# 119-hr-1605: Separation of Powers Restoration Act of 2025

119-hr-1605, Separation of Powers Restoration Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Fitzgerald, Scott [R-WI-5] (R-WI); status in_committee (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1605
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-1605
- Congress: 119
- Title: Separation of Powers Restoration Act of 2025
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-02-26
- Sponsor: Rep. Fitzgerald, Scott [R-WI-5] (R-WI)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Shifts judicial review of agency legal questions from deference to de novo review.** This bill would require courts to decide all relevant legal questions anew in any action that challenges an agency action and makes that standard apply regardless of other laws unless a statute specifically references this section. - Federal agencies: Agency interpretations of statutes and rules would face fresh judicial review instead of any deference, increasing the chance courts overturn agency positions. - Federal courts: Judges would resolve statutory and constitutional questions without deferring to agencies, likely increasing litigation and judicial workload. - Businesses and the public: Regulated entities and individuals gain stronger grounds to challenge agency rules and decisions because courts must re-evaluate legal issues from scratch.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Rep. Cline, Ben [R-VA-6] (R-VA), 2025-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Onder, Robert F. [R-MO-3] (R-MO), 2025-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tiffany, Thomas P. [R-WI-7] (R-WI), 2025-05-19T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Courts would review agency rules from scratch: mixed, high. This bill would change how judges review federal agency actions. Courts would decide all legal questions from scratch, including what the Constitution, statutes, and agency rules mean. Judges would not defer to an agency’s legal view. This would apply to any lawsuit that reviews an agency action, e…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-21: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act
- 119-hr-987: Fair Access to Banking Act
- 119-hr-2189: To modernize Federal firearms laws to account for advancements in technology and less-than-lethal weapons, and for other purposes.
- 119-hr-2853: Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025
- 119-hr-404: Hearing Protection Act
- 119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-1605 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1605)

## Related
- [119-hr-21: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-21)
- [119-hr-987: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-987)
- [119-hr-2189: To modernize Federal firearms laws to account for advancements in technology an…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2189)
- [119-hr-2853: Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2853)
- [119-hr-404: Hearing Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-404)
- [119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1422)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1605 (as of 2026-04-21).