Accountability and Reassuring Tests — Securing Updated and Necessary Statutory Evaluations Timely), H.R.4770, which will bring long-overdue accountability to the federal rulemaking process.

The bill strengthens the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) by requiring that federal agencies review regulations, not just provide a plan in the Federal Register to review regulations, that have a significant economic impact on small businesses. Under current law, agencies are expected to periodically assess these rules, but there is no enforcement mechanism to ensure compliance. The RESTART SUNSET Act of 2025 would change that by automatically sunsetting outdated regulations that have not been properly reviewed by the appropriate agency within 10 years of enactment of this Act or final publication of future regulations.

“We cannot keep asking Americans to follow rules that agencies themselves won’t bother to re-examine,” said Rep. David Schweikert. “The RESTART SUNSET Act of 2025 offers a clear path forward. Either agencies do their job and review the rules, or those rules come off the books.”

The bill would:

• Require mandatory retrospective economic reviews of regulations that significantly impact small entities.
• Sunset existing and future rules that have not undergone proper review within 10 years.
• Allow agencies to exempt rules that demonstrably do not affect a substantial number of small entities, but only if they publish and justify those exemptions in the Federal Register.
• Eliminate duplicative, outdated, or inefficient rules by requiring agencies to evaluate overlap with other federal policies.

Despite bipartisan legislative history dating back to 1980 and decades of Executive Orders from Administrations on both sides of the aisle encouraging periodic review, many agencies have failed to consistently comply with the RFA’s intent. Federal agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, have cited the need for enforcement mechanisms, like sunsetting, to drive compliance. 

You can read the full bill text here.