Bill
S 648
SCRUB Act creates a formal cut-go framework to weed out burdensome regulations, requires cost-certified rulemaking, and mandates retrospective reviews of rules.
Status and Sponsorship
- Bill number: S. 648
- Title: SCRUB Act of 2025 (Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome)
- Introduced: February 20, 2025 (Introduced in Senate)
- Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
- Primary sponsor: Senator Joni Ernst
Purpose and intent (as introduced)
- The SCRUB Act of 2025 aims to establish a formal framework to identify and eliminate regulations that are unnecessarily burdensome while ensuring public protections. It creates a systematic “cut-go” approach to regulatory review, strengthens cost considerations in rulemaking, and mandates ongoing retrospective evaluation of both existing and future rules. The bill also provides a pathway for judicial review of its standards and procedures, and assigns an effective date.
Key provisions by title
Title I – Regulatory Cut-Go
- Sec. 101. Cut-go procedures: Establishes procedures for evaluating proposed regulations using a cut-go framework. The intent is to determine whether a regulation would impose burdens that are not justified by its benefits, potentially preventing issuance if net burdens exceed benefits.
- Sec. 102. Applicability: Defines which rules and agencies fall under these cut-go procedures.
- Sec. 103. OIRA certification of cost calculations: Requires the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) to certify the accuracy or adequacy of cost calculations prepared by regulatory agencies before finalizing a rule.
Title II – Retrospective Review of Existing and New Rules
- Sec. 201. Plan for review of existing rules: Mandates agencies to develop and implement a plan to review existing regulations to identify those that are unnecessarily burdensome or obsolete.
- Sec. 202. Plan for future review: Requires plans for ongoing, periodic retrospective review of regulations as part of the regulatory lifecycle for new and existing rules.
Title III – Judicial Review; Effective Date
- Sec. 301. Judicial review: Establishes provisions for judicial review related to the SCRUB Act’s standards and procedures.
- Sec. 302. Effective date: Specifies when the Act (or its key provisions) would take effect after enactment.
Who is affected
- Federal regulatory agencies subject to rulemaking and review procedures
- OIRA and its certification responsibilities
- Stakeholders involved in rulemaking and compliance (regulated entities, advocacy groups, and the public), due to changes in how costs are calculated, reviewed, and potentially curtailed through the cut-go framework
- Courts, through new or clarified avenues for judicial review of SCRUB Act standards
Procedural and timeline considerations
- Introduced in the Senate on February 20, 2025
- Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs for consideration
- The introduced text outlines the framework but details (e.g., exact cut-go thresholds, definitions, and review timelines) would be defined in the bill’s full text or subsequent amendments
Notes
- This summary reflects the introduced version’s headings and described sections. The precise language, definitions, and operational details will be in the full bill text and any amendments filed during the legislative process.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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