The House Judiciary Committee has voted to move the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2025, sponsored by Rep. Ben Cline (VA-06), to the House Floor for further consideration. The proposed legislation aims to increase transparency, accountability, and public participation in federal agency consent decrees and settlement agreements.
Rep. Ben Cline stated, “The American people should never be shut out of decisions that reshape federal policy. Today’s passage of the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act out of the House Judiciary Committee is a critical step toward ending the backroom arrangements that have too often allowed activist lawsuits to drive sweeping regulatory changes without transparency or accountability. This legislation ensures these agreements are opened to public notice, comment, and meaningful judicial review, giving taxpayers, workers, and small businesses the opportunity to be heard.”
According to information provided by Rep. Cline’s office, current practices allow certain groups to use closed-door lawsuits to influence agencies into making significant regulatory changes without sufficient input from affected parties or the public. The bill seeks to address this by mandating public notice and comment periods, enhanced judicial review processes, certification of settlements by agency heads, and detailed reporting requirements for Congress.
Ben Cline has represented Virginia’s 6th district in the U.S. Congress since 2019 after succeeding Bob Goodlatte. He previously served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002 until 2018. Cline was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1972 and now resides in Fincastle with his wife Elizabeth and their two children. He graduated from Bates College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1994 and earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Richmond in 2007.
