Skip to main content
H.R. 1971 96th Congress House

Regulatory Flexibility Act

Official title: A bill to amend sections 551 and 553 of title 5, United States Code, to improve Federal rulemaking by creating procedures for regulatory issuance in two or more parts, and for other purposes.

Introduced: February 8, 1979 See on congress.gov
Government Operations and Politics Administrative procedureBusiness and commerceCost effectivenessEconomic impact statements
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Economics and Public FinanceGovernment and businessGovernment paperworkGovernment records, documents, and informationGovernment regulationIndependent regulatory commissionsSmall business
This bill died when the 96th Congress ended
It never became law before the 96th Congress (1979–1980) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Feb 8, 1979
Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary.
Feb 8, 1979
Introduced in House
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Latest action February 8, 1979

Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Regulatory Flexibility Act - Requires Federal agencies to include the following information in the general notice of a proposed rule: (1) the goals and purpose of the rule; (2) the estimated number of individuals, businesses, organizations, and governmental jurisdictions affected by the rule; (3) a statement that the agency seeks alternative proposals which could achieve the goal of the proposed rule at a lower cost to individuals, small businesses, small organizations, and small governmental jurisdictions; and (4) a list of the measures necessary for compliance with any reporting requirement affecting more than ten persons.

Requires Federal agencies to accept and consider alternative proposals to a proposed rule and to publish those proposals with justification of the selection of the final rule. Defines a small business, small organization, small governmental jurisdiction, and an individual as used in this Act.

Directs each agency to publish a plan for reviewing its rules within 180 days after enactment of this Act. Requires each agency to determine whether such rules are efficiently achieving the goals of the implementing legislation. Directs each agency to publish annually a list of the rules to be issued and reviewed during the next year.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Committees of jurisdiction 1
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 1971: Regulatory Flexibility Act. 96th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/96-HR-1971/
MLA
"H.R. 1971: Regulatory Flexibility Act." 96th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/96-HR-1971/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 1971, 96th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/96-HR-1971/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 1971: Regulatory Flexibility Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/96-HR-1971/)
Report a problem