# 119-hr-849: No Regulation Through Litigation Act of 2025

119-hr-849, No Regulation Through Litigation Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Cloud, Michael [R-TX-27] (R-TX); status introduced (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-849
- 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-849
- Congress: 119
- Title: No Regulation Through Litigation Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-01-31
- Sponsor: Rep. Cloud, Michael [R-TX-27] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Limits on regulation through settlements and consent decrees.** This bill would restrict federal agencies from using settlement agreements or consent decrees to produce regulations or guidance and would bar fee awards tied to those outcomes. - Federal agencies: Agency heads would be barred from entering consent decrees that exceed the issuing court's authority. This aims to keep major policy changes inside formal rulemaking channels. - Plaintiffs and defendants in litigation: The bill would prohibit including payment of attorneys' fees or litigation costs in any settlement or consent decree that results in a regulation or guidance document. That reduces financial incentives to seek regulatory changes through suits. - Rule clarity and scope: The bill defines what counts as a "Guidance document" and a "Regulation" with examples like memoranda, notices, and rulemaking under sections 553, 556, and 557. That narrows when the prohibitions apply. - Exemptions and limits: The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs' Administrator could exempt certain categories, including military and foreign affairs and narrow organizational rules.

## Cosponsors (7)

- Rep. Ogles, Andrew [R-TN-5] (R-TN), 2025-01-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Higgins, Clay [R-LA-3] (R-LA), 2025-01-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Crane, Elijah [R-AZ-2] (R-AZ), 2025-01-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tiffany, Thomas P. [R-WI-7] (R-WI), 2025-01-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Perry, Scott [R-PA-10] (R-PA), 2025-01-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Palmer, Gary J. [R-AL-6] (R-AL), 2025-02-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Harris, Mark [R-NC-8] (R-NC), 2025-08-26T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Clear lines between guidance and rules: mixed, medium. If enacted, this bill would define what counts as a nonbinding guidance document and what counts as a binding regulation. Guidance would include memos, notices, letters, blog posts, advisories, and similar items. Regulations would be binding rules made through formal or informal rulemaking. Some ar…
- Limits on agency consent decrees: mixed, low. If enacted, agency heads would be barred from entering consent decrees that require more than a court is allowed to order. Agencies could still settle cases, but only within the court’s legal power.
- No attorney fees in rulemaking settlements: mixed, low. If enacted, federal agencies would not be able to pay attorneys’ fees or litigation costs in settlements or consent decrees that lead to a regulation or guidance document. This would apply only when a federal agency is a party to the deal. Private parties and their lawyers could not collect those f…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-22: SAVE Act
- 119-hr-404: Hearing Protection Act
- 119-hr-1301: Death Tax Repeal Act
- 119-hr-425: Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act
- 119-hr-645: National Constitutional Carry Act
- 119-hr-38: Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-849 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/849)

## Related
- [119-hr-22: SAVE Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-22)
- [119-hr-404: Hearing Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-404)
- [119-hr-1301: Death Tax Repeal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1301)
- [119-hr-425: Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-425)
- [119-hr-645: National Constitutional Carry Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-645)
- [119-hr-38: Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-38)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-849 (as of 2026-04-21).