House Approves REINS Act to Limit Executive Overreach

Regulations
Published
Contact: Alex Strong
[email protected]
Senior Director, Federal Legislative
(202) 266-8279

In an important victory for NAHB and common-sense regulatory reform, the House today approved the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2023.

This legislation would restore meaningful congressional oversight to regulatory rulemaking by requiring Congress to approve all federal agency regulations that have an annual economic impact of $100 million or more.

Prior to the House vote, NAHB sent a letter to House lawmakers urging support for this bill and deemed it a “key vote” because of its importance to the housing industry.

Without meaningful congressional oversight, poorly crafted rules often go into place and businesses are forced to divert precious resources to lengthy and uncertain legal challenges.

Under the REINS Act, if a federal agency proposes a major regulation, it would need to be approved by both the House and Senate before going into effect.

The bill would also grant Congress the authority to disapprove a “non-major rule” (defined as a regulation that would result in an annual effect on the economy of less than $100 million) through a joint resolution.

NAHB believes that placing more decision-making in the hands of Congress on major regulatory rules that impact millions of Americans and countless small businesses will reduce regulatory overreach by federal agencies. We will urge the Senate to introduce and advance companion legislation.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Economics
Oct 08, 2026
Remodeling Market Sentiment Remains Stable in Third Quarter Despite Headwinds

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released the NAHB Remodeling Market Index (RMI) for the third quarter, posting a reading of 62—up one point compared to the previous quarter.

Trends
Oct 07, 2026
Share of Homes With Two-Story Foyers Increases For First Time Since 2022

For the first time since 2022, the share of new homes with two-story foyers increased, according to the Census Bureau's Survey of Construction (SOC). Despite the increase, the market share of two-story foyers has generally trended downward since 2017, with most new single-family homes being built without a two-story foyer both nationally and regionally.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics
Oct 08, 2026
Remodeling Market Sentiment Remains Stable in Third Quarter Despite Headwinds

In the third quarter of 2026, the NAHB Remodeling Market Index (RMI) posted a reading of 62, up one point compared to the previous quarter. The RMI has remained within a narrow band between 59 and 70 for the past four years.

Economics
Oct 07, 2026
ARM Share Increased as Mortgage Rates Spiked

Mortgage application activity declined as the 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose sharply. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Market Composite Index, a measure of total mortgage application volume, decreased 7.7% month-over-month in September on a seasonally adjusted basis. Compared to a year ago, total mortgage applications were lower by 35.4%.

Economics
Oct 06, 2026
Mortgage Rates Rise as Treasury Yields Top 5%

Mortgage rates rose sharply in September as multiple factors applied significant upward pressure on the U.S. treasury yields. According to Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.86% in September, up nearly 20 basis points (bps) from August.