DRAIN the Swamp Act of 2017
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Regulatory Reform, Commercial And antitrustThe law of competition: rules against monopolizing a market, fixing prices, or merging in ways that substantially lessen competition.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) Law.
Determining if Regulatory Actions are in the Interest of the Nation or the Swamp Act of 2017 or the DRAIN the Swamp Act of 2017
This bill requires each agency to submit to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), for each major rule that the agency proposes or finalizes, an assessment and quantification of any regulatory conflict of interest (i.e., providing a substantial pecuniary benefit to the President and certain advisors) pertaining to that major rule. Before a major rule may take effect, the agency must submit to the GAO and publish in the Federal Register the assessment and quantification.
This bill does not apply to rules if an agency finds that notice and public procedure for the rule are impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on October 11, 2017. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on October 19, 2017: Referred to the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial And Antitrust Law.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 115th Congress (2017-18), 442 of the 11,421 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
David Cicilline (D-RI) introduced it on October 11, 2017, and 10 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 10 Democrats.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on October 11, 2017, 3256 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 3248 days ago, on October 19, 2017.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 115th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2019 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers