On the first day of Congress's new session, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., will look to turn back the clock on last-minute White House regulations.

The California congressman re-introduced his Midnight Rules Relief Act on Jan. 3, which seeks to unwind any regulation put forth by the administration within its last 60 days.

The measure would allow Congress to overturn any regulation put forth in the last two months of an administration — so-called "midnight rules" for the nature of their waning action — by amending the Congressional Review Act to allow a vote to overturn blocks of new rules.

Issa first introduced the bill in September, and it passed the House in a 240-179 vote on Nov. 17. The bill was later assigned to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and hasn't moved since.

The California congressman, who may be betting on better chances in the 115th Congress, said in a statement that executive orders should be carefully crafted and not rushed through ahead of a new administration; thus, the bill provides Congress a way to undo the quickly implemented regulations.

"This is a good piece of legislation that will help keep this and future presidents in check," he said. "The Midnight Rules Relief Act is a reasonable plan to strengthen executive branch oversight, giving Congress a better tool to ensure regulations are limited and, when necessary, approved in an open and transparent manner."

While the bill is targeted at executive orders carried out by the Obama White House, Issa said that it balances power against any president attempting to lay down a spate of last-minute regulations.

But the bill’s key feature would be the ability it gives Congress to wipe out multiple regulations in a single action.

In a Nov. 14 statement, the Executive Office of the President saidthat since the CRA already allows for Congress to overturn regulations on a case-by-case basis, the bill was unnecessary and would draw a veto from President Obama.

"In addition, the bill would expand the scope of rules subject to the CRA such that by the time a vote on a resolution occurs, some of the rules may have been in effect for over a year. By doing so, H.R. 5982 would create tremendous regulatory uncertainty, potentially impose additional costs on businesses, and represent a step backwards for applying sound regulatory principles to protect public health, safety, the environment, and other critical aspects of society," the statement said.

The bill is expected to get a vote on Jan. 4.

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