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119-s-3210119th CongressWALLET

EXPERTS Act of 2025

Sponsored By: Senator Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]

Introduced

Summary

Tight new disclosure and transparency rules for studies used in federal rulemaking. This bill would force anyone submitting scientific, economic, or technical research to reveal funding, reviewers, and financial ties and would make most studies publicly available on agency dockets.

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  • Public commenters and researchers would have to disclose funders, amounts, reviewer identities, and financial relationships for submitted studies. Agencies could exclude or disregard submissions that fail these rules and must post nonexempt studies on the public docket. Conflicts are defined partly by at least 10 percent funding from an interested entity.
  • Agencies and the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs would face new timing and transparency steps. The Office would have 60 days to review significant rules with one 30-day extension allowed. Agencies must publish any changes between drafts provided to the Office and texts in proposed and final notices, explain withdrawn rules, expand rapid public notice, and respond to petitions with 100,000+ signatures within 60 days.
  • Regulated entities and public companies would face tougher penalties and filing rules. SEC-reporting companies that knowingly submit materially false information could face minimum civil fines of $250,000 for a first violation and $1,000,000 for repeats. The bill also redirects negotiated rulemaking toward government-to-government talks and alters many statutes to limit private-party negotiated processes.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

5 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 3 mixed.

New standards for writing and reviewing rules

If enacted, agencies doing impact analyses would have to count public benefits, including nonquantifiable benefits. Agencies must consider distributional and social equity impacts and generally favor public-benefit rules unless good cause exists. A "significant" rule would include actions likely to affect the economy by $100 million or more in a year. OIRA would have 60 days to review major rules and one 30-day extension only with a written reason. Courts would defer to reasonable agency interpretations when the agency followed required procedures. People could sue for unreasonable delay if agencies miss one-year deadlines for proposals or final rules. Judicial review suits would have to start within six years of final agency action.

More public access to rulemaking

If enacted, the law would create a National Public Advocate at the Office of Management and Budget. The office would help people take part in rulemaking and must do requested social equity assessments within 30 days. Agencies would make participation logs and notify interested people within two business days of a notice. If an agency gets over 100,000 petition signatures, it would reply in writing within 60 days.

Limits on negotiated rulemaking participants

If enacted, negotiated rulemaking would be limited to talks between agencies and government representatives. Private persons and residents of rural areas would no longer be formal participants. Many statutes would default to ordinary notice-and-comment rulemaking instead of negotiated rulemaking.

Stricter study disclosures and penalties

If enacted, people submitting studies to agencies would have to list who paid for the work and who reviewed it. Agencies could ignore submissions that miss required disclosures and may not answer them. Public companies that knowingly file false submissions could face at least $250,000 for a first violation. Later violations could cost at least $1,000,000 and agencies could block resubmission. Agencies would also have to explain withdrawals or text changes tied to interagency input.

Fast reinstatement of disapproved rules

If enacted, agencies could republish rules that Congress disapproved by joint resolution. They would be able to do this by publishing in the Federal Register during the first year after enactment. After that year, agencies must use normal notice-and-comment rulemaking.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]

MA • D

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT]

    VT • D

    Sponsored 11/19/2025

  • Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]

    MD • D

    Sponsored 11/19/2025

  • Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 11/19/2025

  • Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]

    VT • I

    Sponsored 11/19/2025

  • Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]

    CT • D

    Sponsored 11/19/2025

  • Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]

    OR • D

    Sponsored 11/19/2025

  • Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]

    NJ • D

    Sponsored 11/19/2025

  • Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]

    OR • D

    Sponsored 11/19/2025

  • Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]

    HI • D

    Sponsored 11/19/2025

  • Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM]

    NM • D

    Sponsored 11/19/2025

  • Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]

    MA • D

    Sponsored 11/19/2025

  • Sen. Kim, Andy [D-NJ]

    NJ • D

    Sponsored 11/19/2025

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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