Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Streamline the Code of Federal Regulations Act of 2026
Summary
HB7226, titled the Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Streamline the Code of Federal Regulations Act of 2026, would require the Office of Management and Budget, in consultation with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to establish an annual process that uses an artificial intelligence system to identify redundant or outdated regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations. The bill defines redundant regulations as those that duplicate or overlap with existing rules, and outdated regulations as those superseded by later legislation, technology, or regulatory developments.
Once the AI system flags a regulation, the relevant agency must review it within 30 days and make a final determination on whether it is redundant or outdated. If a regulation is found redundant, the agency must rescind or remove it from the CFR within 30 days. If it is found outdated, the agency must either amend it to bring it up to date or rescind it. The bill also requires public posting of the determination and explanation, with the option for a classified annex to Congress when necessary. It further amends the Administrative Procedure Act to allow expedited rescission or amendment of regulations identified through this AI review process.
Impact
The bill would alter federal administrative law by creating a new mandatory AI-assisted regulatory review process and by carving out an expedited pathway under title 5 for removing or updating regulations identified as redundant or outdated. It would place new responsibilities on OMB, NIST, and all federal agencies that issue regulations, and it would effectively shorten or bypass ordinary rulemaking procedures for regulations flagged under the program.
Sentiment
The available record shows no committee transcript or vote data, so there is no documented floor or committee sentiment to assess. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears framed as a government-efficiency and deregulation proposal, with an emphasis on modernization, transparency, and reducing regulatory clutter.
Contention
The main points of potential contention are the use of artificial intelligence in a legally consequential regulatory review process, the reliance on NIST standards for accuracy, transparency, accountability, and national security risk, and the bill’s requirement that agency determinations be final. Another likely issue is the bill’s expedited rescission and amendment mechanism, which could be viewed as weakening ordinary Administrative Procedure Act safeguards and public participation in rulemaking. Supporters are likely to favor faster regulatory cleanup, while critics may worry about errors, oversight, due process, and the risk of removing important rules too quickly.