# Congressional Review of Agency Legal Settlements Act of 2021

This bill requires federal agencies to get approval from Congress before they can settle certain legal cases. Right now, when an agency like the Environmental Protection Agency or Department of Labor gets sued, they can often settle the case on their own without telling Congress what they agreed to. This bill would change that by making agencies report major settlements to Congress and giving lawmakers a chance to review and potentially block them.

The bill specifically targets what are called "significant" settlements—basically the big-money cases or ones that involve important policy questions. When an agency settles a lawsuit, they might agree to change their rules, pay out money, or commit to doing something differently. Under this law, Congress would get a detailed report about what the agency agreed to, and they'd have time to decide if they want to stop it. If Congress doesn't like the settlement, they could pass a resolution blocking it from taking effect.

The practical effect is that it gives Congress more control over how federal agencies operate. Supporters say this prevents agencies from making major policy changes through the back door of legal settlements without elected representatives having a say. Critics worry it could slow down settlements and make it harder for people who win lawsuits against the government to actually get their money or see promised changes happen. Either way, it means fewer quiet deals happening behind the scenes and more public debate about what agencies are agreeing to when they lose court cases.

Congressional Review of Agency Legal Settlements Act of 2021

Scott, Rick

Congressional Review of Agency Legal Settlements Act of 2021 This bill requires federal agencies to submit certain settlement agreements to Congress and allows Congress to disapprove of such agreements. The bill applies to proposed voluntary compromise settlements that include (1) a financial award paid by an agency that is more than $10 million aggregated across all similarly situated cases or legal claims against the agency, or (2) an agreement to modify or alter an agency rule. Before an agency may enter into such an agreement, the agency must submit to Congress a report that includes specified information, such as the terms and class of claimants covered by the agreement. The bill (1) specifies the effect of passage of a joint resolution of disapproval related to such an agreement, and (2) provides for an expedited procedure for such resolutions.