# 119-hr-689: FREE Act

119-hr-689, FREE Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Maloy, Celeste [R-UT-2] (R-UT); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-689
- 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-689
- Congress: 119
- Title: FREE Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-01-23
- Sponsor: Rep. Maloy, Celeste [R-UT-2] (R-UT)
- Cosponsors: 19
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Creates a standard "permitting by rule" path to speed approvals and limit agency discretion.** The FREE Act would require agencies to review every permit type, decide whether permitting by rule could replace current processes, and set timelines, deemed approvals, audits, and appeal rules to enforce faster decisions. - Applicants and local projects would get faster certainty. Agencies would have to create permitting-by-rule procedures within 12 months for eligible permits, allow filings based on written certifications, and trigger a deemed grant if the agency does not act within 180 days. Agencies must contact applicants within 7 days to fix missing certifications and may face attorney fees if they unreasonably delay and lose in court. - Federal agencies would face a new inventory and review duty. Each agency would report within 240 days after OMB guidance on every permit type, typical timelines, and whether permitting by rule is feasible, and they would face audits and narrower grounds to deny certified filings. - Congress and watchdogs would get oversight tools. OMB must issue guidance in 120 days and the Government Accountability Office would report on agency accuracy and implementation progress within 2 years.

## Cosponsors (19)

- Rep. Finstad, Brad [R-MN-1] (R-MN), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moore, Blake D. [R-UT-1] (R-UT), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Valadao, David G. [R-CA-22] (R-CA), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Arrington, Jodey C. [R-TX-19] (R-TX), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Owens, Burgess [R-UT-4] (R-UT), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pfluger, August [R-TX-11] (R-TX), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ciscomani, Juan [R-AZ-6] (R-AZ), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stauber, Pete [R-MN-8] (R-MN), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fischbach, Michelle [R-MN-7] (R-MN), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Newhouse, Dan [R-WA-4] (R-WA), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Collins, Mike [R-GA-10] (R-GA), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Moylan, James C. [R-GU-At Large] (R-GU), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Yakym, Rudy [R-IN-2] (R-IN), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fong, Vince [R-CA-20] (R-CA), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gosar, Paul A. [R-AZ-9] (R-AZ), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fulcher, Russ [R-ID-1] (R-ID), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kennedy, Mike [R-UT-3] (R-UT), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hageman, Harriet M. [R-WY-At Large] (R-WY), 2025-03-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hurd, Jeff [R-CO-3] (R-CO), 2025-07-02T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Faster permits by rule for applicants: benefit, medium. This bill would create a permitting-by-rule path for permit types agencies say are suitable, within 12 months after each agency’s report. You could file only required certifications, and the agency would have 7 days to tell you if something is missing. If your completed application gets no decision…
- Agency permit reports and oversight: benefit, low. OMB would issue guidance within 120 days defining “permitting by rule” and “permit.” Within 240 days after that guidance, each agency would send Congress a report on every permit it issues; one 90-day extension is allowed with notice. Reports would list requirements, steps, typical review times, an…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-452: Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 119-hr-425: Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act
- 119-hr-1628: 761st Tank Battalion Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 119-hr-703: Main Street Tax Certainty Act
- 119-hres-719: Honoring the life and legacy of Charles Charlie James Kirk.
- 119-hr-1: One Big Beautiful Bill Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-689 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/689)

## Related
- [119-hr-452: Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-452)
- [119-hr-425: Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-425)
- [119-hr-1628: 761st Tank Battalion Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1628)
- [119-hr-703: Main Street Tax Certainty Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-703)
- [119-hres-719: Honoring the life and legacy of Charles Charlie James Kirk.](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hres-719)
- [119-hr-1: One Big Beautiful Bill Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-689 (as of 2026-04-21).